One little problem

[AnnaMarie]

I'm nearly finished Mr. Mercedes and I love it.

I do have one problem. It's like King is using code words and I can't always remember what they mean. I need a list somewhere. I think there's Thing One and Thing Two. And the Happy Slapper. And I think there's another.

It seems to require more thinking...or maybe just more memory....than I am capable of.

This seems very different for King. He doesn't usually leave me so frustrated.

 

[Walter Oobleck]

Here's a list!

I need some:
1. Lunch-meat...big into salami this time of summer
2. Loaf of Bread
3. Coke...we're out of Coke (the soft-drink)
4. Eggs...for hard-boiled
5. Chops for supper tonight
6. some chocolate, don't matter what, chocolate.
7. we're out of bar-b-q sauce
8. and some tangy salad dressing
9. and one surprise.

 

[mstay]

I'm nearly finished Mr. Mercedes and I love it.

I do have one problem. It's like King is using code words and I can't always remember what they mean. I need a list somewhere. I think there's Thing One and Thing Two. And the Happy Slapper. And I think there's another.

It seems to require more thinking...or maybe just more memory....than I am capable of.

This seems very different for King. He doesn't usually leave me so frustrated.

Thing one and thing two is from The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss. Two creatures that come to help the children make a mess and get into trouble.
I don't know about the Happy Slapper?

 

[Walter Oobleck]

I actually have a list of characters if you want it...fairly long...long. The Happy Slapper is an argyle sock...filled with some weight, ball bearings or something like it. Somehow I missed Thing One and Thing Two if they are in the story...possible...it is a long long list of names...and yep...I missed them two...Mon Dieu...Mercede's names for devices. I wonder if "Happy Slapper" is a name from something we should know...seems possible.

 

[skimom2]

I actually have a list of characters if you want it...fairly long...long. The Happy Slapper is an argyle sock...filled with some weight, ball bearings or something like it. Somehow I missed Thing One and Thing Two if they are in the story...possible...it is a long long list of names...and yep...I missed them two...Mon Dieu...Mercede's names for devices. I wonder if "Happy Slapper" is a name from something we should know...seems possible.

Related to a slapjack, perhaps?

 

[AchtungBaby]

I'm completely drawing a blank. Sorry....

 

[AnnaMarie]

I must have the wrong names. I don't have the book in front of me. One of the "things" is

Spoiler

device to steal the code when someone locks their car door! then he can unlock it

. I don't remember what the other does.

And isn't the HappySlapper

Spoiler

Hodge's father's gun

?

I may need to reread the entire book.

 

[Dana Jean]

Well in England, a happy slap is the same thing as the knock out game only just slapping someone and recording it. So , maybe a happy slapper is someone who does that.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I thought the Happy Slapper was the sock with coins (I think it was coins) he used to

Spoiler

fight off that gang early in the book.

 

[FlakeNoir]

I thought the Happy Slapper was the sock with coins (I think it was coins) he used to

Spoiler

fight off that gang early in the book.

Yup, me too.

 

[Walter Oobleck]

I think it's uncanny that AnnaMarie grabs two/three names out of the bag that are not on my list...my 12-pages-long list of character names in Mr. Mercedes. What are the odds of that happening? You'd think...or I do...that the list was about 99%+ complete. Reminds me of some vague but still unsettling work situation...you think all the bases are covered then the customer bebops by for a visit and says hey you missed a shingle on the tenth row there. "The Happy Slapper"...according to one Internet search...is the person...in England?...who goes around happy slapping the previously unknown person...same thing has been happening in the good old U.S.A. People cold-cocking strangers...at times posting their work to video on-line.
Hodges's Happy Slapper is an argyle sock filled with weight...coins or something...a sap. I thought maybe "The Happy Slapper" was something more than what it appears to be...some character from some story. Garfield, for what it's worth, slapped Jon in the back of the head...was it yesterday? National slap in the back of the head day?

 

[Lets Rock]

I'm nearly finished Mr. Mercedes and I love it.

I do have one problem. It's like King is using code words and I can't always remember what they mean. I need a list somewhere. I think there's Thing One and Thing Two. And the Happy Slapper. And I think there's another.

It seems to require more thinking...or maybe just more memory....than I am capable of.

This seems very different for King. He doesn't usually leave me so frustrated.

I must have the wrong names. I don't have the book in front of me. One of the "things" is

Spoiler

device to steal the code when someone locks their car door! then he can unlock it

. I don't remember what the other does.

And isn't the HappySlapper

Spoiler

Hodge's father's gun

?

I may need to reread the entire book.

I think the other device may have been for traffic lights?? Not sure. The Seuss reference sounds like SKs literary humor.
Borrowed the book and read quickly so details sketchy

 

[carrie's younger brother]

This is a prime example of why I love my Kindle. The search function is invaluable for helping to find previous mentions of a certain phrase or character. Simply type in what you are looking for and the search brings up every mention of that phrase, character, etc. I am constantly using this now that my memory is not quite as sharp as it used to be and also when it is taking me longer to read a book than usual and it could be days in between stopping and restarting a book.

 

[GNTLGNT]

I must have the wrong names. I don't have the book in front of me. One of the "things" is

Spoiler

device to steal the code when someone locks their car door! then he can unlock it

. I don't remember what the other does.

And isn't the HappySlapper

Spoiler

Hodge's father's gun

?

I may need to reread the entire book.

...no, the slapper is the sock as Walter mentioned....

 

[AnnaMarie]

I think the other device may have been for traffic lights?? Not sure. The Seuss reference sounds like SKs literary humor.
Borrowed the book and read quickly so details sketchy

That's right. The traffic lights.

Does anyone remember if it is Thing one and two he calls them?

 

[FlakeNoir]

That's right. The traffic lights.

Does anyone remember if it is Thing one and two he calls them?

It is...

Spoiler

Thing One: collected the signal when the 'target' unlocked their car via the push button key.
Thing Two: changed the lights.
Question.... was Thing Two also the button to activate the bomb at the concert?

 

[Lets Rock]

?? Think he had a remote under a picture in his lap??

 

[FlakeNoir]

?? Think he had a remote under a picture in his lap??

Spoiler

I was just trying to remember if it was rigged to do both? (But yeah, that's where it was hidden.)

 

[AnnaMarie]

I haven't gotten quite that far.

 

[Lets Rock]

Soz. I forgot about the spoilers.
Will try to remember.