Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #1)

Title: Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #1)

Author: Stephen King

Published in: 2014

Date read: 20th February 2021

Score: 5/5

Genre: Crime, Detective, Thriller

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Mr. Mercedes" by Stephen King, published in 2014, marks a significant departure for the author into the realm of hard-boiled detective fiction and psychological thriller, with very minimal supernatural elements (though a touch of the uncanny remains). It is the first novel in the "Bill Hodges Trilogy," followed by "Finders Keepers" and "End of Watch."

The story begins in the bleak pre-dawn hours outside a job fair in a desolate Midwestern city. Hundreds of desperate, unemployed people are lined up in their cars, hoping for work. Suddenly, a lone Mercedes, a powerful luxury car, ploughs through the crowd, brutally mowing down eight people and injuring many more, before speeding away into the fog. The killer leaves no discernible trace, and the case quickly goes cold, becoming a haunting, unsolved mystery.

The novel then introduces its protagonist, Retired Detective K.P.D. Bill Hodges. Hodges is in a dark place. Divorced, overweight, and living alone, he's consumed by boredom, despair, and a deepening depression since his retirement from the police force. He spends his days contemplating suicide, his last connection to life being the cold case of the Mercedes killer, which he never managed to solve.

His grim routine is shattered when he receives a chilling letter. It's from the Mercedes killer, who identifies himself as "Brady Hartsfield." The letter is taunting, mocking Hodges for his failure to catch him, describing the thrill of the massacre, and threatening to commit another, even deadlier act. Brady's goal is to push Hodges over the edge, to drive him to suicide.

This letter, far from driving Hodges to despair, reignites his dormant detective instincts and gives him a new purpose. He knows the police have moved on, so he decides to go after Brady himself, operating outside official channels.

Hodges enlists the help of an unlikely pair of allies:

Jerome Robinson: A clever, tech-savvy, and resourceful black teenager who mows Hodges's lawn and has a sharp mind for research and computers. He becomes Hodges's invaluable assistant.

Holly Gibney: A socially awkward, highly neurotic, but incredibly intuitive and detail-oriented woman, who is the cousin of the deceased owner of the Mercedes. She initially appears fragile but possesses a surprising resilience and unique abilities that prove crucial.

The narrative then splits, following both Hodges's relentless, unofficial investigation and Brady Hartsfield's chilling perspective. Brady Hartsfield is revealed to be a deeply disturbed, psychopathic young man living with his alcoholic mother. He works two mundane jobs (an ice cream truck driver and an electronics store technician), which give him cover and access to materials. He is a master of disguise and psychological manipulation, driven by a profound hatred of humanity, a twisted sexual obsession with his mother, and a desire to commit an even grander, more spectacular act of terror. He meticulously plans his next attack, which involves targeting a large public event with an explosive device.

The novel becomes a thrilling cat-and-mouse game. Hodges and his team slowly piece together clues, often using old-fashioned detective work combined with Jerome's tech skills and Holly's unique insights, while Brady simultaneously plans his next horror and toys with Hodges, sending increasingly disturbing messages and even hacking into his computer.

The climax of the novel involves a desperate race against time as Hodges, Jerome, and Holly uncover Brady's final, devastating plan for a large public gathering. They must intercept him before he can unleash another mass casualty event, leading to a tense and violent confrontation where lives hang in the balance.

"Mr. Mercedes" is a character-driven thriller that explores themes of obsession, revenge, mental illness, the quiet desperation of retirement, and the enduring nature of evil. It marked a fresh direction for King, proving his mastery of the crime genre.

Comments:
Excellent thriller with a sprinkling of King. This can challenge any thriller writer.

Books that we've read by Stephen King (68):
Carrie (1974), 'Salem's Lot (1975), The Shining (The Shining, #1) (1977), The Stand (1978), Night Shift (1978), The Dead Zone (1979), Firestarter (1980), Cujo (1981), The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1) (1982), Different Seasons (1982), Christine (1983), Cycle of the Werewolf (1983), Pet Sematary (1983), The Talisman (The Talisman, #1) (1984), Skeleton Crew (1985), It (1986), The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, #2) (1987), The Eyes of the Dragon (1987), The Tommyknockers (1987), Misery (1987), The Dark Half (1989), Four Past Midnight (1990), The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower, #3) (1991), Needful Things (1991), Dolores Claiborne (1992), Gerald's Game (1992), Nightmares and Dreamscapes (1993), Insomnia (1994), Rose Madder (1995), The Green Mile (1996), Desperation (1996), Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower, #4) (1997), Bag of Bones (1998), The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999), Hearts in Atlantis (1999), On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (2000), Black House (The Talisman, #2) (2001), Dreamcatcher (2001), Everything's Eventual (2002), From a Buick 8 (2002), Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower, #5) (2003), Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower, #6) (2004), The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower, #7) (2004), The Colorado Kid (2005), Cell (2006), Lisey's Story (2006), Duma Key (2008), Just After Sunset (2008), Under the Dome (2009), 11/22/63 (2011), Full Dark, No Stars (2011), The Wind Through the Keyhole (The Dark Tower, #4.5) (2012), Dr. Sleep (The Shining, #2) (2013), Joyland (2013), Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #1) (2014), Revival (2014), The Bazaar of Bad Dreams (2015), Finders Keepers (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #2) (2015), End of Watch (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #3) (2016), Elevation (2018), The Outsider (2018), The Institute (2019), If It Bleeds (2020), Billy Summers (2021), Later (2021), Fairy Tale (2022), Holly (2023), You Like It Darker (2024)