Mr Mercedes

Mr. Mercedes is a crime novel by American writer Stephen King. He calls it his first hard-boiled detective book. It was published on June 3, 2014. It is the first volume in a trilogy, followed in 2015 by Finders Keepers, and End of Watch in 2016. The novel won the 2015 Edgar Award for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America and Goodreads Choice Awards for 2014 in the "Mystery and Thriller" category. The main protagonist is Bill Hodges, a recently retired detective from the local police department. The book was inspired by a true event about a woman driving her car into a McDonald's restaurant. King said that while it was started prior to the Boston Marathon bombings, Mr. Mercedes involves a terrorist plot which is "too creepily close for comfort". An excerpt of the novel was published in the May 16, 2014 issue of Entertainment Weekly. The plot involves the murder of eight people at a job fair. The driver of a Mercedes S class plows into the crowd, killing eight and severely injuring many. The car has been stolen from a woman named Olivia Trelawney, who later kills herself out of guilt.