The Recurring Cast
Character guide · 20 books · 1977 to 2025 · Often set in the fictional Castle Rock, Maine

Stephen King

Crime and mysteryHorrorPrivate eyeSupernatural horrorDark fantasy

Stephen King is the world's best-known horror writer. Many of his novels are set in the Maine towns of Castle Rock and Derry, where characters cross between books. His crime novels follow retired detective Bill Hodges and his partner Holly Gibney, who becomes one of his best-loved characters.

Best estimate, compiled from series guides, publisher descriptions and reviews where available, and from memory otherwise. Book level only, not chapter level. Minor includes cameos and brief references. Each book carries a confidence rating in its tooltip. King's Hodges and Holly crime books, his Castle Rock and Derry novels, the Shining books and The Talisman books with Peter Straub are charted. If It Bleeds is a story collection whose title novella stars Holly.

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Who appears in which book

Click a name to follow that character from book to book, or a book title to see its cast.

LLeadMMajor·MinorHas a note
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Stephen King books in order

Each series in publication order, with its lead characters. Where the story runs in a different order, switch to Story order. Crossover books are marked and listed under their main series. Use My books to track what you have read.

Bill Hodges

3 books · Set in a Midwestern cityPrivate eye
  1. 1Mr. Mercedes2014With Bill HodgesBuy on Amazon
  2. 2Finders Keepers2015With Bill HodgesBuy on Amazon
  3. 3End of Watch2016With Bill HodgesBuy on Amazon

Holly Gibney

4 books · Set in various placesPrivate eye
  1. 1The Outsider2018With Ralph AndersonBuy on Amazon
  2. 2If It Bleeds2020With Holly GibneyBuy on Amazon
  3. 3Holly2023With Holly GibneyBuy on Amazon
  4. 4Never Flinch2025With Holly GibneyBuy on Amazon

Castle Rock

6 books · Set in the fictional Castle Rock, MaineSupernatural horror
  1. 1The Dead Zone1979With Johnny SmithBuy on Amazon
  2. 2Cujo1981Buy on Amazon
  3. 3The Body1982With Gordie LachanceBuy on Amazon
  4. 4The Dark Half1989With Thad BeaumontBuy on Amazon
  5. 5Needful Things1991With Alan PangbornBuy on Amazon
  6. 6Gwendy's Button Box2017With Gwendy PetersonBuy on Amazon

Derry

3 books · Set in the fictional Derry, MaineSupernatural horror
  1. 1It1986With Bill DenbroughBuy on Amazon
  2. 2Insomnia1994With Ralph RobertsBuy on Amazon
  3. 311/22/632011With Jake EppingBuy on Amazon

The Shining

2 books · Set in the Overlook, ColoradoSupernatural horror
  1. 1The Shining1977With Jack TorranceBuy on Amazon
  2. 2Doctor Sleep2013With Danny Torrance and Abra StoneBuy on Amazon

The Talisman

2 books · Set in the TerritoriesDark fantasy
  1. 1The Talisman1984CrossoverWith Jack SawyerJack Sawyer, Speedy Parker also appear in books by Peter StraubBuy on Amazon
  2. 2Black House2001CrossoverWith Jack SawyerJack Sawyer, Speedy Parker also appear in books by Peter StraubBuy on Amazon

Characters

29 recurring and key characters, with the book each one first appears in.

Finders Keepers

Castle Rock

Derry

The Shining

The Talisman