Mr. Mercedes/Stephen King/437 pgs/Scary Story, Oct Challenge

"Everybody loves the ice cream man".  So says King's main character ex-detective Bill Hodges.

Bill Hodges is a retired detective that has many regrets in his life, but the unsolved case of the Mercedes killer is his greatest.  Hodges is so unhappy with his current dull, uninteresting life that he is contemplating suicide.  Then a letter arrives.   From the Mercedes Killer.  The Killer taunts Hodges with his failure and dares him to continue the chase.  For the first time since he's retired, Hodges feels the spark of life.

Although King is most recognized for his stories of the supernatural,  he's truly at his best when focused on his characters.  And he is most definitely focused on the characters in the Bill  Hodges Trilogy.  Bill Hodges, a 60 year old ex detective who has lost his love for life, a 6'5" African American high school kid, and a emotionally disabled 40 year old woman, who still lives with her momma.  Not since "The Stand" has King put together such an unlikely set of heroes.

Don't add to the regrets in your life.  Read Mr. Mercedes.




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