The journey through all of Stephen King’s books continues, this time it’s the turn of The Outsider.
Book Description
When an eleven-year-old boy is found murdered in a town park, reliable eyewitnesses undeniably point to the town’s popular Little League coach, Terry Maitland, as the culprit. DNA evidence and fingerprints confirm the crime was committed by this well-loved family man.
Horrified by the brutal killing, Detective Ralph Anderson, whose own son was once coached by Maitland, orders the suspect to be arrested in a public spectacle. But Maitland has an alibi. And further research confirms he was indeed out of town that day.
As Anderson and the District Attorney trace the clues, the investigation expands from Ohio to Texas. And as horrifying answers begin to emerge, so King’s propulsive story of almost unbearable suspense kicks into high gear.
Terry Maitland seems like a nice guy but there is one rock-hard fact, as unassailable as gravity: a man cannot be in two places at the same time. Can he?
My Thoughts
Mystery and suspense, two ingredients that make a crime thriller a success. In The Outsider, King has served the reader with a hefty dose of both. He pulls you into this novel, presents a mystery with so many possibilities, you can’t turn the pages fast enough to reach the plot conclusion. By the midpoint of this novel, you’ll have so many theories and explanations as to how a man can be in two places at once, your head will be spinning – you’ll formulate and reformulate, and that’s what makes this novel so interesting.
The character creation is spot on, those you like, and those you don’t, all with the ability to evoke some kind of feeling in the reader. It’s always a pleasure to discover the characters in King’s novels, because you get to know them so well, you view them as real people; this is what creates the emotion that makes a reader passionate about a book, what keep you returning to books by said author. In this one, you’ll also question the rights and wrongs of the characters – should Detective Ralph Anderson have done what he did, would the knock-on effect have been different?
It’s been said many times that King writes great books, but struggles with endings. This is not true of all his books, but if you are a Constant Reader, you’ll start to see this pattern occasionally. In The Outsider (and in his most recent publication, The Institute) the pacing of the novel drops drastically in the last 70 or so pages. Of course, this is reader opinion, and it’s not to say the ending of this novel isn’t good [because it is!] more that the change in momentum is so noticeable, you begin to see that this statement about endings has merit. To put a positive spin on it, King has built such great suspense, thrilled your mind, captured you full attention, has you loving and hating the characters, how could any ending deliver, live up to all that come before? King is simply winding you down after getting you so worked up!
It’s worth noting that this novel has spoilers for the Bill Hodges Trilogy. Both this novel and the trilogy share a central character, so it’s highly recommended you read the trilogy first. This novel isn’t a continuation of the story, and can be read independently, but if you have this novel and the trilogy on your reading list, start with the trilogy.
Despite the slower-paced ending, this novel is so worthy of your time, it’ll thrill and excite, disturb and engage! Some of the towns in this novel are fictional, but such is the power of King’s imagination, that you’ll be looking to locate these places next time you see a map of the US!
The Outsider = highly recommended!
This is book is available to buy from Amazon UK / Book Depository
Find a list of King’s entire backlist, including my reviews, here.
Keeper of Pages 
Wow fantastic review Janel! I really like the sound of this one, but is it very long?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Nicki! I have the hardback edition and it’s 475 pages. I host monthly readalongs on Instagram so we read the first half in one week and the second half in the next week – overall I probably spent about 4 or 5 days reading this one 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s not to bad I’ll have to look out for it at the library. 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Totally agree. I recommend the Bill Hodges trilogy all the time, and The Outsider was a great follow up.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Which one was your favourite of the trilogy? I absolutely loved Mr Mercedes!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think Mr. Mercedes was the best, but Finders Keepers has so much resonance for book lovers that it’s right up there.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Totally agree with regarding the ending. It was a cracking read up till that point and then I felt a bit disappointed, still a good book though. Great review btw xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! Yeh, the ending wasn’t terrible but not the greatest. His son, Joe Hill, is definitely better at ending novels!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have a Joe Hill book on my kindle, hadn’t realised it was his son! xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooo which one do you have?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve got NOS 4R2, I liked the blurb when it mentions being an old fashioned horror. I also read some good reviews!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve read that one! It’s fantastic!!!!!! As is his book, The Fireman!
LikeLike
There’s several of King’s newer novels I quite fancy reading (this one included), but I still associate him with horror. Are there horror elements in it, or is it a straight forward mystery thriller?
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s a crime thriller, the crime is brutal but within the realm of crime fiction. The Institute, his latest book isn’t horror, it’s actually classed as fantasy. King is partial to a supernatural element in his novels
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow you e already finished it Janel? I haven’t even read anymore since our last discussion. Great review.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! I actually finished it on Tuesday 😂. I’m working both Sat and Sun so I wanted to get it finished early 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
I need to hurry up and finish it because I will be babysitting from 11 to 10 Sunday
LikeLiked by 1 person
Based on my vast experience … I agree 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m just pleased you’re enjoying King, the same cannot be said about nonfiction and fantasy, yet 😅😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Something tells me you’ll keep trying though 😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fab review! Thanks for the warning about the Bill Hodges Trilogy; I was going to read Outsider first as I have a physical copy on my shelves, but I will wait until I read the last two books of the trilogy first now. And more thanks for the warning about the slower pace towards the ending… I’ll definitely keep it in mind. xx
LikeLiked by 1 person