Book Review: Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges Trilogy #1)

Title: Mr Mercedes (Bill Hodges Trilogy #1)
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Mystery/Thriller (detective/crime)
Rating: 3/5
Page Count: 436
Publication Date: June 3rd, 2014

Plot: (from Goodreads)
In the frigid pre-dawn hours, in a distressed Midwestern city, hundreds of desperate unemployed folks are lined up for a spot at a job fair. Without warning, a lone driver plows through the crowd in a stolen Mercedes, running over the innocent, backing up, and charging again. Eight people are killed; fifteen are wounded. The killer escapes.

In another part of town, months later, a retired cop named Bill Hodges is still haunted by the unsolved crime. When he gets a crazed letter from someone who self-identifies as the "perk" and threatens an even more diabolical attack, Hodges wakes up from his depressed and vacant retirement, hell-bent on preventing another tragedy.

Brady Hartfield lives with his alcoholic mother in the house where he was born. He loved the feel of death under the wheels of the Mercedes, and he wants that rush again.

Only Bill Hodges, with a couple of highly unlikely allies, can apprehend the killer before he strikes again. And they have no time to lose, because Brady’s next mission, if it succeeds, will kill or maim thousands.

Mr. Mercedes is a war between good and evil, from the master of suspense whose insight into the mind of this obsessed, insane killer is chilling and unforgettable.

Review:
This book was... good, but just good not great or amazing. And I think the fact that it was just a plain solid detective thriller novel kind of disappointed me, maybe because all of King's other novels, that are my favorite and I adore to pieces. First off, the main character was just plain annoying. I don't know what about him was annoying, but he was just so damn blah, so plain and typical. And some stuff just rubbed me the wrong way.

This next paragraph has some plot spoilers, but it's a well used plot device, after this paragraph, we will get back to spoiler free review. SPOILER There was one particular thing that rubbed me the wrong way - and it was the use of female characters pain and such to enflame the male, make him want to fight, all that man pain. One of the worst tropes in the world in my opinion and I should of expected it but I thought something new and fun would happen. Nope. END SPOILER WARNING

One of the more interesting parts of this book is that you get to hear from the killer, the whole book you're aware of who the kill was, which definitely kills the suspense a bit. And it was interesting at first, and then it just gets of uncomfortable and then just sad, just plain sad. I didn't even feel anything for the guy but just pity.

The one really fantastic thing about this book, though I did like the writing for the most part, was the side characters. There's two characters who end up kind of being Bill's sidekicks and they're both intelligent and sharp and different, and I really enjoyed them.

Overall - if you want this kind of book, this is a good one. If you want a King book, not so much. (Side note that is shallow as hell: the cover is gorgeous. It's so creepy and awesome looking).

Book Review: The Merciless

Title: The Merciless
Author: Danielle Vega
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Rating: 4/5
Page Count: 279 pages (hardcover)
Publication Date: June 12th, 2014

Plot (goodreads):
Forgive us, Father, for we have sinned

Brooklyn Stevens sits in a pool of her own blood, tied up and gagged. No one outside of these dank basement walls knows she’s here. No one can hear her scream.

Sofia Flores knows she shouldn’t have gotten involved. When she befriended Riley, Grace, and Alexis on her first day at school, she admired them, with their perfect hair and their good-girl ways. They said they wanted to save Brooklyn. They wanted to help her. Sofia didn’t realize they believed Brooklyn was possessed.

Now, Riley and the girls are performing an exorcism on Brooklyn—but their idea of an exorcism is closer to torture than salvation. All Sofia wants is to get out of this house. But there is no way out. Sofia can’t go against the other girls . . . unless she wants to be next. . . .

In this chilling debut, Danielle Vega delivers blood-curdling suspense and terror on every page. By the shockingly twisted end, readers will be faced with the most haunting question of all: Is there evil in all of us?

Review:
The first thing I need to mention about this book - is it's fantastic design. I'm not the biggest pink fan, but as soon as I saw the whole thing, I knew I needed it, because it's just so... ridiculous, I guess? Not in a bad way, because I love it, but it's bright, florescent pink and you have to, at least, pick it up and check out the design when you see it in the store.

Besides that, though, I really enjoyed this book. I know some people didn't care much for it and I was a little iffy through about 3/4ths of it - it as interesting and strange, but it wasn't anything special. But I ended up loving it for the ending, the implications of the ending. Not everyone will, I know, it's probably just my weird, twisted brain - but I adored this.

This books gets a little gross at points, not extremely gore-y or anything, but there is some torture involved. I like horror books and, overall, this felt a little less then it could of been, but it was overall just a ton of fun. Yes, fun, you read that right, that's the word that keeps coming to mind with this book - fun.

A great read for a stormy night, curled up in bed. It's a fast read, too, pretty short and as soon as it picks up, it doesn't stop.

Book Review: Untraceable

Book: Untraceable (The Nature of Grace #1)
Author: S.R Johannes
Genre: Young Adult (Thriller/Adventure/Romance
Rating: A
Page Count: 315 (Paperback)
Favorite character: Well, uh... Huh. Tommy, I'm going with Tommy, he's safe. (I can't pick one of the two boys, because I liked them both differently)

Plot: (From Goodreads)
Everyone leaves a mark. What if your could be erased?
Untraceable is a new teen wilderness thriller with a missing father, a kickbutt heroine, and of course - two hot boys.

Review:
I really enjoyed the writing and the little tips at the beginning of each chapter, I love little things like that. I really enjoyed how this book flowed, though, it was really good, loved it. The main character is relatable even if, like me, you don't know how to track people through the woods. It's very interesting to read about her doing such. And it kept me guessing, which I wasn't expecting at all.

I also enjoyed all the twist and turns you take during this book. You take as many emotional ups and down as the main character. Nothing is really for certain in this small town, and it's shocking to learn about what's really happening behind the scenes, per say.

I'd suggest checking this one out, for sure. It wasn't what I was expecting at all and was a good read.