Ephemeris of the Mind (Book Review) Mr. Mercedes
Time to read: 2 min read
Book Cover
In a don’t-give-a-fuck world, he is about to become the ultimate don’t-give-a-fucker.
Past Stephen King reviews:
- Night Shift
- Four Past Midnight
- Different Seasons
- The Stand
- Under the Dome
- Bag of Bones
- The Dead Zone
- 11/22/63
- It
- Dreamcatcher
- Misery
- The Institute
Review
King strays away from his usual supernatural horror and dives into detective fiction. In the story taking place during the recession in 2009, a large group of people are lined up outside a job fair when a psycho in a Mercedes SL500 runs over the crowd. A year after the incident, Bill Hodges, the detective in charge of leading the investigations in the massacre is now retired while the perp is still on the loose. One day, Hodges receives a message from the murderer and he rekindles the investigation into the crime.
While this story isn’t typical of King, many of his telltale techniques, such as very human and compelling characters, are still being used. The protagonist Hodges, as well as the murderer and the supporting cast, are all very nuanced and flawed characters. Hodges in particular receives really good character development throughout the book.
The story structure is similar to that of Red Dragon by Thomas Harris where the reader gets the perspective of both the detectives and the culprit simultaneously. This story structure allows King to tease the audience with the close misses and encounters. My favourite aspect of the book is by far the game of cat and mouse between Hodges and the murderer; I feel that, while there is some degree of strategic back and forth between the two, King could have definitely focused on it a bit more.
Conclusion
An entertaining detective fiction.