With this collection of short stories, King has returned to the level of suspense-driven, intimate storytelling that characterizes his best works, and it’s about time. After a string of lackluster novels, I was about to give up on my favorite author, but Just After Sunset has made me a fan again.

My favorite two stories were the two that open the collection. “Willa” is haunting and eerie, yet also romantic, a musing about what happens to the dead after they die; I found it to be more affecting than the other story that explores a similar theme, “The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates,” even though in his notes, King thought the second story was stronger. And “The Gingerbread Girl” is harrowing, heart-pumping suspense; like King, I like that in this story, everything hinges on the details.

Other standouts for me were: “Stationery Bike,” a tongue-in-cheek response to our health-obsessed culture; “The Things They Left Behind,” a meditation on September 11 and its lingering effects on the survivors; and “Ayana,” about how healing powers might work and the curse they might bring. There are some examples of vintage gross-out King, as well; do not read “The Cat From Hell” or “A Very Tight Place” unless you have a strong stomach. And of course, there are a few weak offerings, such as “Harvey’s Dream” and “Graduation Afternoon,” which both originated in dreams and show it.

I tore through even the weak stories, and simply devoured this book whole. All I can say is thank you to Mr. King for this great collection and for showing that he hasn’t lost it after all.

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