Stephen King

The Outsider

An eleven-year-old boy's violated corpse is discovered in a town park. Eyewitnesses and fingerprints point unmistakably to one of Flint City's most popular citizens--Terry Maitland, Little League coach, English teacher, husband, and father of two girls. Detective Ralph Anderson, whose son Maitland once coached, orders a quick and very public arrest. Maitland has an alibi, but Anderson and the district attorney soon have DNA evidence to go with the fingerprints and witnesses. Their case seems ironclad.

As the investigation expands and horrifying details begin to emerge, King's story kicks into high gear, generating strong tension and almost unbearable suspense. Terry Maitland seems like a nice guy, but is he wearing another face? When the answer comes, it will shock you as only Stephen King can.

The Outsider: A Novel

Erika Kodama

'Goodbye, Ralph. Goodbye! He paused and added, I love you, Holly but not until he ended the call. It was the way he always did it, knowing if he actually said it to

 I had bad dreams after Brady Hartsfield, too. Both times: She touched his hand very lightly, then drew her fingers back. There were a lot at first, but fewer as time passed.

Holly exhaled and stood up, hair windblown, suit coat hanging down on one side, shirt untucked. Ralph thought she looked both adorable and horribly fragile. 

I woke you up, she said. You didn't. Come in. She hesitated, then stepped into the room and sat in the single chair lil W: while he put on his pants. 

King sure loves to yap but this book was so good 

Jillian Roberts

Extremely well written. It’s a very good crime story with a twist. 

Jennifer Palmer

Ryan Mateyk

Kyla Bourne 

** spoiler alert **
           Really good book to read

Tragedy and the grief that follows has a way of swallowing up everyone it touches. That’s as monstrous as any evil we can fathom 

Zachary Roberts

Rafael Matsumoto

Really liked the story and the characters involved, but I believe the ending lacked a little drama. Would give 4.5 stars if possible

True Detective meets It. Stephen King can certainly do mystery/thriller.

Alex Johnson

Amulya Garimella

unlike many other reviewers I really enjoyed the mix of typical mystery and horror/supernatural elements. I know nothing about the folklore/legends incorporated but I found it pretty chilling and well-incorporated. I do think it sagged in the middle where characters were basically just repeating over and over again that "he was in two places at once!!" certain characters' disbelief as things got weirder became frustrating—they should have been better-established skeptics.

Yune's dialogue was bad. one character's frequent use of "frack"/"poopy" was extremely grating to me bc she was really great otherwise. just let her swear!!! also the constant iPad mentions and reflections on how technology has changed seemed really out of place...the use of new technology in the bad guy's MO should have been better explored to make those things fit better. the Trump mentions made it seem a bit dated at first but became better incorporated as the book progressed imo, and the American Sniper roasts were funny.

Melissa Palmer

Book #38 Read in 2018
The Outsider by Stephen King

This is the first book I have read by King in years and it did not disappoint. A young boy was horribly violated and murdered by a local teacher and coach...or was he? The police think it is a slam dunk case but have no idea about what is going on....and what the outsider really is. This book had twists and turns until the very end and had interesting characters throughout the book. There was a crossover character from another series by King but reading them prior was not necessary, so this book might have some spoilers in it. I borrowed this book from the public library.

The unnatural villian makes it less realistic and thus less scary. Good book though!

Sarah N

Lara Engle

Well done! A creepy crime and detective story with a gruesome supernatural Stephen King flair. Plus, it includes the return of a favorite character and callbacks to other King stories. I think it helps to have read the Bill Hodges trilogy before reading this one, but really you should read those anyway because they're just plain good.

Very interested book until the last turn on the book! Disappointing!

Dama Aleman

Toni Scola

- A bit detailed 
- Dragged on a little 
- Didn't realize it would turn more "unrealistic"

Audrey Lord

Taylor Nuzzolo

Stephen King never fails to deliver! Great characters I love the reoccurrence of Finder’s Keepers. Also I love the joke about Stanley Kubrick! The plot was fascinating and gruesome. It was a thriller that kept me asking questions until the last few pages.

Rachel Kanyid

This was my first Stephen King novel ever, and I must say I was not disappointed! I audio-booked this and it was a phenomenal audio book! The narrator was one of my favorites of all time, and the story was very engaging.

Amelia 

I’m sorry. But this was so boring and predictable…

Arturo Hernández

Definitely re-using the grotesque sensibility of “IT”, this book takes you back to that idea of a supernatural being able to bend reality at its convenience, thus affecting everyone around.

Even then, for the first two acts of the books, I was quite intrigued about the whole storyline and really invested on its conclusion.

I foresee follow-up tales based on some of the characters that are introduced later on and if so, I would definitely give them a chance (gave me lots of “The Conjuring” vibes).

Siya S

I would give it 5 stars if the ending wasn't going on and on forever. But we all know Stephen King...and I think this one reminds me a lot of his classics. What I mean is 1) this book would still do the trick even if it's 200 pages shorter; and 2) the second half read like a completely different book, which I don't mind but I'm sure a lot of people do.
 Anyway, great story telling, creepy as hell and with a darn convenient and little bit boring of an ending. 4/5 would never read it again.

Now an HBO limited series starring Ben Mendelsohn!​ Evil has many faces…maybe even yours in this #1 New York Times bestseller from master storyteller Stephen King. An eleven-year-old boy’s violated corpse is discovered in a town park. Eyewitnesses and fingerprints point unmistakably to one of Flint City’s most popular citizens—Terry Maitland, Little League coach, English teacher, husband, and father of two girls. Detective Ralph Anderson, whose son Maitland once coached, orders a quick and very public arrest. Maitland has an alibi, but Anderson and the district attorney soon have DNA evidence to go with the fingerprints and witnesses. Their case seems ironclad. As the investigation expands and horrifying details begin to emerge, King’s story kicks into high gear, generating strong tension and almost unbearable suspense. Terry Maitland seems like a nice guy, but is he wearing another face? When the answer comes, it will shock you as only Stephen King can.

A Novel

Carol Bailey

It's been a long time since I've read anything by Stephen King. This was, for me, a good one to pick up. It's really a murder mystery/crime/thriller at the heart of it. I will admit there were some points where I was talking outloud to myself because I was so invested in what was happening and some of the responses from the police and the district attorney were making me say "Seriously????"
Of course it is a Stephen King novel so nothing can be "just" a crime novel.
I read this in 2 days but that was 2 days of pretty much reading all day. The good news is I didn't want to put the book down. A rarity lately. I really enjoyed this story and I'm pretty pleased with the ending although, I'd like to see the character Holly again

Janice Hopper

Well, this was pretty good. 

The first part presents the puzzle: how can an upstanding community man suddenly be found guilty of a really heinous crime against a child? Moreover, how can he do it when he is also incontrovertibly HOURS AWAY, with LOADS OF WITNESSES?

That's what keeps you going through the first half. How can these two totally contradictory things be true? You puzzle and puzzle till your puzzler is sore.

Then you get the reveal, and that's when the tension really starts. 

I understand this book references some othe books by King, but I haven't read them and have no information about that.

I listened to the audiobook from Scribd., with Will Patton as the narrator. I have to say that I really enjoy Patton's narrations. His souther (or is it western?) accent is easy to listen to, he uses his voice to build tension and has enough differentiation between characters to make it easy to understand who's speaking. 

Good stuff. I listened for hors the first day, took a day off, and powered throgh to the big finish on the second listening day.

Inês Ariana de Freitas Pita

This book was very captivating in the beginning, I was reading it non-stop. However, the pace started to slow down at the end and I felt as if the author was just dragging the plot to wrap things up. If you are someone who casually enjoys reading thrillers, this might be the book for you. I wouldn't recommend it to someone who enjoys surprising endings or a good amount of plot twists.

Hellboy TCR

3-3.5 stars. Overlong but well written.He is still pretty good @ practicing what he preached in "On Writing".

”Doesn’t look like a monster, does he?”
“They rarely do.”


INSTANT classic… i’m still amazed every single time I read a King book. he’s on another level

The Outsider

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