A STUNNING NEW NOVEL FROM ONE OF THE BEST-SELLING AUTHORS OF ALL TIME! The #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! Set in a small-town North Carolina amusement park in 1973, Joyland tells the story of the summer in which college student Devin Jones comes to work as a carny and confronts the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and the ways both will change his life … change his life forever.
“I love crime, I love mysteries, and I love ghosts. That combo made Hard Case Crime the perfect venue for this book, which is one of my favorites. I also loved the paperbacks I grew up with as a kid, and for that reason, we’re going to hold off on e-publishing this one for the time being. Joyland will be coming out in paperback, and folks who want to read it will have to buy the actual book.” –Stephen King
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Stephen King is true master of his craft. I’ve never got into his horror stories with one exception. I loved his book “Joyland”, a mystery set in a small town North Carolina amusement park in the summer of 1973. A fun ride to be sure.
What a great book by a very talented author. The book is part of the Hard Crimes series that features other talented authors, but, hands down, this is my favorite book in the series. I love crime and mysteries and a bit of the supernatural so this was a real treat to read. I was drawn into this character-driven story, and mesmerized by the way Stephen King can turn a story through his world building, his characters and his awesome use of language. I highly recommend the book.
Different from his other books. It was a coming of age story with some paranormal elements.
Read many Stephen King novels and short stories. Not one of his best. Not one of his worst.
I was disappointed, after reading the first few chapters I looked again to see the authors name. It was as though he hadn’t even wrote the book.
This isn’t a Stephen King book about which I’d heard very much. Not sure why because it was excellent. Tore through it in a couple of days. It’s not standard King horror, beyond a touch of supernatural. Don’t be fooled or put off by the pulpy cover. It’s a wonderful story–a murder mystery combined with a coming of age tale, populated with all the fully fleshed characters that King always delivers and steeped in the world of the old-time carnie. And with lots of tugs on the heart strings. Highly recommended.
I loved this one!
I loved the pacing of this Stephen King story. It didn’t feel rushed, and it still managed to be a good page turner. And it was a good old fashion suspense mystery.
I haven’t read any Stephen King in years so I thought I’d give you his one a shot. Well I’m happy I did. Now I remember why I loved his books so much before. He tells a great story. And I’m back on the King wagon!!
I love Stephen King and this book did not disappoint. What an amazing author!
The reason Stephen King is successful is that, dispute what some critics say, he is a remarkable writer. This is one of his books that illustrate that. The characters are real, and they engage the reader’s sympathy. The plot is engrossing. This is a touching coming of he thriller.
This is one of Stephen King’s titles that was published without a lot of fanfare and didn’t get much attention, but it’s a fantastic store. Different than his usual fare, this isn’t gore-horror at all — it’s really a ghost story, but it’s a wonderful read. Highly recommended (even if you’re not a fan of King’s usual stuff!).
Wonderful book by Stephen King! One of the best. I like his twisted works and this fits but it wasn’t so twisted as I like a little story to go with it. I would recommend this book to any one whether they are a Stephen King fan or not.
I read this book on vacation and flew through it in a day. King weaves together teen angst, a violent murder mystery, and the horror of an incurable childhood illness all against the grainy backdrop of an amusement park. The main character Devin is a nice guy, a guy you’d like to hang out with, but a guy that fell a little too hard for his first love, hard enough to have the rare suicide thought drift through his troubled mind. How King, in less than 300 pages, builds out 10 characters, a midway that I can walk though in my minds eye, and 3 or 4 rich plot lines is beyond me. With minimal words, he creates fascinating characters, everyday revelations, and a engrossing story.
I loved this book and man oh man was it the perfect beach novel. This is why King is my favorite.
terrific