Mr. Mercedes

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

Stephen King has written so many books in the last 40 years - many of them classics - that it can be easy to forget just how gifted the man is when telling a story.  Any time you read something by him that is merely “good”, it’s very easy to get a bit disgruntled since he’s put out so many great works, and comparisons are inevitable.  Mr. Mercedes is one of those “good” books that really  just isn’t that great.  It tells a very linear, realistic story - no ghosts, no goblins, nothing of the supernatural.  It’s just a very basic story with basic (although somewhat disturbing) people.  It’s not one that fans will be able to recall in detail, say 25 years after they’ve read it.

Bill Hodges is a retired police officer who isn’t adjusting well to the retired life.  A divorced man who lives alone, Hodges spends most of his day watching idiotic day time television programs because, well, what else is there to do?  He’s also in possession of a revolver that he finds himself flirting with the idea of putting the barrel in his mouth.  One of his biggest regrets is that, when he was active, he and his partner never found the “Mercedes” killer.  Some years back, some deranged lunatic stole a Mercedes and plowed it into a group of people in line at a job fair.  Several were killed and wounded.

We then meet “Mr. Mercedes”, real name Brady Hartsfield.  He’s, what appears to be, an average run of the mill guy working two menial jobs.  He lives with his alcoholic mother and the two share a bit of a bizarre incestuous relationship.  Yep, it’s really no surprise that this guy is somewhat off his rocker.  It seems as though Brady knows his crime is haunting the old, retired police guy, and he can’t resist tormenting him through letters and online chatrooms.  Plus, Brady isn’t done terrorizing the community, and already has his next attack planned.  Since he can’t resist taunting Bill, it seems as though clues are beginning to surface, and the cat and mouse game begins.

So there you have it.  This is a very predictable story.  95% of the book is told through the eyes of Bill or Brady, and King does his due diligence in ensuring the reader knows the thoughts, the struggles, and the motivations of his two main characters.  Again, this is a strength of Stephen King.

What doesn’t work so well, and this has been the Achilles Heel for Stephen King with many of his books, is when we read two characters having a simple conversation.  Bill Hodges interacts with a few different “good guys” during his mission, and the dialog presented here is somewhat silly and unbelievable.  Fortunately, King took the time to wash his literary mouth out with soap before he started writing this novel, so it isn’t chocked full with unnecessary crude language.  Even though there are definitely some stomach churning moments within these pages, it’s pretty low key for Stephen King, and readers like myself can rejoice in this small victory.

As Bill and his “team” work to uncover the identity of the Mercedes killer and try to put a stop to his next caper, it, again, gets a bit silly.  The characters seem to be highly unbelievable, and their interactions with each other seem very forced.  Again, tho story was just too predictable.

I refuse to judge this book against many of the King classics in the canon.  Even though it was ho-hum compared to most of his work, it was still an overall good story.  As I write this, however, I’m hearing that King is about to resurrect this team of do-gooders for yet another novel, and I have to confess that I’m not exactly waiting with baited breath.  One story with these characters is enough.  Who knows, though, maybe King will surprise me on the second go round.  It certainly wouldn’t be the first time.