Set in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine

Stephen King teams up with long-time friend and award-winning author Richard Chizmar for the first time in this original, chilling novella that revisits the mysterious town of Castle Rock.

There are three ways up to Castle View from the town of Castle Rock: Route 117, Pleasant Road, and the Suicide Stairs. Every day in the summer of 1974, twelve-year-old Gwendy Peterson has taken the stairs, which are held by strong—if time-rusted—iron bolts and zig-zag up the precarious cliffside.

Then one day when Gwendy gets to the top of Castle View, after catching her breath and hearing the shouts of kids on the playground below, a stranger calls to her. There on a bench in the shade sits a man in black jeans, a black coat, and a white shirt unbuttoned at the top. On his head is a small, neat black hat. The time will come when Gwendy has nightmares about that hat…

The little town of Castle Rock, Maine has witnessed some strange events and unusual visitors over the years, but there is one story that has never been told—until now.

Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers.?His recent work includes Billy Summers, the novella collection?If It Bleeds,?The Institute,?Elevation,?The Outsider (now an HBO television series),?Sleeping Beauties?(cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy:?End of Watch,?the short story collection The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, Finders?Keepers,?Mr. Mercedes?(an Edgar Award winner?for Best Novel and a television series streaming on Peacock), and Under the Dome. His novel?11/22/63—a Hulu original television series event—was named a?top ten book of 2011 by?The?New York Times?Book Review?and won the?Los Angeles Times?Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller, as well as the Best Hardcover Book Award from the International Thriller Writers. His epic works?The Dark Tower series,?It,?Pet Sematary, and?Doctor Sleep?are the basis for?major motion pictures, with?It?now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient?of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the?2014 National Medal of Arts, and the?2003 National Book Foundation Medal for?Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.?He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife,?novelist Tabitha King. 

Richard Chizmar is the coauthor (with Stephen King) of the New York Times bestselling novella, Gwendy’s Button Box. Recent books include The Girl on the Porch; The Long Way Home, his fourth short story collection; and Widow’s Point, a chilling tale about a haunted lighthouse written with his son, Billy Chizmar, which was recently made into a feature film. His short fiction has appeared in dozens of publications, including Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and The Year’s 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories. He has won two World Fantasy awards, four International Horror Guild awards, and the HWA’s Board of Trustee’s award. Chizmar’s work has been translated into more than fifteen languages throughout the world, and he has appeared at numerous conferences as a writing instructor, guest speaker, panelist, and guest of honor. Follow him on Twitter @RichardChizmar or visit his website at: RichardChizmar.com.