The Recurring Cast
Character guide · 10 books · 1979 to 2004 · Mostly set in the fictional Millhaven, Illinois

Peter Straub

Thriller and suspenseHorrorLiterary and generalPsychological suspenseSupernatural horrorDark fantasyLiterary fiction

Peter Straub wrote literary horror. Ghost Story follows four old men of the Chowder Society haunted by a secret; the Blue Rose books follow the writer Tim Underhill through a series of killings. With Stephen King he wrote The Talisman and Black House.

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. The Talisman and Black House appear on Stephen King's page as well; Jack Sawyer and Speedy Parker are linked across both.

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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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Peter Straub 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.

Blue Rose

5 books · Set in the fictional Millhaven, IllinoisLiterary fictionPsychological suspenseSupernatural horror
  1. 1Koko1988Buy on Amazon
  2. 2Mystery1990With Tom PasmoreBuy on Amazon
  3. 3The Throat1993With Tim UnderhillBuy on Amazon
  4. 4Lost Boy, Lost Girl2003With Tim UnderhillBuy on Amazon
  5. 5In the Night Room2004With Tim UnderhillBuy on Amazon

The Talisman

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

Standalone

3 booksSupernatural horrorLiterary fiction
  1. 1Ghost Story1979With Don Wanderley · Set in the fictional Milburn, New YorkBuy on Amazon
  2. 2Shadowland1980With Tom Flanagan · Set in VermontBuy on Amazon
  3. 3Floating Dragon1983Set in the fictional Hampstead, ConnecticutBuy on Amazon

Characters

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

Blue Rose

The Talisman

Standalone leads