2 Bloggers 1 Series - Mr. Mercedes

 

So Stephen King has a new book coming out in September, Holly.  Knowing her character was first introduced in the Bill Hodges trilogy, and knowing how much I enjoyed her already in both the TV adaptation of Mr. Mercedes, which I never did finish watching, and Outsider, the novel, I suggested to Stormi we tackle this series in preparation.  I don't think she wants to kill me for this choice but I do believe I am a bigger fan than her.  So read on for my thoughts and then hop over to Stormi's at Storm Reads to see her's.

TITLE: Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges #1)

AUTHOR: Stephen King

PUBLISHER: Scribner

PUBLISHING DATE: June 1, 2014

PAGES: 437

SOURCE: Own Library

FROM GOODREADS: In the predawn hours, in a distressed American city, hundreds of unemployed men and women line up for the opening of a job fair. They are tired and cold and desperate. Emerging from the fog, invisible until it is too late, a lone driver plows through the crowd in a stolen Mercedes, running over the innocent, backing up, and charging again. Eight people are killed; fifteen are wounded. The killer escapes.

Months later, an ex-cop named Bill Hodges, still haunted by the unsolved crime, contemplates suicide. When he gets a crazed letter from "the perk," claiming credit for the murders, Hodges wakes up from his depressed and vacant retirement, fearing another even more diabolical attack and hell-bent on preventing it.

Brady Hartfield lives with his alcoholic mother in the house where he was born. He loved the feel of death under the wheels of the Mercedes, and he wants that rush again. Only Bill Hodges, with a couple of eccentric and mismatched allies, can apprehend the killer before he strikes again. And they have no time to lose, because Brady's next mission, if it succeeds, will kill or maim thousands.

MY THOUGHTS: So as I mentioned, I did actually watch the first season of the TV adaptation of Mr. Mercedes and enjoyed it.  I really need to continue someday.  I really think having seen it helped with my enjoyment of the book because I really loved the casting decisions and could easily envision the characters as I read.  

Bill Hodges is a retired detective contemplating if he should go on on living when he receives a letter from one of the cases he could never solve.  Bill and his partner were never able to figure out who mowed down some people, including an infant, in the early morning hours of a job fair.  In addition, Bill is worried that the actions of him and his partner may have also led to the suicide of another individual.  The letter prompts Bill to continue looking into what happened.  Along the way, he gets some help from his friend and high school teenager, Jerome, a sister of the individual who owned the stolen Mercedes which killed so many people, and her niece Holly.  

Although the first 50 pages had me questioning why I recommended Stormi and I buddy read this series, the book quickly picked up for me and soon I remembered why I loved reading King so much in the past.  Unless of course it's The Stand - that was 1000 pages of misery which I know is an unpopular opinion.  I loved the characters of Bill, Brady, and especially Holly and Brady Hartfield is one of the nastiest villains I've encountered in a while.  In fact, he sometimes made my skin crawl. I enjoyed watching Bill and his crew piece together the crime and am actually pretty excited to pick up book #2.

Also, I have to add, if you haven't read this book and are considering it, Odell the dog does not die.  

RATING: 4 paws