Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

I was so excited to find a brand new copy of this book at a book swap I recently attended. I had just added it to my TBR wishlist and there it was, sitting there for free.

This was definitely a good read, certainly not perfect, and I didn't love it like I loved The Shining (though I doubt I will ever love a King book like I loved that one). But it was a long book that flew by, and I couldn't put it down.

So, the good first. This is a gripping story. There is so much suspense, something King is a master of, and such great foreshadowing. My heart was pounding in my chest as I got closer to the ending. King makes you care about the characters and what is going to happen, and keeps upping the tension as the book goes on. He doesn't pull any punches, and the book is better for that.

Where the book is not so perfect isn't as obvious, at least to me it wasn't. But some of the characters seem to verge on stereotypes, which seems especially odd when King frequently has characters comment on seeing past stereotypes and realizing who people really are. I suspect King is trying to make his readers see past the stereotypes he has written out, but it comes across as clunky sometimes, and took me out of the book a bit.

Would I recommend this book? I would, and I plan to read the rest of the trilogy. But know going in this is a dark book, with a really twisted villain, strong language, and some highly uncomfortable situations. If you can hold on for the ride though, it's well worth it.