Books Recommended by Stephen King
Cemetery Road
A Novel
Greg Iles
Source: "Pure reading pleasure. This guy knows the deep south as well or better than any other novelist." - Stephen King
Flight or Fright
Bev Vincent
Source: "The best short story I read in 2018? Easy. ['You Are Released']. You can find it in [this book]." - Stephen King
Growing Things and Other Stories
Paul Tremblay
Source: "9 creepy classics that will turn your favorite easy chair into an uneasy chair." - Stephen King
Necessary People
Anna Pitoniak
Source: "I literally couldn't stop reading. Murder, ambition, toxic friendship. What's not to like?" - Stephen King
Cold Storage
A Novel
David Koepp
Source: "Gruesome, terrifying, pulse-pounding, and also pretty goddam funny in places." - Stephen King
The Border
A Novel
Don Winslow
Source: "Everyone in America--left, right, and center--should read this book." - Stephen King
The Chill
A Novel
Scott Carson
Source: "Characters you root for and a story that grips from the first page." - Stephen King
And Then There Were None
Agatha Christie
Source: "Lots of murders, but relatively bloodless. And a great mystery." - Stephen King
Five Decembers
James Kestrel
Source: "One of the best hardboiled noirs I’ve read in years." - Stephen King
Cari Mora
A Novel
Thomas Harris
Source: "Reading his prose is like running a slow hand down cold silk." - Stephen King
Koko
Peter Straub
Source: "One of the great novels of the 20th century’s second half." - Stephen King
Charlesgate Confidential
Scott Von Doviak
Source: "If you haven’t read [this book], you’re missing a tall cool one." - Stephen King
The Dutch House
A Novel
Ann Patchett
Source: "At first you turn the pages; then you slip into that world." - Stephen King
The Unwilling
A Novel
Kelly Braffet
Source: "Absolutely couldn’t put it down. Didn’t want it to end." - Stephen King
Elevator Pitch
A Novel
Linwood Barclay
Source: "One hell of a suspense novel." - Stephen King
Ninth House
Leigh Bardugo
Source: "Great fantasy/horror novel." - Stephen King
Shaker
A Thriller
Scott Frank
Source: "Hit me like a bolt of lightning." - Stephen King
The Guest Book
A Novel
Sarah Blake
Source: "Lots to unpack there." - Stephen King
Full Throttle
Stories
Joe Hill
Source: "I love these stories." - Stephen King
Dying is Easy
Joe Hill
Source: "A terrific read." - Stephen King
FAQ
Did Stephen King recommend all these books?
Not necessarily. This book list has Stephen King must-read recommendations, but it also has a mix of mentions and suggestions.
How do you know Stephen King mentioned these books?
Every suggestion made by Stephen King is validated by our editors. You can find the sources to the recommendations linked next to the books.
Did Stephen King actually create this list?
No. This reading list was curated by our editors based on confirmed mentions from Stephen King, the sources are made available under each recommendation.
230 books
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