Turnpike Joe

Pete had. “They create the same pattern, over and over. Ignore the slight variations, you said, and look for the underlying sameness. Because even the smartest doers—like Turnpike Joe, who killed all those women at rest stops—seem to have a switch inside their brains that’s stuck on Repeat.

Both Hodges novels recall Turnpike Joe as the serial murderer of women at rest stops, a case discussed by Hodges and Pete.

He’s thinking about Turnpike Joe, but not really; these days Joe is someone else’s problem. Like the Grim Sleeper, that well-spoken African-American. Is Mr. Mercedes also African-American? It’s technically possible—no one saw anything but the pullover clown mask, a long-sleeved shirt, and yellow gloves on the steering wheel—but Hodges thinks not.

Both Hodges novels recall Turnpike Joe as the serial murderer of women at rest stops, a case discussed by Hodges and Pete.