Review: The Outsider

The crime at the center of Stephen King’s, The Outsider is gruesome even by the horror writer’s standards: the sadistic murder of a child. The suspect is Terry Maitland, a baseball coach in the fictional town of Flint City. Early on, it looks like the cops have this one in the bag: multiple witnesses and DNA evidence appear to tie Maitland to the crime. But then a single question threatens detective Ralph Anderson’s grip on reality: can a murderer be in two places at the same time?

The hardcover edition of The Outsider has 576 pages, but I found myself breezing through the book in a single weekend, thanks to King’s masterful pacing of the story. While the book ultimately follows a fairly genre-typical path, the entry of a beloved character from King’s recent Bill Hodges trilogy (Mr. Mercedes, Finders Keepers, End of Watch) keeps things interesting until the end. 4 out of 5 stars.