The Outsider book review

An unspeakable crime. A confounding investigation. At a time when the King brand has never been stronger, he has delivered one of his most unsettling and compulsively readable stories.
An eleven-year-old boy’s violated corpse is found in a town park. Eyewitnesses and fingerprints point unmistakably to one of Flint City’s most popular citizens. He is 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 add DNA evidence to go with the fingerprints and witnesses. Their case seems ironclad.
As the investigation expands and horrifying answers begin to emerge, King’s propulsive 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 follows a town reeling after the brutal murder of a child by someone who couldn’t possibly have committed the crime. I have to say I think this might be my favourite King novel I’ve read. The ending was satisfying and I enjoyed the story and characters immensely. It had just the right amount of scary and the right amount of common sense. It has actually pushed me to try and see if there are any other of his books that I might want to try. It might have actually converted, but then that might actually just be crazy talk… who knows.

The Outsider follows Detective Ralph and an unlikely team of people as they try to figure out how the beloved baseball coach could have done such a heinous crime. I loved the characters, I really think they each brought something new to the table and created a well-rounded view of the world around them. I also think that the fact that they were so well written meant that I connected more with the story and the emotions they were all thinking. I do think King is a wonder when it comes to creating a whole town full of characters and making sure that you end up loving or rooting for them all. Some of my favourite parts of King’s writing in this book was character-driven rather than action-driven.

I think the best bit of The Outsider was the fact that everything worked out in such a right way. I have never been shy about talking about the fact that I hate Stephen King’s endings and how I feel as though they aren’t well thought through and he gets bored. I was so pleased to read this one and not end up completely frustrated. I loved the ending and I loved the character’s interactions and how they ended up working together. I actually think that this might be my favourite Stephen King ever purely because I came out of it feeling refreshed and without anger.

I do think that I would have loved for there to have been a more normal explanation for what was happening and how everything works out I think that would have been a lot more impressive. The ending of The Outsider although satisfying, was tied up a little too neatly for me, it left nothing to be thought about, there was no consequences for everything that had happened. I just felt as though no one was changed from everything they had been through, and considering the nightmare that had happened it just seemed a little unrealistic for them to not even question it at all.

I would recommend The Outsider. It kept me gripped all the way through and I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the bits in it where you question what exactly is happening and why. I loved trying to figure it all out and watch as it stretched my understanding of the world. This was a really great read!

What are your favourite Stephen King reads? I would love some more recommendations!