No paranormal behaviour or time travel?
And, hang on, a car features prominently in this book but it does not have a mind of its own?
Stephen King, you've changed.
If anything, Mr Mercedes only reinforces the argument of his Constant Readers that King is so much more than a conjuror of cheap tricks, or a shock artist who dips into the same bag of ideas every time.
He can take us in a new direction, and offer more insight into the human condition.
His newest title is not so much a horror story, as a horrific story.
And it's not a whodunnit, but a how will we catch whodunnit.
It's a book that could have been an accompaniment to the extraordinary television series True Detective, such is its relatively gentle pace and chilling atmosphere.
King even refers to it as his first ''hard-boiled detective'' novel, and has positioned it as the first in a trilogy.
The story centres on a retired gumshoe, Bill Hodges, who receives a letter in the mail one day from someone claiming responsibility for one of his cold cases, a terrible crime that involved a vehicle and multiple deaths.
In the blue corner is Brady Hartsfield, an eccentric who lives with his mother, fixes computers and sells ice cream and is obsessed with tying up a loose end called Bill Hodges.
It starts slowly but then flies as King deftly jumps from Hodges to Hartfield, exploring their mindsets and setting the scene for an almighty confrontation.
The author sticks tightly to the cat-and-mouse plot and it pays off with a gripping conclusion.
King is in the middle of one of the most prolific stages of his remarkable career, and this fan is eager to see what comes next.
• Hayden Meikle is ODT sports editor.
