Under the Covers with Stephen King

I'm undoubtedly one of thousands of people who've had some interesting experiences with Stephen King under the covers. Under the covers with one of his books, that is!

I was in college when 'Salem's Lot came out. I was living in a basement apartment, and it took some getting used to looking out and only seeing feet and ankles. My bed was right underneath a window, and-- as is still my want-- I was huddled under the covers in the wee hours of the morning, reading 'Salem's Lot by the bright narrow beam of a high-intensity desk lamp. Right when I got to the part where the little boy's friend (who is now a vampire) is scratching at his window hoping to be let in for a "midnight snack," something started scratching at the window right above my head. Lord 'a' mercy, I swear my heart skipped a half-dozen beats!

I turned out the light and sat with my back against the wall, waiting. More scratching. More arrhythmia. After the third bout of window scratching, I thought to myself that I could either sit there like a twit and die of fright or find out what was out there. I slowly got up to a kneeling position and even more slowly moved the curtains aside a tiny bit to see the gleaming eyes and white fangs of a huge black dog. More arrhythmia... but I calmed down almost immediately because I knew what was out there. However, I did not realize that I'd just been given a preview of Cujo!

But I have digressed greatly. Today I'd like to take a look at a few of the covers of one of King's mysteries: Mr. Mercedes. The covers are from the USA, the UK, Germany, Poland, Russia, and Spain. Let's take a look!

UK, paperback

US, hardcover

US, paperback

Germany, paperback

Poland, paperback

Russia, hardcover

Spain, paperback

These covers make me think that King (or his publishers) are working together as a team. How many times have you looked at a cover and wondered what in the world it had to do with the book you just read? It's happened to me a lot. But not here. All these covers showcase elements of the book. You can see that blue umbrella or those bloody tire tracks and easily remember scenes from the book.

Germany and Russia seem to be the two countries that have covers that stay true to the book without being copies of all the others, and although the Russian cover gives me the chills, it looks too much like the cover of a thriller.

Which are my favorite covers of the ones I've shared? The US paperback and the German paperback. How about you? Which of these covers do you prefer? Inquiring minds would love to know!