Thriller · Similar reads
Books like Mr. Mercedes
The best books like Mr. Mercedes are In Cold Blood, No Country for Old Men, and Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders. Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King is about obsession and pursuit, guilt and responsibility, loneliness and alienation. If that's what drew you in, here are 12 books that share its DNA — each summarized on Superbook, and ready to chat with in the app.
- In Cold Blood
01
Truman Capote · Memoir
Truman Capote's account of the 1959 murders of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas — and of the investigation, capture, trial, and execution of the killers Perry Smith and Richard Hickock — is the founding document of the true crime genre and one of the most admired works of American nonfiction of the twentieth century.
A kindred thriller read.
Read the summary → - No Country for Old Men
02
Cormac McCarthy · Literary fiction
No Country for Old Men begins in the Texas desert in 1980 where a Vietnam veteran named Llewelyn Moss stumbles on the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong: a ring of dead men, trucks, a cache of heroin, and two million dollars in a case.
A kindred thriller read.
Read the summary → - Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders
03
Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders
Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry · Memoir
Helter Skelter is the account of the Tate-LaBianca murders of August 1969 written by Vincent Bugliosi, the Los Angeles deputy district attorney who prosecuted Charles Manson, with journalist Curt Gentry.
A kindred thriller read.
Read the summary → - On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
04
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
Stephen King · Memoir
On Writing is Stephen King's memoir of the writing life combined with a practical toolkit for writers.
A kindred thriller read.
Read the summary → - Along Came a Spider
05
James Patterson · Thriller
Along Came a Spider introduces Alex Cross, a Black homicide detective and forensic psychologist working in Washington D.C., in the case that made James Patterson a bestseller.
Both dig into obsession and pursuit.
Read the summary → - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
06
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Arthur Conan Doyle · Short stories
Twelve stories, first published in The Strand Magazine between 1891 and 1892, collected here in their original order: A Scandal in Bohemia, The Red-Headed League, A Case of Identity, The Boscombe Valley Mystery, The Five Orange Pips, The Man with the Twisted Lip, The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle, The Adventure of the Speckled Band, The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb, The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor, The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet, and The Adventure of the Copper Beeches.
Both dig into justice outside the law.
Read the summary → - A Time to Kill
07
John Grisham · Thriller
In Clanton, Mississippi, two white men rape and nearly kill ten-year-old Tonya Hailey.
A kindred thriller read.
Read the summary → - Angels & Demons
08
Dan Brown · Thriller
Physicist Leonardo Vetra is found dead at CERN with a symbol burned into his chest: the Illuminati ambigram.
A kindred thriller read.
Read the summary → - Big Little Lies
09
Liane Moriarty · Thriller
Big Little Lies begins with a death at a school trivia night and then spends its entire length working backward to explain how it happened.
A kindred thriller read.
Read the summary → - Blacklands
10
Belinda Bauer · Thriller
Twelve-year-old Steven Lamb lives in the shadow of an unresolved disappearance.
A kindred thriller read.
Read the summary → - Blindsighted
11
Karin Slaughter · Thriller
Blindsighted is Karin Slaughter's debut novel, published in 2001, and the first book in the Grant County series set in fictional Heartsdale, Georgia.
A kindred thriller read.
Read the summary → - Dark Places
12
Gillian Flynn · Thriller
Libby Day survived the Kansas farmhouse massacre that killed her mother and two sisters when she was seven.
A kindred thriller read.
Read the summary →
Books like Mr. Mercedes: quick answers
What are the best books like Mr. Mercedes?
The best books like Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King are In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy, Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King, Along Came a Spider by James Patterson, plus 7 more below. Each was chosen for themes it shares with Mr. Mercedes, such as obsession and pursuit, guilt and responsibility, loneliness and alienation.
What should I read after Mr. Mercedes?
A natural next read after Mr. Mercedes is In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. A kindred thriller read. Other strong choices are No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy, Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King.
What books are similar to Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King?
Mr. Mercedes centers on obsession and pursuit, guilt and responsibility, loneliness and alienation. Books with a similar feel include In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy, Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King, Along Came a Spider by James Patterson, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle — all free to read and chat with on Superbook.
