The Outsider by Stephen King

The Outsider is Stephen King's most recent novel. After Sleeping Beauties, I was a little worried as I did not really like that one. I was sure if it was because it was co-written, the disappointing ending, or both. While I did not love this one as much as The Stand or Doctor Sleep, I definitely did enjoy it.

(Source: Kelsey Darling)

In the small town of Flint City, Oklahoma, a child was sexually assaulted and murdered. The perpetrator is obvious. There are many eye witnesses, along with DNA and fingerprint evidence. But when Terry Maitland is arrested, the entire town is blindsided. Terry is a good guy; he's a teacher, coaches little league, good husband and father. It just does not seem possible. But Terry has a rock solid alibi with eye witnesses and fingerprint evidence proving he was far away at the time of the assault and murder. How can one man be in two places at once? They cannot. When things turn for the worst, the lead investigator has to pair up with Maitland's attorney, along with others who are just as confused with this turn of events, to find out once and for all, if Terry Maitland can somehow defy the laws of the natural world, or if there could possible be something supernatural at play.

Okay everyone, there is a huge spoiler beneath this line. If you have not read the book and do not want everything ruined, skip past this paragraph.

(Source: Giphy)

I did not see Terry's death coming. It shouldn't have now that I think back; but it was the one part of the story that truly surprised me. Part of me wants to know how everything would have played out if Terry had lived, even if it was just to the arraignment. That being said, I was not surprised that it was Oliver Peterson, older brother of Fred Peterson who was the boy murdered, who pulled the trigger. Even before his mother died, he seemed too off after his brother was murdered (not that he did not have a reason). His father talked about how he would be so happy once Oliver returned to his normal ways and started leaving his socks under the coffee table again. I understood him helping out; after my grandma passed, I definitely stepped up during the time of immediate mourning. But he was too okay with doing everything by himself while his mom lost it (and then died) and then when his dad lost it. I should have known that Terry would not make it.

Okay, if you skipped that paragraph, you can start reading again. This part is not so much of a spoiler and becomes obvious when you get to Terry's alibi. I really liked the doppelgänger spin. It is part boogyman legend, part doppelgänger legend, part something-only-Stephen-King-can-think-of. I have always found the idea of a doppelgänger interesting; even the idea of a good twin and a bad twin. I think King did a really good job of discussing something that is not all over the place.

(Source: Giphy)

All of that being said, it was okay. I feel like it was left where King could expand the story should he choose. Two of the main characters, Ralph Anderson and Holly Gibney, end with a phone conversation with both of them wonder if there are more like the creature they destroyed.

"'It's you I have to thank for being in this current situation, isn't it? Holly. Claude says your name is Holly. What made you able to believe? How were you able to convince a party of modern men who probably don't believe in anything beyond the range of their five senses to come down here? Have you seen another one like me somewhere?' The eagerness in his voice was unmistakable." (p. 523)

"Ralph's mind returned to the final confrontation in the cave, and to the greedy expression in the outsider's eyes as he asked his question: Have you seen another one like me somewhere?

 'I don't think so,' he said, 'but we'll never be completely sure. There might be anything out there. I know that now.'" (p. 556)

The book is technically part of the Finders Keepers trilogy. I have not read those books, but Holly Gibney seems to play a big part in them, along with Bill Hodges, who she mentions quite a few times in the chapters from her point of view. Some of the things she mentions makes me want to pick up those books sometime, but I am not sure when that will be. Because it is a semi-continuation of that story, I am semi-hopeful more will come from these characters I fell in love with. If it is the last one though, the ending fell a little flat for me. There was this huge build up to finding out about el cuco, and then the final battle is not that exciting. I would have liked the battle to be more exciting, but even more, I would have liked to know more about the outsiders origins. I guess I will just have to wait and see.

(Source: Giphy)

Rating: 6/10
Author: Stephen King
Book in series: 4 of 4 (Finders Keepers)
Genres: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Dates Read: July 10-15-2018