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Mr Mercedes

A crime thriller from the No. 1 bestseller

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Mr Mercedes

By: Stephen King
Narrated by: Will Patton
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A cat-and-mouse suspense thriller featuring a retired homicide detective who's haunted by the few cases he left open, and by one in particular - the pre-dawn slaughter of eight people among hundreds gathered in line for the opening of a jobs fair when the economy was guttering out. Without warning, a lone driver ploughed through the crowd in a stolen Mercedes. The plot is kicked into gear when Bill Hodges receives a letter in the mail, from a man claiming to be the perpetrator. He taunts Hodges with the notion that he will strike again.

Hodges wakes up from his depressed and vacant retirement, hell-bent on preventing that from happening.

Brady Hartsfield lives with his alcoholic mother in the house where he was born. And he's preparing to kill again.

Only Hodges, with a couple of misfit friends, can apprehend the killer in this high-stakes race against time. Because Brady's next mission, if it succeeds, will kill or maim hundreds, even thousands.

(P)2014 Simon & Schuster©2014 Stephen King Action & Adventure Mystery Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Private Investigators Suspense Thriller & Suspense Exciting Scary Fiction
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Yes, it's nicked part of almost every private-eye-hunts-serial-killer book ever written, from Wilkie Collins to Chandler and beyond. Yes, you could plot the beginning, middle and end without too many mistakes.

But that old formula in a great storyteller's hands can grip like nothing else, which is why we're still watching Sherlock and why JK Rowling's equally cliche-ridden latests are selling like hotcakes.

In other words, couldn't put it down (or whatever the audio equivalent may be). Highly recommended, have already downloaded the follow-up.

Cliched, Predictable but Brilliant

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I should start this review by explaining that I'm on a roll with Stephen King right now, having recently completed the excellent '11-22-63' followed by 'The Stand' (Brilliant) and then 'The Dome' (absolutely gripping). I therefore approached 'Mr Mercedes' with a deal of anticipation at enjoying the newest offering from one of the master story-tellers of our time.

I'm still not sure what happened, but this book was largely a bit of a let-down. The overall premise (a retired cop being stalked by a criminal he failed to catch) is sound enough, but as the story unfolds it's all a bit clumsy. Added to this there are two significant plot twists that you can see coming a mile away, and Mr King is known for being able to spring twists and turns on the reader out of the blue.

And that's the rub; the writing style just isn't King's. The dialogue doesn't snap the way it does in his other works, and the storyline is pedestrian at best.

On a plus note, Will Patton's narration was excellent, just the right amount of inflection so you could tell the characters apart without it decending into a radio play. Would like to hear more from him

I think I'll get one of his classics next, just to remind myself how exceptional a writer King is.

A below-par detective story

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What made the experience of listening to Mr Mercedes the most enjoyable?

What a sad moment when this wonderful story came to an end. I almost never write reviews but this King classic was so gripping, my usual 10 minutes listen before sleep turned into a conflicted obsession of wanting to hear more and not wanting it to end.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Mr Mercedes?

The finale doesn't disappoint and doesn't suck and wasn't in a hurry to get there as some novels head towards an obvious end, this still had gripping content right to the end

What about Will Patton’s performance did you like?

Will Patton's ability to portray each of the characters in such a believable way, I was so sucked in and it was all totally real to me - took me there and dumped me right in the middle.

Any additional comments?

Just brilliant, I want another one just like this for my holiday - heck, maybe I'll even listen to it again!

So disappointed its over...

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Stephen King proves once again that he can do it all. This book has suspense and heart.

What an engaging book!

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always love his characters! not quite the stand but a good one! ! ! !

good

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