62 pages • 2 hours read
The Outsider (2019)
The Outsider tells the story of a shocking child murder and a seemingly easy arrest. This novel is less hard-boiled crime than it is a traditional detective story, but features Holly Gibney, one of the main characters from King’s Mr. Mercedes series.
Mr. Mercedes (2015-2016)
The first entry in the series, Mr. Mercedes follows an ex-cop as he tries to track down a mass murderer. Stephen King considers the Mr. Mercedes series his first hard-boiled detective series. A supernatural element is introduced in the third book of the series, End of Watch (2016).
Joyland (2014)
In Joyland, a college student discovers a string of dark secrets while working at the titular amusement park. This novel contains minor supernatural elements, but is mostly a hard-boiled detective story.
The Colorado Kid (2005)
In the face of a mysterious death, two newshounds and a graduate student seek the truth. This novel contains no supernatural elements, but conforms to the hard-boiled genre.
It (1986)
It is probably the most popular and well-known of King’s books, in which a group of children attempt to defeat a supernatural monster.
Christine (1984)
Christine tells the story of a boy whose obsession with a symbol of adulthood (his car, Christine) destroys him.
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By Stephen King
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