Book Review: Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

Mr. Mercedes reads more like a novella than a novel, or a good two-part TV show, perhaps. It's a typical crime story but Stephen King shows his masterful writing in the pacing and suspense throughout (as well as the plot convolutions needed to involve a retired detective rather than an active one). The most amazing character, as usual, is the (all too human) monster, very much evil and very much human at the same time. King completely explains his character's evil without excusing it, and you can easily see how this guy got to be so messed up that you're almost sad for him. Almost. This is too "normal" of story to reach the heights of Joyland or 11-22-63, but it's very well done and a master class in writing.