Mr. Mercedes

A Novel

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: Will Patton

Length: 14 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

2015 Audie Award Finalist for Fiction and Solo Narration—Male

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.

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.

©2014 Stephen King (P)2014 Simon & Schuster

A great page turner

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

The narrator is awesome- always knew when a change of character. Stephen King is the master of describing moments we all experience but never can put into words. He can and does.

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

When we realized who gets the poison- spoiler alert. sorry

Which scene was your favorite?

When Holly was able to make human connection

Who was the most memorable character of Mr. Mercedes and why?

Frankie - I could truly see his effect on everything else in the story.

Any additional comments?

The story is pure entertainment, easy to follow without any 'now who was that ?' and enough mystery to exercise the brain without straining it. Loved it.

I Heart Stephen King

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

The inner dialogue that Stephen King writes sounds like the one in my own head. How is that possible? I felt this way eons ago with Carrie, The Dead Zone and The Stand (masterpiece!). The performance was very good as well. Great audio book.

Which character – as performed by Will Patton – was your favorite?

Eeeew... that awful drunken incestuous Mother. Gross!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes!

Any additional comments?

I don't know much about police procedure but this seemed very realistic and believable.

Dark & twisted - and I mean that as a compliment!

Disclosure: I'm not a pure Stephen King fan. I haven't read any of his long series and sometimes he loses me when things get a bit too other-worldly. That said, in recent years he's cranked out some books that I'm unable to put down, that I anticipate with the same salivation I normally reserve for fried ice cream. Mr. Mercedes falls into that category.

When King dies, I hope he leaves his body to science so they can autopsy his brain because I'd like to know how someone can have such a dark imagination without being a sociopath himself. In this book, he does a fantastic job writing from the perspective of a killer who takes joy in mowing down innocent civilians waiting in line for a job fair, then plots a very dark game of cat and mouse with a retired detective.

The thing that made this book different than some of his others is that the crimes seemed like they were pulled from the headlines. Unlike my challenge with some of King's other books, this plot line and characters were very much of this world. As it turns out, we just happen to live in scary times.

Definitely recommend this if you're looking for a good summer suspense.

An amazing story.

I really loved this story. It was dark, entertaining, written well, read well, and a lot of fun. Can't wait to find out what happens next.

Excellent book I love it!

I absolutely loved this book the narrator was amazing and the story was even better!

As thrilling as I expected

Steven King does it again. The narrator made it even more thrilling. Thank you both.

Not the normal Stephen King

I haven't read Stephen King for years, but I thought I would give this book a chance. I'm glad I did, even though it wasn't anything like his older stuff.

Good not Great

If you could sum up Mr. Mercedes in three words, what would they be?

predictable. wordy,

What does Will Patton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I will buy almost anything read by Will Patton. His reading can be called performance but is never trite or contrived

Any additional comments?

there were no characters I cared about, which is unusual for Stephen King. Even in his early gory, horror, out there, books there was always a character I could cheer for.

Great story and performance

I enjoyed this book from start to finish, it captivated all of my attention leaving me wanting more at the end of each chapter.

Praise for MR. MERCEDES

Stephen King at his best. Will Patton's narration is unsurpassed. This is a suspense filled story with characters you will be cheering.