This review starts with an off topic rant. If you want the real review, then skip the next paragraph. 
 The bad part about being a Stephen King fan, for me, is that I'm a conservative, and I relate with the Republicans better than the Democrats. Even if the best we have in the limelight at the moment is a bunch of chuckleheads, they're still my team. King loves to pepper his books with jabs at my team, and it's not always easy for me to take it in stride. Some are more heavy handed than others (e.g. 11/22/63), but there's almost always something. I thought we were going to make it all the way through this book without a single eye poke, but it was not meant to be. On page 279 out of 283 (a whole 98.6% in if my math is right, though it rarely is), he pretty much tells us that he sometimes hates the world because Dick Cheney is still alive with a new lease on life while other people who are talented, smart, and decent have died. Well, his main character says it, though that's just a projection of King himself. It's just one paragraph, but it's at the very end, and put such a huge damper on an otherwise very enjoyable book. Course, if your political views are in line with his, and you have as much of a hard-on to hate Cheney as I do to hate Pelosi and Obama, then this paragraph would be icing on the cake for you. For me, it was turd on the cake. I mean, really, the book is set in 1973. Even if it is via flashback, why does Cheney need to be mentioned at all? And this isn't the only book of his where Dick takes it pretty heavy on the chin in a couple of spots. I reckon I'll get over it soon enough, but he ought to run a 4th on our old veep. And I suppose I should run my own for others. Goddam Democrats. Anyway, that's enough of that. 
 I once again wish I could give a half mark, for this really feels like a 3.5 star book to me. I more than "liked it," but can't quite go with "really liked it." Besides, there are other King books I've given solid 4 stars that are just a bit better. But as usual, I tend to round up, so 4 stars it is in spite of the damper mentioned in the last paragraph. 
 King sometimes gets long-winded nowadays, and many of his books could be reduced in length by a good 3rd, but the journey is still almost always enjoyable. His writing style is pretty awesome, and this book is no exception to that. There's wit, there's substance and flash, there's good plot, there's emotion, imagery, the works. I guess I can say it has everything. And he does a good job of making the unbelievable believable. I always appreciate that. 
 When I saw this was coming out under the Hard Case Crime label, I was quite wary. That's the one The Colorado Kid came out under. King said CK would be a love or hate book with no middle ground, and I'm sorry to say I fell in with the haters on that one. It included the 1/3 of the book I thought should be left out, but neglected to include the other 2/3s at all. But Joyland doesn't go that way at all. It has murder-mystery elements, and, more importantly, a resolution (and a satisfying one in my opinion). Also, it wasn't a rushed resolution. A long time was spent setting up the story, and things moved very quickly at the end, but that doesn't mean it was rushed (like Cell). Everything was also tied up nicely at the end, and I was OK with the few loose strands as they were realistic loose strands. Some of the details of the baddy's exploits remain shrouded in mystery, but that's how it works in real life. 
 I told myself not to try to figure it out before just reading the end, but who can do that? Halfway through the book, it was semi-clear that we knew who the culprit was. A little later I had narrowed it down to 2 possibilities (with a 3rd improbability), and I picked the wrong one. I didn't want it to be either of the 2 because I liked them, but when the mask falls off it really makes a thud, and I quickly became "OK" with all of it. Normally I hate being wrong, but I'm totally OK with it in a whodunit; that's a sign of good story crafting. He didn't cheat, change any facts later, or anything like that; he showed us just enough to play with our heads, and allows us to have an epiphany later. Good stuff, good stuff. 
 There's a ghost in this tale, and ghosts are one of the very few things that can give me the heebie-jeebies. Monsters, bad people, and things like that are just fun, but ghosts and haunted places... I can get spooked reading about them. (Bag of Bones. WooooOOOOOoooooOOOOOOoooo...) This ghost wasn't a bad one, and didn't do anything super spooky, though I still felt a slight chill or thrill the couple of times she put in an appearance. So if you're looking for a good old spook yarn, it's best to look elsewhere. 
 I guess that hits the most salient points. And even if it doesn't, I'm tired. I give this a definite recommendation if you're into suspense and stuff. Goodnight.