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, … 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.
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great book couldn’t put it down it was like just another chapter and then another really enjoyed it
Phenomenal! It was great that a character from a previous trilogy was an instrumental star who becomes a heroine in helping to solve the mysterious murders.
Once again, our modern master storyteller is at the top of his form. All the evidence points to Terry Maitland as the perpetrator of a heinous crime, and there were witnesses that saw him right before and after; BUT there are eyewitnesses with him miles away from he scene of the crime at the time it occurred. Hatred and vindictiveness play their wicked role in the events that follow. Slowly, even the most ardent advocates of Maitland’s guilt begin to question the facts. Can you be in two places at once?
As usual, King sprinkles trivia and true philosophical insight into his wildly entertaining story. Read carefully, or you may get confused in the middle of this story, but read on, McDuff! I salute our modern day Charles Dickens!
Great if you are a Steven King fan. I read it on less than a week. He always captures your attention!
Amazing like every Stephen king book
This book was fantastic. I really enjoyed the story. If you are a fan of Stephen King’s Mr. Mercedes trilogy, I think you will enjoy this story. I am having trouble saying more without needing to say spoiler alert. If you like whodunit kind of stories, this is definitely one for you. Some parts are very emotional and tragic. It had me hooked until the end.
This is the novel I’m used to reading from Stephen King. I loved how there were no giveaways in the book. I was kept guessing the whole book until the end. I definitely do not want to find out there are ‘outsiders’! Being able to frame someone and make sure they disappear, was a frightening thought.
Great story. Has just enough of that creep factor to cause goosebumps. I really enjoyed the performance and thought the reader did an excellent job with the voices of the characters. not only were the voices distinguishable to easily tell which character was talking but I felt like he was able to embed a sense of the character. I will say when the reader uses a soft tone versus his loud tone I was constantly dialing my volume up and down but a small price to pay for a little Flair in the reading.
it’s Stephen King-
I’ve written another review about this elsewhere so will be much shorter here. As context, I really like King’s books and have read him for a long time.
Reviews have been strong and I was so excited to read this when I heard it was coming out. I put it on hold via my library right away. Just finished it…and really disappointed to the point of (almost visceral) dislike and glad I had borrowed it.
Three things that bothered me:
1) Graphically violent sodomy/murder of a child is bad enough, but with lurid details repeated throughout the book so many times it was enough already.
2) Maybe it’s just me, but I picked up a vibe of grief, bitterness, and hostility in the writing that doesn’t feel like King. That feel, in combination with my first point, took the reading experience to a place that I’m not looking to go.
3) The Outsider seems like it could be a dark allegory for Trump’s presidency. If so, cool…but then it should have been marketed more that way. It’s no secret to me how King feels about Trump and I guess I can understand glimmers of that finding their way into the book…but it was distracting. Unnecessary. And frankly, even if I was to agree, I want stories to transport me elsewhere, not to anchor me to the current political climate.
Tastes and perspectives vary of course, which is what makes the world interesting.
But although I finished it, this is not a window into a world that I want to open again.
Stephen King at his best!
I haven’t read Stephen King for some years. Very much like his early work. A page turner and good entertainment.
Have been a Stephen King fan since reading Salem’s Lot (which scared the daylights out of me). He rarely disappoints.
I am a big fan of Stephen King. I like the way he puts the words to the page, especially the dialogue. This book didn’t falter in that regard, and I recommend it. However, I wouldn’t put it up there with his truly exceptional works like The Stand, The Shining, or the Dark Tower series. It’s hard to put my finger on why…but I think it comes down to the story being just a bit predictable, which is unusual in a King novel. Still enjoyable, and still worth reading, though.
Not scary and ultimately you feel like you’ve read it before.
As always you can expect a good read from Stephen King. He gets you from the first paragraph and then you have trouble putting it down. In line with his other supernatural subject books, he makes you believe that it could be possible. Loved it!
It was strange to say the least. I’ve read this type of story before. I enjoyed the narrator he was fantastic. He’s the only reason I finished listening to the book.
One of my favorites by SK. Not a Dark Tower type book but a great read!
Enjoyed the book. I read all Stephen king’s books. Sad and scary.
An okay story but not the Stephen King I once knew. Seems to me he lost his “horror.”