In Stephen King’s novel Mr. Mercedes, retired detective Bill’s surname is Hodges.
Bill Hodges is the central investigator of the novel. After retiring from the police force, he becomes involved in the unsolved Mercedes massacre when the killer taunts him with a letter. The case draws Hodges back into detective work and places him in direct conflict with the murderer.
Mr. Mercedes is a crime thriller rather than a supernatural horror novel. Its tension comes from investigation, pursuit, psychological manipulation, and the threat posed by a killer who deliberately seeks attention. That genre shift is one reason the book is often discussed separately from King’s paranormal fiction.
The novel was published in 2014 and began a trilogy featuring Hodges. The later books are Finders Keepers and End of Watch, while the television adaptation also centers on the retired detective.