The Outsider
Ratings315
Average rating3.9
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?
Series
Featured Series
3 primary books#1 in Holly Gibney
Holly Gibney is a 3-book series with 4 primary works first released in 2018 with contributions by Stephen King. The next book is scheduled for release on .
Reviews
Popular Reviews
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I found myself sitting offshore on an oil rig in a storm running out of things to read whilst we waited for the weather to improve. Searching around a bit I found a copy of this book in the rec room and decided to give it a go - King is one of my partners favourite authors and I have only read a couple of his works. I wasn't sure what to expect of this one but was pleasantly surprised.
The book starts off as a police procedural, with the murder of a young child and a lot of evidence that the local little league baseball coach was to blame. After his arrest, his alibi proves stronger than expected and it becomes increasingly hard to explain the contradictory evidence in the case.
The Outsider effectively builds suspense through this procedural element before gradually moving into the more typical King supernatural horror realm. It was a really intriguing crossover between the genres that was executed with style and aplomb. Reading it was definitely a good way to wait out a storm offshore!
The first 1/2 of the book was a 5 star read, but that last 1/2 was a 2 star. Pretty disappointing.
