Book Review: The Outsider by Stephen King
How can a man be in two places at once? When a child is raped and murdered, this is a question Detective Ralph Anderson must find an answer to.
Terry Maitland is a pillar of the community and is accused. There’s eye witnesses placing him at the scene. His fingerprints and DNA evidence found on the victim’s body. But Terry has a airtight alibi.
The Outsider is a perfect investigatory and suspense novel, complete with King’s usual supernatural edge. The plot is full of intrigue and written in a way that fills the readers head with theories and questions. It includes plenty of utterly gripping action scenes.
The Outsider is written in third person perspective. But it has some great transcripts of witness interviews and emails spattered throughout the beginning and middle sections of the book.
The pacing of The Outsider is quick and builds suspense brilliantly.
All of the characters feel completely real; all have different personalities, flaws and have different ways of handling the situations they find themselves in.
Characters include:
- Ralph Anderson – The tall, logical and realistic Detective.
- Jeanette Anderson – Ralph’s wife and confidant.
- Terry Maitland – Suspect & English Teacher.
- Marcy Maitland – Terry’s wife and mother to two children.
- The Peterson Family – Frank is the child raped and murdered. The impact of the tragedy on the family is shown along with the subsequent tragedies that follow.
- Yunel Sablo – Lieutenant in the Police Department, he assists in the investigation.
- William Samuels – The District Attorney with unruly hair.
- Howie Gold – Maitland’s Lawyer.
- Alec Pelley – A retired state Police Detective who works for lawyers defending criminal cases.
- Holly Gibney – A woman who runs a company called Finders Keepers. Holly mostly does repossessions, retrievals, bail-jumpers and finding of lost pets. But there’s a hidden depths to Holly including her past experience with the seemingly inexplicable. Holly is a character of mystery and one the reader will yearn to learn more about.
- Jack Hoskins – A troubled Detective in the Police Department.
- Claude Bolton – Claude is a recovered drug addict and former criminal. He works in a strip club as a Bouncer. He’s kept himself clean and out of trouble. But trouble could be finding him.
- Lovie Bolton – Claude’s adorable old mum, even more vulnerable due to her COPD and oxygen requirement.
The Outsider is totally addictive, I couldn’t put it down and read it in a few sittings. The Outsider is available to buy on Amazon and at all good book shops.
Review soon,
Antony
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