Stephen King

As a mystery writer, King won't make you forget Connelly, Coben or Crais, as the whodunnit here is pretty tame and predictable. And while there's a ghost, and an old woman and a young boy who can see the future, there's not much that will scare you. But what a ride King takes us on as Devon Jones, a college student, accepts a summer job at the Joyland amusement park, learning the carny lingo, putting an old girlfriend in the past, making new friends, living in a boarding house, losing his virginity and, in the end, solving the murder. This nostalgic, coming-of-age novel haunted me in ways that you wouldn't expect from the master of horror. (I'm getting to this 2013 title late because King finally allowed it to come out in Kindle format.)

- TIM COTTER