![]() ![]() Novelists are often advised to torture their characters to excite readers. ![]() The way King enables Hartsfield to stalk Hodges without the latter realising is creepy beyond belief. Twice in the book (I'll not say more as I don't want to give plot spoilers) the events had me yelling, 'Oh my God!' at the pages. The novel has more twists and turns than a maze, never failing to thrill. Instead, it induces the opposite effect, Hodges is spurred into action, committed to capturing the killer before he strikes again. ![]() Then he receives a taunting letter from Mr Mercedes, an attempt to goad him into suicide. Years later, retired detective Bill Hodges's failure to capture the Mercedes Killer haunts him as he drifts through his days on a diet of junk food and daytime television. The book begins with a bang, recounting the senseless slaying of eight people by Brady Hartsfield, committed by ploughing a stolen Mercedes into a crowd. ![]() Instead 'Mr Mercedes' recounts the good versus evil battle of Bill Hodges, a retired police officer, and Brady Hartsfield, a computer genius with a bad Oedipal complex and an even worse loathing of humanity. No clowns, no haunted hotels, no Boo'ya Moon. Fans of his horror and supernatural titles won't find their familiar fare here. It's been a while since I wrote a book review, and 'Mr Mercedes' by Stephen King is a worthy way to resume! The novel is King's venture into straight crime thrillers, the first of a trilogy. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |