#Spooktober #BookReview ‘The Outsider’ by Stephen King

About the book…

‘The Outsider’ by Stephen King was published in 2018 by Hodder and Stoughton in hardback, audiobook and ebook formats as well as a paperback edition in 2019.

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?

Even after more than half my lifetime reading one of my favourite authors, I am still surprised that I am surprised at the quality of writing he produces, and how he manages to nail a crime thriller so effortlessly with a unique, King twist.

Unnerving, disconcerting and dealing with the most horrific crimes against children, this is not your average King but if you have read the Bill hodges trilogy-‘‘Mr Mercedes’‘,’‘Finders Keepers’‘ and ‘‘End Of Watch’‘-you will know that you are in familiar territory, for more than one reason. Firstly,you have the slick narrative which wrong footed me more than once. Secondly, you have the recurring character of Holly Gibney, co-founder of the titular detective agency ‘Finders Keepers’ making a welcome return.

By turns unexpected, dark and plunging into the depths of the human psyche, in this reader’s humble opinion,this is a tale that is akin to its King stablemate ‘‘The Dark Half’. It goes deep and into areas that will make you feel uncomfortable-not for shock value, but out of necessity. It has so much to say on the power of loss, the relationship of children with their parents and trust versus imperical evidence.

The evidence involved is concrete and fool proof-Terry Maitland was somehow in two places at once-at televised a book reading in one city and murdering Frank Peterson in another . When you get your head around that fact, as Ralph Anderson, the arresting officer has to, you begin to see the cracks and flaws in the concrete and thereby open your mind to other possibilities…the kind that will make figures out of the shadows in your room which will stop you sleeping, the kind that makes you double and triple check on your children in the night and the kind that makes you pray to a god you don’t even believe in,to never come across this kind of anomaly such as the kind detailed here.

At once a mystery, a whodunnit, and exploration of how the media create-and kill-monsters with their headlines,as well as a searing evocation of modern society, this is King at his finest.

Even more exciting is that HBO are making a series of this novel, to be boradcast in January 2020.

The trailer is below , tell me if it doesn’t get you all excited….

About the author…

Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His first crime thriller featuring Bill Hodges, ‘Mr Mercedes’, won the Edgar Award for best novel and was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award. Both ‘Mr Mercedes’ and ‘End Of Watch’ received the Goodreads Choice Award for the Best Mystery and Thriller of 2014 and 2016 respectively.

King co-wrote the bestselling novel ‘Sleeping Beauties‘ with his son Owen King, and many of King’s books have been turned into celebrated films and television series including ‘The Shawshank Redemption‘, ‘Gerald’s Game’ and ‘It‘.

King was the recipient of America’s prestigious 2014 National Medal of Arts and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for distinguished contribution to American Letters. In 2007 he also won the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. He lives with his wife Tabitha King in Maine

Links-https://www.stephenking.com/

You can listen to one of my favourite podcasters, Richard Shepherd, discuss it with his guests on the Constant Reader podcast here.

Twitter @StephenKing

@HodderBooks