Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King Narrator: Will Patton
Series: Bill Hodges Trilogy #1
Published by Simon & Schuster Audio on June 3, 2014
Genres: Mystery
Length: 14 hours, 22 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm, Barnes & Noble
In a mega-stakes, high-suspense race against time, three of the most unlikely and winning heroes Stephen King has ever created try to stop a lone killer from blowing up thousands.
In the frigid pre-dawn hours, in a distressed Midwestern city, hundreds of desperate unemployed folks are lined up for a spot at a job fair. Without warning, 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.
In another part of town, months later, a retired cop named Bill Hodges is still haunted by the unsolved crime. When he gets a crazed letter from someone who self-identifies as the "perk" and threatens an even more diabolical attack, Hodges wakes up from his depressed and vacant retirement, hell-bent on preventing another tragedy.
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 highly unlikely 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.
Read It, Rate It and Record
A short review to update challenges
I’ve had this urge to read Stephen King because I’m sure he is an able writer but I am not into horror. Mr. Mercedes is a great compromise as it is a dark mystery, crime book, the kind of story I read quite often.
I enjoyed this world and its characters because they are so flawed which makes them more realistic. I understand why they did some things but damn, some things were not smart, not safe. We get two points of view, the retired detective Bill Hodges, and the criminal. I really like having those different perspectives.
The pace and action are riveting. I like how Jerome and Janie and Holly really all come through even when it is hard for them and it’s not really their area of expertise. Bill and his helpers all work hard, using the skills they have to solve the crimes. It’s terrifying to see if they will succeed before anyone else gets hurt. And who will survive? I’ll definitely be reading on in The Bill Hodges trilogy.
Narration:
I was glad to be able to listen at 1.5x speed. The male voices were better than the female voices but there were not many female voices. The age of the voices seemed authentic though.
Listen to a clip:
About Will Patton
William Rankin Patton (born June 14, 1954) is an American actor and audiobook narrator. He starred as Colonel Dan Weaver in the TNT science fiction series Falling Skies. He also appeared in the films Remember the Titans, Armageddon, Gone in 60 Seconds and The Punisher. He appeared opposite Kevin Costner in two films: No Way Out (1987) and The Postman (1997). He won two Obie Awards for best actor in Sam Shepard’s play Fool for Love and the Public Theater production of What Did He See?.
About Stephen King
Stephen King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947, the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. He made his first professional short story sale in 1967 to Startling Mystery Stories. In the fall of 1971, he began teaching high school English classes at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels. In the spring of 1973, Doubleday & Co., accepted the novel Carrie for publication, providing him the means to leave teaching and write full-time. He has since published over 50 books and has become one of the world’s most successful writers. King is the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to the American Letters and the 2014 National Medal of Arts.
Stephen lives in Maine and Florida with his wife, novelist Tabitha King. They are regular contributors to a number of charities including many libraries and have been honored locally for their philanthropic activities.
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2019 Audiobooks
- 2019 Library-Love
- BTB 2019
Ive heard the TV show based on the book is amazing. This sounds like one SK book I might actually read! Great review 🙂
Thank you. Well of course, I didn’t realize there was a tv show. But I enjoyed the book.
It’s been a very long time since I read anything by King. I went through a phase many years ago when I was reading everything he wrote but nowadays I’m a lot less included to pick up horror. Glad this one worked for you!
I could read this one as it is not straight horror. It’s more like dark thriller. I think it is the first SK I have read.
King can write psychological mysteries and thrillers that will keep you on edge every bit as much as his horror does. I haven’t seen the show but I’ve been enjoying the books.
I haven’t ordered up the next one but I will. I liked it very much.
I love that King can write a fantastic story, whether it’s horror or psychological thriller.
He certainly does. I’m looking forward to the next one.
I absolutely do NOT want to read anything by SK that has any type of sex or heat in it. I read him because he doesn’t have it in there. =) I was just looking at you flames there. I am glad you liked this one as I have it on my list to get. I want the audio also mostly because his books are usually so darn long it would be easier for me to listen to them. I have been doing that a lot with books. Getting the audios of them.
Mary
I love audio because I can do it while I am doing so many other things when I could not read. Driving, sewing, knitting, cooking and so forth.
There is a little sex but it is quite limited, and not detailed. It is not a focus of the story.
I hope you enjoy it.
I used to read everything he wrote between the 70’s to probably the 90’s so I am way behind on him. He is a good writer though I will agree.
Eeek! Most of his stuff is too horror for me but this is more dark thriller which I can handle. I guess the detective / mystery part tempers the gory aspects, since they are covered quickly. The suspense was high octane.
I just started this series too, late last year. I have only listened to this one so far, but I’m enjoying it. Glad you’re enjoying it too.
Melanie @ Hot Listens & Books of My Heart
I probably saw your review and decided to try it. I do like it and plan to listen to the rest also. They seem to have them at my library. YAY!