The Outsider: A Novel

The Outsider starts off as a crime novel and then turns into a supernatural horror novel. It is also related to the Mr Mercedes/Finders Keepers/End of Watch trilogy in that Holly Gibney is a main character in the second half of the book. It starts off with the body of a child found horribly violated and all evidence points to a local little league coach and all around good guy named Terry Maitland. Detective Ralph Anderson arrests Terry and it seems to be a no-brainer until more and more evidence suggests that Terry couldn't have committed the crime. Terry he was miles away.. and there is no possible way one person can be in two places at once or is there? I liked the book overall, though it was a bit bloated. Having read Mr Mercedes, Finders Keepers and End of Watch, I guess I liked The Outsider better than those three. At least not there wasn't any of the annoying "Holly Berry" dialog, though there is a character named Yune Sablo who randomly speaks in Spanish half the time talks which gets old quick. Not one of his best but worth reading. 4/5

I reread this book after reading If it Bleeds and Googling to see the rest of the books Holly Gibney is in.Apparently I had already read it but it still kept me enthralled. I am looking forward to watching the show on HBOMax and saw that Steve is coming out with a book called Holly soon.Can’t hardly wait!!One of the nice things about getting older is that I can enjoy books over and over again because my memory isn’t as good as it used to be. 🤪Gonna reread the whole Mr. Mercedes series as I just finished the show on Peacock.

When I post reviews of Stephen King, I quite often rate it at five stars and, consequently, many people assume I’m just another King groupie. If you are one of these, you might still find a reason to appreciate my take on this latest work by the master of horror, because this story goes into something much more than just horror. Be sure though that you are ready to journey through shock and awe as only Stephen King can guide you.In searching my book of quotations, searching for just the right thought, I came up with this nugget of wisdom by the master of horror:The trust of the innocent is the liar's most useful tool - Stephen KingDemakis, Joseph. The Ultimate Book of Quotations (p. 490). Unknown. Kindle Edition.BLUSH FACTOR: This is Stephen King, so, of course, there are ample profanities. As for me, I wouldn’t change a word, but that’s just me.Reviewers and readers of Stephen King fall into three categories. My target audience is that segment that wants to know if this novel is little more than a re-hash of one of his other novels, or something fresh and titillating.As for myself, I am close to being a dedicated fan, so keep that in mind as you proceed.The Outsider blends typical King with the same sort of plot as his Bill Hodges series and some of that exhibited in the book 11-23-63. Where it differs markedly from both is the King gets us inside the headEXCERPTNOTE: I took the below excerpt from about the 15% mark, so don’t get the impression that this is a spoiler. What you’re reading here may, or may not shed light on the direction of the story. It is provided only so readers can get a feel for the language utilized with great effect to set the scene and establish the mood, as I call it, or to foretell the direction of the tale.‘…deliberate. What possessed you? What on God’s green earth possessed you?”Ralph felt his face heating up again. “You really want to know, counselor?”“Ralph,” Samuels said warningly. He put a restraining hand on Ralph’s arm.Ralph shook it off. “I wasn’t the one who arrested him. I had a couple of officers do that, because I was afraid I might put my hands around his throat and choke him blue. Which would give a smart lawyer like you a little too much to work with.” He stepped forward, getting into Gold’s space to make him stop the back and forth rocking. “He grabbed Frank Peterson and took him to Figgis Park. There he raped the kid with a tree branch, and there he killed him. Do you want to know how he killed him?”“Ralph, that’s privileged!” Samuels squawked.Ralph paid no attention. “Preliminary forensics suggests he tore the kid’s throat open with his teeth. He may even have swallowed some of the flesh, okay? All that got him so excited that he dropped trou and spilled his spunk all over the back of the kid’s thighs. Nastiest, vilest, most unspeakable unspeakable murder any of us will ever see, God willing. He must have been building up to it for a long time. None of us who were at the scene will ever get it out of our minds. And…’King, Stephen. The Outsider: A Novel (Kindle Locations 961-971). Scribner. Kindle Edition.BOTTOM LINEI’ve tried to provide sufficient insight into “The Outsider” without spoiling the tale and without slipping any expletives into the review. If you have enjoyed King’s recent stories, I think this is even better than those. Mind you, my favorite of his remains “The Stand,” but this story is a very close second, or, perhaps, third.Five stars out of five.Did this review answer most of your questions and concerns? I encourage you to leave a comment below to help me provide reviews that work for you. Further, I am writing a book for aspiring reviewers and for product suppliers seeking reviews in an effort to help improve the process and to understand the value of Amazon’s Customer Review process.Together, you and I can build something great. Will you join me?One request: Be respectful and courteous in your comments and emails to me. I will do likewise with you.Thank you.

I bought this novel for myself and my mom. I will admit the first half was a little challenging to get thru as there are so many character mentions and testimonies to follow but once it gets to the arraignment.... Hold on to your butts! I couldn't put it down and toward the end, I was staying up an hour + past my bedtime because I just had to see what was going to happen.Then about a week ago I watched the HBO series because I wanted to see their depiction of the antagonist. Let's just say I wouldn't recommend it. The book tho, thumbs up!

gteat book from begging to end.never go buy the movies i never read the shinning because i watched the movie i finally read the book after 20 years and the movie is not the book.in the book the black man was the hero he last the whole book he dosnt die in the first 10 min like the movie him the kid become friends foever.the movies crap read the book it will blow you away know wonder steve was so pissed. outsiders really good book you cant stop reading truth.

This mystery/horror thriller by Stephen King may take place in July, but it's perfect fall reading if you want to get a little spooked around Halloween.Evil has a face. Actually, three of them, but I don't want to reveal any spoilers. The story opens on a hot July evening in the fictional town of Flint City, Oklahoma as the town's Golden Dragons baseball team is playing in a City League tournament game in a packed stadium. The team is coached by Terry Maitland, a beloved, respected, and revered high school English teacher and sports coach. But none of that matters when two police officers march across the baseball diamond while the game is in progress to arrest Maitland, the married father of two young girls, for the gruesome murder of an 11-year-old boy. Everyone is shocked, but no one is more shocked than Terry Maitland. The evidence against him is almost foolproof…almost.The story rapidly progresses as the cops, attorneys, and citizens of Flint City weigh in on this horrific crime and the man everyone believes did it. The action is fast and filled with suspense, the storyline is intense and riveting, and the plot twists are creepy and stunning—in typical Stephen King style—making this the ultimate page-turner.I was spellbound!

Very engaging cop/legal drama with a supernatural twist. I recommend the book as well as the tv series. 5 out of 5

I'm not sure how Stephen King keeps on doing it. For over 40 years now he's managed to keep the shocks coming whilst always moving with the times and writing in such an excellently descriptive way that we as the reader feel as though we are going along for the ride with his always colourful and diverse group of characters.The Outsider once again fits in with all of the above as Detective Ralph Anderson sets out to solve a sickening crime, for which he has a suspect, sports coach Terry Maitland, in custody for along with his fingerprints and DNA at the crime scene as well as a long list of eyewitnesses placing Maitland at the scene. The only problem is there is also proof Maitland was elsewhere at the time of the crime.Stephen King then takes us on another one of those journeys that only he can as the story unfolds piece by piece before all the said pieces tie together beautifully at the end.I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Outsider and if I could give any other prospective readers of this book a bit of advice it would be to savour every last page and place yourself in the story at all times. Do not rush any part of it. 5 stars!!

I have written this review with 13 % to go on my kindle,.The first half was great ,but after that it just became boring rubbish.None of the characters would leave a lasting impression.I might finish this book in a year or two but I doubt as I really don't care what happened.Pure waste of money ,in future I will read the one star reviews as they seem more honest.

Oh dear. It started so promisingly, pulling you in as to how the accused could be in two places at once. Half way in I was thinking, “I really hope this doesn’t turn out the way it appears to be going...” But, alas, it did. The book was so bad I really don’t think Stephen King actually wrote it. A truly awful book, predicatable plot and ending.

This is dull stuff - despite what other reviewers say. There is hardly an original thought in it. It's more a police proceedural novel than anything else, and, after the first few chapters, not very interesting for that. Stuck for a climax, King has the bad cop shooting at the good cops. And then (spoiler alert) they take down the 'evil one' by bashing him over the head. Deep stuff! King has been off his game for a long time now. This does nothing to put him back on track.

I haven't bought or read a Stephen King book in quite a long time but have read many in the past. I bought this to read on holiday, with a few others but actually it took me most of the holiday to read this. The writing, as you'd expect, was nothing short of brilliant. I won't spoil for others but the character build up and attention to detail was fantastic, the storyline was intriguing and kept me guessing for a long long time. With the turns in the story I found myself rooting for characters and then equally loathing them in a space of a few chapters. The ending was fantastic and I'm sure there could be more stories off the back of this one....? I would highly recommend, maybe not a light easy read for the beach but certainly worthwhile and memorable. I have already recommended to a number of friends and will be looking for more Stephen King books as soon as I've cleared the holiday book backlog.