Mr. MercedesMr. Mercedes
Score Modern
What it's about
Before dawn, a stolen Mercedes plows into a crowd of people waiting at a job fair, killing eight. The driver is never caught. A year later, Bill Hodges, the retired detective who failed to solve the case, gets a taunting letter from the killer. Hodges, bored and depressed, sets out to find him, with the help of a teenage neighbor and an unlikely, anxious ally.
Why it's worth reading
It won the Edgar Award for best mystery novel and hit #1 on the New York Times list. It's King's first straight detective story, a tense cat-and-mouse game.
You'll love it if you liked
The Institute
It
All the Sinners BleedGood to know
It's the first of the Bill Hodges trilogy. There's violence and a disturbing killer's point of view, with no supernatural elements in this one.
By the numbers
- Readers50 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics49 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller71 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz3 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #55 of the 555 mysteries and thrillers we rank
- #343 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #675 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Gripping
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Quick answers
Is Mr. Mercedes worth reading?
Yes. It won the Edgar Award for best mystery novel and hit #1 on the New York Times list. It ranks #675 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 76.3 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Mr. Mercedes about?
Before dawn, a stolen Mercedes plows into a crowd of people waiting at a job fair, killing eight. The driver is never caught. A year later, Bill Hodges, the retired detective who failed to solve the case, gets a taunting letter from the killer. Hodges, bored and depressed, sets out to find him, with the help of a teenage neighbor and an unlikely, anxious ally.
How long does it take to read Mr. Mercedes?
About 10 hours (405 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has Mr. Mercedes won?
Edgar Award winner (2015).
What should I read after Mr. Mercedes?
If you liked it, try The Institute by Stephen King, It by Stephen King or All the Sinners Bleed by S. A. Cosby.