But the car at the heart of King’s newest novel, “Mr. Mercedes” (Scribner, New York, 2014, 437 pages) is truly different. Aside from being a car from a non-American carmaker, the gray Mercedes-Benz SL500s is not supernatural in any way. Instead, it’s an utterly ordinary sedan used by an extraordinarily troubled man in a most vicious way.
In 2009, a crowd of down-on-their-luck jobseekers were lined up in a city center when, out of the morning fog, the aforementioned Mercedes approached them, sped up and smashed into the crowd, killing eight people—including an infant—with the driver eerily wearing a clown mask. This event would be dubbed the “Mercedes Massacre,” with the suspect known as the “Mercedes Killer,” or the catchier “Mr. Mercedes.”
Scant months later, the crime remains unsolved, and William Hodges, the grizzled detective on the case, has just retired. Out of the blue, he receives a letter from Mr. Mercedes himself, taunting Hodges for being unable to figure out who did it. The letter shocks Hodges into action, now fully aware that he is being watched.
King has created some of the best villains in horror, whether paranormal (Pennywise the Clown from “It”) or arguably normal (Annie Wilkes from “Misery), so it should be no surprise that “Mr. Mercedes” turns out to be one whopper of a baddie. “He’s broken,” Hodges says. “And evil. Like an apple that looks okay on the outside, but when you cut it open, it’s black and full of worms.”
Brady Hartsfield appears to be a tall, sad sack nerd working for an electronics store as an IT troubleshooter as well as the driver of an ice cream truck on the side, but he has kept a secret for a long time: It was he who ran over those people in 2009, and he did it with deliberation and satisfaction.
Hodges’ retirement irks him and when the detective refuses to follow Hartsfield’s vengeful plans, he begins planning another attack, this one methodically aimed at killing many more people.
“Things are not going the way they are supposed to,” the aforementioned Mr. Mercedes says to himself. “Things are slipping out of control. It’s not right. Something needs to be done.”
The only thing in Mr. Mercedes’ way is Hodges and his unlikely crew, a gifted teenager and a troubled middle-aged woman. Instead of reporting what he knows to the cops, Hodges throws himself into the task of preventing another massacre. “No one can catch him but you,” someone tells Hodges.
Not typical King novel
Though the prose is recognizably tight and impeccable, this isn’t your typical King novel. “Mr. Mercedes” is a bit of a surprise because it is not meant to be a horror novel. Instead, King has set out to write a detective novel—but he can’t escape his calling. Death occurs out of the blue and unpleasantly in “Mr. Mercedes.”
King has mastered the art of throwing a knife into the readers’ guts just when they least expect it and he displays that ability with cruel precision. He can turn seemingly innocuous items into gruesome instruments. But that King is really setting up is a tense duel of wills between Hodges and Mr. Mercedes, a King version of the classic match-up between cop and killer. It’s a thrilling chase well worth the anticipation with Hodges and Hartsfield making for worthy opponents.
In a way, it’s all an elaborate set-up. For those who will enjoy this experiment by King will soon to find more to love: “Mr. Mercedes” to intended to be the first of a trilogy, with the sequel due in 2015.
On its own, “Mr. Mercedes” proves that, regardless of the form, a Stephen King book can be terrifying with neither magic nor aliens. He doesn’t even need a horror novel to do it. Any book will do. All he needs is a bad man behind a stolen car, and Stephen King brings out the horror in everyday things.
Available in hardcover at National Book Store.