Mr. Mercedes: A Novelvolume 1 (Bill Hodges Trilogy) - Hardcover

King, Stephen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1476754454 ISBN 13: 9781476754451

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2014

Synopsis

Now an AT&T Audience Original Series WINNER OF THE EDGAR AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL #1 New York Times bestseller! 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 Hartsfield 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. Mr. Mercedes is a war between good and evil, from the master of suspense whose insight into the mind of this obsessed, insane killer is chilling and unforgettable.

About this title

Review

"Pays off exuberantly . . . Surprising and invigorating."--The New York Times

"On one level, Mr. Mercedes is an expertly crafted example of the classic race-against-the-clock thriller. On another, it is a novel of depth and character enriched throughout by the grace notes King provides in such seemingly effortless profusion. It is a rich, resonant, exceptionally readable accomplishment by a man who can write in whatever genre he chooses."--Washington Post

"Think of Mr. Mercedes as an AC/DC song: uncluttered, chugging with momentum, and a lot harder to pull off than it looks. . . . King has written a hot rod of a novel, perfect for a few summer days at the pool. Mercedes-Benz commands drivers to demand 'the best or nothing.' In pop-fiction terms, that motto still applies to Stephen King, too. With apologies to AC/DC, the highway to hell never felt so fun."--Christian Science Monitor

"A taut, suspenseful race-against-time book . . . [King is] in reliably fine form."--The New York Times

"A taut, calibrated thriller . . . The majority of the book is merciless and unforgiving, and the scariest thing about it is how plausible the whole scenario is."--Miami Herald

"The nerve-shredding denouement is vintage King--a pulse-pounding race against time . . ."--Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"A literary Van de Graaff generator: tightly paced and parsed with dynamic dialogue and traumatic twists."--Columbus Dispatch

"An oh-so-dark mystery that never shuts the door on love, loss and, possibly, redemption."--Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Along book that doesn't feel like one. King's pacing is perfect here . . . [Y]ou should read Mr. Mercedes. You'll be checking your automobile's back seat for months, if not years."--BookReporter.com

"King excels in his disturbing portrait of Brady, a genuine monster in ordinary human form who gives new meaning to the phrase'the banality of evil."--Publisher's Weekly

Book Description

A riveting suspense thriller: a retired cop and a couple of unlikely allies race against time to stop a psycho-loner intent on blowing up thousands...

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1476754454
• ISBN 13: 9781476754451
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 448