The 10 Best Stephen King Crime Books, Ranked

The article ranks Stephen King’s crime novels, highlighting books that show his work beyond the horror genre he is best known for. It notes that some selections also lean into horror and that the ranking considers novels only, leaving out novellas such as *Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption*.

The excerpt praises *Joyland* as a stronger Hard Case Crime novel than *The Colorado Kid*, while describing *Rage* as an early, difficult-to-recommend thriller that King later viewed as dangerous and that is out of print. It also discusses the Bill Hodges trilogy: the first book is singled out as particularly strong, while *End of Watch* is described as messier and more supernatural, bridging crime stories with King’s later Holly Gibney books. The supplied text ends before the full ranking is shown.