Mr. Mercedes
by Stephen King
Scribner’s 2014
Hardcover 1st edition
437pp
ISBN: 978-1-4767-5445-1
A Review
by Gene Stewart
He mentions James M. Cain on the dedication page but this streamlined killer thriller has other echoes, more contemporary ones. Lean prose, relatable people, and an interesting, layered mystery presented from various perspectives propel the reader through, while immediacy is assured by the present tense, third person narrative. One reads it in almost real time, it seems.
Tragedy and triumph at a breakneck pace that still allows room for humanity mark this as a superior thriller by any measure. Recommended for vacations, it will also please mystery readers.
Briefly, the plot concerns a retired police detective snatched from the ashes of suicidal burnout by an unresolved case flaring to life again and focusing on him and those around him. With a little help from his friends, he manages, barely, to address a situation rapidly bloating out of all proportion.
There is a Dean Koontz-ish villain. There are naturalistic settings presented concisely, vivid pathology, and grounded police procedure & culture. Set in a midwestern city we can all recognize and to which many will relate, Mr. Mercedes is modern noir with many welcome twists and deft, human touches.
Grab a copy and enjoy yourself, this is the work of a master storyteller at the top of his form and a superb writer whose talents are sharper than ever and informed by a backlist of experience few can match.
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