Mr. Mercedes

Retired. All the elements of good crime fiction are evident in Stephen King’s novel, Mr. Mercedes. The detective protagonist, Bill Hodges, is an interesting, complex and flawed character who loves his work. The criminal, known as the Mercedes killer for the way he used an automobile, engages in a well-matched contest of wits and skills with Hodges. The plot develops at a pace that keeps a reader engaged, and the dialogue suits each character. Hodges finds little reason to live now that he has retired from a long career as a detective. He finds new energy and meaning when the Mercedes killer taunts him about his failure to solve this case. King excels at storytelling, and he finds ways to develop each character so that we recognize them as fully formed humans behaving with all the irrationality and unpredictability that we live with daily. I was entertained by this novel and recommend it to any reader who likes crime fiction with well-developed characters and an engaging plot. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Mr Mercedes from amazon.com.