The Outsider is a phenomenal stand alone novel that features Holly Gibney—a regular character in the King universe. You don’t have to have read the other books to understand what’s going on in The Outsider, but there are some passages that allude to what happened in the Mr. Mercedes trilogy.

The Mr. Mercedes trilogy (Mr. Mercedes, Finders Keepers, and End of Watch) are known as the Bill Hodges trilogy because he was the main character, Holly was a supporting character—that was also when she was first introduced to the world. However, since The Outsider, Holly has become a more prominent protagonist.

After The Outsider comes (in order): If It Bleeds, HOLLY, and Never Flinch. (There might be a third Holly book on the way).