The Power of Five
horror
Series · horror
The Green Mile
The Green Mile series by Stephen King has 6 known books (6 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with The Two Dead Girls (1996).
- Books
- 6 known books (6 novellas)
- Published
- 6
- First published
- 1996
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Horror
- Last checked
Start here: The Two Dead Girls (1996) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
The Two Dead Girls
The Two Dead Girls (March 1996) opens Stephen King's serialized Green Mile: death-row guard Paul Edgecombe narrates the arrival of John Coffey, a giant, gentle man convicted of murdering two young girls, in the first of six slim installments published between March and August 1996.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Two Dead Girls - Book 2:
The Mouse on the Mile
The Mouse on the Mile (April 1996, 92 pages) is the second installment of King's serial, continuing E Block's story just as the first part left off -- each volume was designed to be read in strict sequence.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Mouse on the Mile - Book 3:
Coffey's Hands
The third The Green Mile book, Coffey's Hands, runs 90 pages. It follows The Mouse on the Mile and comes before The Bad Death of Eduard Delacroix in publication order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Coffey's Hands - Book 4:
The Bad Death of Eduard Delacroix
The Bad Death of Eduard Delacroix, published in June 1996, is the fourth installment of The Green Mile serial, continuing Paul Edgecombe's account of death row as John Coffey's healing gift -- and its price -- become clearer.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bad Death of Eduard Delacroix - Book 5:
Night Journey
Night Journey, released in July 1996, holds the fifth spot in The Green Mile's six-part serial, moving Stephen King's story further into supernatural territory as Coffey's execution date approaches.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Night Journey - Book 6:
Coffey on the Mile
Coffey on the Mile, the sixth and longest installment at 138 pages, closes out King's serialized Green Mile in August 1996, resolving John Coffey's fate and the guards' reckoning with his innocence.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Coffey on the Mile
About The Green Mile
Paul Edgecombe, head guard on E Block -- the death-row wing nicknamed 'the Green Mile' for its sickly-green linoleum -- narrates the arrival of John Coffey, a giant, gentle Black man convicted of murdering two young girls. Coffey turns out to possess a miraculous healing gift, and as Edgecombe and his fellow guards come to know him, the certainty of his guilt begins to crack even as his execution date approaches. Stephen King wrote The Green Mile as a serialized novel in the tradition of Charles Dickens, publishing it in six slim paperback installments between March and August 1996, with each volume ending on a cliffhanger and King writing later parts without knowing exactly how earlier ones had landed with readers.
Set largely in 1932 Louisiana with a framing story in a present-day nursing home, the serial builds from prison-drama realism into open supernatural territory as Coffey's power, and the price of using it, become clear. It became a critical and commercial success in its original serialized form and was collected into a single-volume novel later the same year; the 1999 film adaptation, starring Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan, is one of the most acclaimed of King's many screen adaptations.
Frequently asked questions
How many parts does The Green Mile have?
Six: The Two Dead Girls, The Mouse on the Mile, Coffey's Hands, The Bad Death of Eduard Delacroix, Night Journey, and Coffey on the Mile, published monthly from March to August 1996.
What order should I read The Green Mile parts in?
Publication order, exactly as listed -- it's a single continuous novel serialized in six parts, not six standalone stories, and each part begins where the last one left off.
Is The Green Mile one novel or six separate books?
Both, depending on the edition. King wrote and originally published it as six slim paperback installments in 1996, but it was collected the same year into one 'complete novel' volume containing all six parts, which is how most readers encounter it today.
Do I need to read the six parts to understand the movie?
No -- the 1999 film adapts the complete story faithfully as a single film, so either the serialized parts or the collected edition works as source material without needing all six separately.
Is The Green Mile connected to Stephen King's other books?
It stands on its own; it doesn't share characters or setting with King's other major series, though it carries his recurring interest in death row, small-town Southern settings, and quiet supernatural gifts.
If you like The Green Mile
Reading order last verified .