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| The cover of Stephen King's Mr. Mercedes shown on a Kindle Fire. |
I haven't read a Stephen King novel in years, but the release of The Outsider coinciding with the debut of Castle Rock on Hulu seemed to put me in the mood for a Stephen King fix. Plus, of course, that Halloween feel is in the air.
I checked out The Outsider from my local library really enjoyed it. The story brings in a character, Holly, who, I can tell from the context, plays a key role another King book. A Google search led me to Mr. Mercedes,* which I checked out in audiobook form so that I could listen while I'm on the Arc Trainer at the gym.
The story opens with a scores of struggling people waiting in line for a job fair to begin. The queue forms hours before the sun-up. That's how desperate the people are for work. But before the doors open, eight of the job seekers are dead. A year later, their killer taunts retired detective Kermit William "Bill" Hodges, who in turn starts trying to track down the killer.
The crossover character from The Outsider has just entered the part of the story where I am now. She's portrayed as a meek woman, but I'm guessing, based on The Outsider, that she's tougher than even she knows at this point.
I think I can learn a lot from the types of details King chooses to share about his characters and when. And, I think, he's very good at keeping the story from bogging down (though, there where moments when I thought sections of 11-22-63 seemed to drag along.)
I know some people bash Stephen King as a writer, but I don't get it. He knows how to lure me and millions of other readers into his horror stories and quite often leaves them afraid to close their eyes at night. (Pet Sematary and The Shining were the ones that kept me awake.) And if your horror story can keep people from getting some shut-eye, I think you're a pretty good writer.
*Mr. Mercedes has been turned into a series, I hear, but my current TV subscriptions don't give me access to it. Have you both read the book and watched the series? How do the two compare?
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