Mr Mercedes - the Verdict

I am not going to lie... when it comes to la King, I am one grossly biased fan-boy. I was very excited by the release of his latest offering, and although different to what many people might be expecting it is one solid, psychological, tense, character-driven motherfucker.

This time around, King has gone for the pure modern day crime thriller, sharing a genre with the likes of Thomas Harris and James Ellroy. If this was the aim, he succeeds hands down.

As with all of King's work, it is the characters which rule the plot. The main protagonist, a retired police detective, is drawn with a practise hand, and Mr Mercedes himself is a classic study of sexual dysfunction with a psychopathic mommy issue. I suppose there is nothing very new or imaginative in the themes that King uses here. There is no supernatural sub-plot of any kind, and readers wanting their dose of horror will be disappointed.

As all Stephen King aficionados know, you read one of his books because you want to care about the characters. Either way. Love or hate. You want the heroes to win because of the struggles they have endured. You want to understand what is going on inside the mind of the monsters, and you want to feel sad when a character you like ends up biting the proverbial bullet.

There are a lot of so-called brilliant writers who never achieve this, and it is a prejudice I encounter when I try to explain to folk why I read Stephen King. Just because he has been pigeon-holed as a schlock-horror writer does not mean he is not a great writer as well.

So, if you like Stephen King, read Mr Mercedes.
If you like thrillers and crime novels, read Mr Mercedes.
But above all, if you love reading novels that are crafted with care, emotion and brilliance, read Mr Mercedes.

The Killing (Forbrydelsen) III - it's freaking awesome!

I just spent a delicious day watching the whole series of The Killing III. For those of you who are unaware, you have got to watch this brilliant creation.
Yes, it is Danish. Yes, it is subtitled. I think there is a general feeling that watching anything with subtitles is 'too hard' by the unenlightened. Obviously you have to concentrate. You can't half watch the thing whilst trying to cut your toe-nails. And once you get used to it, your brain seems to take over. Especially with a few hours of a TV series. It gets to the point where you don't realise you are reading at all, and you are left with the notion that you have somehow learnt to speak Danish.
As for the programme itself, it is as gritty as a B-road. The whole series follows a single murder investigation, but tied in with some high level politics as well. The main protagonist is the painfully dark detective Sarah Lund, played amazingly by Sofie Gråbøl. The police woman displays an almost Vulcan level of emotion, content to push people away rather that deal with any form of intimacy. Coupled with the demands of her job, this had left her estranged from her family.
It leads to one of those characters you love, even though she is damaged beyond repair. And of course, no one else looks quite as good in a chunky patterned jumper.
The serpentine plot twists and constant cliff-hangers leave you wanting more. Suspicion jumps from one player to the next until you don't have a clue where the end may be. It is, without a doubt, one of the best TV shows out there.
If you have never partaken, don't go for the weak American re-make. And if you are American, try and get hold of the Danish original. Start from series 1 (obviously) and witness the long decline of Sarah Lund for yourself, whilst revelling in Hitchcockian story lines and well-filled knitwear.
Go on. I dare you to watch something with subtitles.