Review: The Outsider by Stephen King

Summary from Goodreads:

An unspeakable crime. A confounding investigation. At a time when the King brand has never been stronger, he has delivered one of his most unsettling and compulsively readable stories.

An eleven-year-old boy’s violated corpse is found in a town park. Eyewitnesses and fingerprints point unmistakably to one of Flint City’s most popular citizens. He is Terry Maitland, Little League coach, English teacher, husband, and father of two girls. Detective Ralph Anderson, whose son Maitland once coached, orders a quick and very public arrest. Maitland has an alibi, but Anderson and the district attorney soon add DNA evidence to go with the fingerprints and witnesses. Their case seems ironclad.


As the investigation expands and horrifying answers begin to emerge, King’s propulsive story kicks into high gear, generating strong tension and almost unbearable suspense. Terry Maitland seems like a nice guy, but is he wearing another face? When the answer comes, it will shock you as only Stephen King can. 

My Review:


What I Liked:

Characters/POVS. Once again, King has created interesting and likable characters, new and old. I enjoyed the camos of past characters from his Bill Hodges series but I would suggest reading those novels before picking this one up. It is a good series and the character, Holly, is amazing in both series. However, It can be read as a standalone. King does a good job of crafting a whole new set of characters. It mainly follows Ralph Anderson, a detective, who turned out to be a good main characters. And king did a good job of balancing the point of view changes. He gave each character a unique voice so it was never confusing.  

Plot. King did a good job of mixing together the realistic and supernatural. The first half focused more on crime solving and the realistic aspects while the last part of the book goes more toward the paranormal. 

First Half. The first 50% of the novel had me completely hooked. I kept reading despite only wanting to check out the first chapter. I felt that the first part of the novel went quickly while the last half dragged for me. 

Writing. I'm a fan of King's writing style and felt that this novel was a great example of his strengths as a writer. 

What I Disliked:

Ending. I'm not sure why I was not a fan of the ending. I just felt like something was missing and it could have been expanded on. 

I recommend checking out this thrilling new read from King. Even though I was not a fan of the ending I could not put it down. 

My Rating:

4 Stars Out of 5 Stars