Mr. Merecedes (King) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
King is clearly having fun, and so are we…For the first half of the novel, King tickles our anxieties, his detective engaging in a classic cat-and-mouse game with the killer. But you can feel him wriggling against the hard-boiled tradition, shaking the hinges. …But it's the larger genre deviations that make Mr. Mercedes feel so fresh. At their purest, hard-boiled novels are fatalistic, offering a Manichaean view of humanity. For King, however, dark humor extends beyond the investigator's standard one-liners, reflecting a larger worldview. Killers and detectives make mistakes all the time…and coincidences play a far greater role than fate. Mr. Mercedes is a universe both ruled by a playful, occasionally cruel god and populated by characters all of whom have their reasons. One man can do only so much.
Megan Abbot - New York Times Book Review


King's customary use of bizarre events and freakish characters does not provide a credible basis for this detective novel. Also, he encumbers the plotline with insignificant details, causing his thriller to plod along rather than pulse with the tension and suspense often characteristic of detective fiction. —Jerry P. Miller, Cambridge, MA
Library Journal


[T]his is the most straight-up mystery-thriller of [King's] career.... This exists outside of the usual Kingverse...; add that to the atypical present-tense prose, and this feels pretty darn fresh. Big, smashing climax, too.... No need to rev the engine here; this baby will rocket itself out of libraries with a loud squeal of the tires. —Daniel Kraus
Booklist


King's familiar themes are all here: ...craziness...alcohol and even a carnival.... The storyline is vintage King, too: In the battle of good and evil, good may prevail—but never before evil has caused a whole lot of mayhem.... [N]icely dark, never predictable and altogether entertaining.
Kirkus Reviews