Amazon.com: Customer reviews: The Outsider: A Novel

Top positive review

Either King is getting more comfortable with his ability to draw us in with a fewer words, or he's got a much better editor

Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2018

Either King is getting more comfortable with his ability to draw us in with a minium of words, or he's got a much better editor than he did at the start. I can't quite pinpoint when his verbosity stopped, but it's a welcome change.

This is more in the Mr. Mercedes universe than the old Derry/Castle Rock/Things that go bump in the night universe of old. It starts out being a perplexing murder mystery, and it's not until later in the story that supernatural elements start creeping in. By that time, though, you're so involved in the story that the supernatural elements seem plausible...and then they start making sense. As the book quotes, Arthur Conan Doyle (via Sherlock Holmes) said "Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth." King manages to eliminate the impossible, slowly yet surely.

I've started measuring how good I think a mystery/horror book is by how tense I get when I read it. I was extremely tense reading this one, wondering just what the solution was going to be.

I highly recommend this for anyone who enjoyed the Mr. Mercedes trilogy, or 11/22/63.

845 people found this helpful

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Rebecca Harn

Sexual violence/murder in detail towards a child in the first 14 pages.

Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2018

This book should have come with a trigger warning. I understand that it is a crime/supernatural novel but no where in the preview of the book did it mention murder, molestation, rape and sexual violence towards a child. Wish I would have known about that before spending money on this.

426 people found this helpful

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Rebecca Harn

Sexual violence/murder in detail towards a child in the first 14 pages.

Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2018

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426 people found this helpful

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Paco

Too many plot holes

Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2018

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To be honest, I couldn't finish this book. It had some plot holes, and some of the political stuff was so clumsily delivered that it jarred me out of the story.

Yes, I know Stephen King is a raging SJW, but he has written some great stories, so I typically don't mind his politics. I'm not a political person, so I could care less. Some things are better delivered with nuance, rather than a sledgehammer.

Minor Spoilers Ahead

One of the witnesses, Willow Rainwater (the name is a glaring stereotype, and I can't take it seriously), seems like a carbon copy of Annie WIlkes - minus the cockadoodie. She is disagreeable with the cops, and no motive is given. The way her interview is conducted is just unbelievable. She's telling a story and cops can't interrupt? Since when is that normal?

Later in the story, there is a discussion between the DA and a cop, and one of them says that Willow Rainwater is not a reliable witness to use on the stand, because their fellow townsfolk still don't take too kindly to Native Americans. WTF? This is a contemporary story, not a pre-civil rights era story. Race is NOT a factor here.

The young boy was sodomized with a tree branch. It was done with such force that bark was stripped from the branch and a bloody hand print was left behind. However, the police never check the hands of their suspect for injuries. It never dawns on them. In the real world, that's one of the first things they'd do.

There are other examples of plot holes, and silly SJW nonsense, but I think this is sufficient.

To be honest, I think King is getting too old to keep up with the details, and he has gone off the rails politically. There is no nuance to his introduction of political views into his storytelling, which he used to be able to do. Americans are so trapped in politics that they can no longer relate to one another, and they don't know how to relax and have a good time. People read fiction for fun, not to be bludgeoned with clumsily delivered politics.

Stephen King wrote good stories when he wasn't obsessed with Twitter and could keep track of details. That's just no longer the case. It was a good run while it lasted. I am no longer a constant reader. Well, there's always the back catalog to revisit.

383 people found this helpful

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Lisa Ann

Either King is getting more comfortable with his ability to draw us in with a fewer words, or he's got a much better editor

Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2018

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845 people found this helpful

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Carolyn Zint

Must call in sick

Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2018

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Damn you, Stephen King, Damn you to Hell! I had no sleep, the battery died on my Kindle, and my dog discovered me crouched in a corner gibbering like a mad monkey. The horror. The madness. Thank you, the one and only King, for giving me night terrors once again. Now, where's the coffee...

1,028 people found this helpful

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read_read_read

Vintage Stephen King

Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2018

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I loved this book! It’s always a sign of a good book when I can’t predict the plot. This book had me on the edge of my seat and made me feel a range of emotions from anger, sadness, and joy. I don’t like to include spoilers, so I won’t. This book was more old school Stephen King to me, and I liked that.

325 people found this helpful

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Michael Hicks

The Master Of Horror Is Back Again!

Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2018

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After a rather dismal outing in Sleeping Beauties, my first Stephen King novel in a handful of years, I had kept my expectations for The Outsider firmly in check. I went into this novel with the expectation and hope that I would, at the very least, like it. Turns out, I freaking loved it!

Right from the very start, King grabbed me. And he didn't let go for the entire book's duration. The Outsider is gripping from page one, and reminds us why Stephen King is a storytelling master. Opening with a section called "The Arrest," King gives us a bit of a double-narrative. In the present-day, Detective Ralph Anderson is set to make an arrest in a gruesome homicide of a young boy. Jogging alongside this build-up toward the arrest is a bit of backstory, told through witness interviews, and police, forensic, and morgue reports, that give us the inside scoop on the victim and the perpetrator, Terry Maitland, a youth baseball coach in the midst of a season-ending game in a packed stadium. Anderson wants Maitland's arrest public, to be a spectacle of shame, and the case against Maitland is airtight - they have his DNA, his fingerprints, a number of witnesses accounting for virtually every one of his movements immediately leading up to and following the murder. It's an open and shut case.

Until it isn't. Until King starts to sow seeds of doubt into the case, small seeds initially, which blossom into wild, unexpected growths, and bits of information that blow the entire case apart and leave Anderson reeling.

The Outsider begins as a police procedural, one that sinks its hooks in deep with its compelling narrative and characters. Regarding the heinous murder of a child, it would have been easy for King to go the route of gruesome, exploitative shock if he wanted. Instead, he approached the case with an almost clinical detachment, delivering the details through impersonal reports from the various departments involved in a murder investigation. He let's us build our own nightmares from the information imparted in these transcriptions, which is a brilliant way to do it. There's a reason King is the Master of Horror, and The Outsider is very much a horror novel. The procedural elements are merely prelude, the meat and potatoes of the narrative backbone that get us to where we're going. What begins as a story of a very real human monster eventually takes on supernatural overtones as the narrative shifts toward the inexplicable. King's Constant Readers will likely find plenty of reason to celebrate the subtle links and parallels established between this work and earlier stories, including the Bill Hodges trilogy.

Some hash has been made over whether or not The Outsider is a continuation of the Hodges trilogy. I can't speak to that, as I never read that trilogy, but I am aware that the character of Holly Gibney appeared previously in those books. The Outsider is intended to be a standalone novel and works perfectly well on its own. However, Holly's introduction here necessitates the revealing of plenty of information regarding the Hodges trilogy by King. If, like me, you haven't read those prior books, you can expect a lot of spoilers for them throughout the last half of The Outsider. So, take that as you will and determine how to proceed.

If you don't mind having the Hodges books spoiled, then absolutely read The Outsider immediately. Do it right now. This book is simply that good. It's easily one of the most compelling narratives I've read this year, and the way King builds this book, effortlessly shifting from police procedural to horror, and injecting enough shocks to keep readers on their toes the whole way through, is absolutely masterful.

The Outsider could have been another phoned-in affair, like Under the Dome, which oftentimes felt like a Greatest Hits retread of King's most prominent works, or worse, Sleeping Beauties, a joyless and dull co-written imitation of King's epics that never captured any of the magic. Instead, this is a pure shot of adrenalized King straight to the heart. It's powerful and gripping, and a whole lot of damn fun, and it sucked me in deep enough that I was positively living this book the whole time it took me to read it. After more than 50 published novels to his credit, there's little reason for The Outsider to be as good as it is, and yet it's not just good - it's one of King's best. Not just one of his best in years, mind you, but one of his best period. This is the Master of Horror doing what he does best - giving us convincing characters alongside a larger-than-life horror, and scaring the hell out of us along the way.

146 people found this helpful

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"There’s no end to the universe."

Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2018

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When Stephen King "brings his A game," he can't be beat (at least in my opinion). And he definitely did in this book.

I loved this story from the first page to the end. The plotline, the in-depth characters, the dialogue he does so well - loved it and didn't want it to end.

A young boy is (beyond) brutally murdered in Flint City, Oklahoma (not Maine - can you believe it?). The police are so sure they know who did this atrocity that they don't even take the man they arrest in for preliminary questioning. Instead they very publicly arrest him and THEN find out he has an ironclad alibi. Really.

This starts out kind of like a "locked door mystery" and then segues into a creepy, scary horror tale.

Highly recommended - this is Stephen King at his best.

284 people found this helpful

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“The Outsider;” Takes You AND Me Where Wiser Folks Dare Not Go...

Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2018

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When I post reviews of Stephen King, I quite often rate it at five stars and, consequently, many people assume I’m just another King groupie. If you are one of these, you might still find a reason to appreciate my take on this latest work by the master of horror, because this story goes into something much more than just horror. Be sure though that you are ready to journey through shock and awe as only Stephen King can guide you.

In searching my book of quotations, searching for just the right thought, I came up with this nugget of wisdom by the master of horror:

The trust of the innocent is the liar's most useful tool - Stephen King

Demakis, Joseph. The Ultimate Book of Quotations (p. 490). Unknown. Kindle Edition.

BLUSH FACTOR: This is Stephen King, so, of course, there are ample profanities. As for me, I wouldn’t change a word, but that’s just me.

Reviewers and readers of Stephen King fall into three categories. My target audience is that segment that wants to know if this novel is little more than a re-hash of one of his other novels, or something fresh and titillating.

As for myself, I am close to being a dedicated fan, so keep that in mind as you proceed.

The Outsider blends typical King with the same sort of plot as his Bill Hodges series and some of that exhibited in the book 11-23-63. Where it differs markedly from both is the King gets us inside the head

EXCERPT

NOTE: I took the below excerpt from about the 15% mark, so don’t get the impression that this is a spoiler. What you’re reading here may, or may not shed light on the direction of the story. It is provided only so readers can get a feel for the language utilized with great effect to set the scene and establish the mood, as I call it, or to foretell the direction of the tale.

‘…deliberate. What possessed you? What on God’s green earth possessed you?”

Ralph felt his face heating up again. “You really want to know, counselor?”

“Ralph,” Samuels said warningly. He put a restraining hand on Ralph’s arm.

Ralph shook it off. “I wasn’t the one who arrested him. I had a couple of officers do that, because I was afraid I might put my hands around his throat and choke him blue. Which would give a smart lawyer like you a little too much to work with.” He stepped forward, getting into Gold’s space to make him stop the back and forth rocking. “He grabbed Frank Peterson and took him to Figgis Park. There he raped the kid with a tree branch, and there he killed him. Do you want to know how he killed him?”

“Ralph, that’s privileged!” Samuels squawked.

Ralph paid no attention. “Preliminary forensics suggests he tore the kid’s throat open with his teeth. He may even have swallowed some of the flesh, okay? All that got him so excited that he dropped trou and spilled his spunk all over the back of the kid’s thighs. Nastiest, vilest, most unspeakable unspeakable murder any of us will ever see, God willing. He must have been building up to it for a long time. None of us who were at the scene will ever get it out of our minds. And…’

King, Stephen. The Outsider: A Novel (Kindle Locations 961-971). Scribner. Kindle Edition.

BOTTOM LINE

I’ve tried to provide sufficient insight into “The Outsider” without spoiling the tale and without slipping any expletives into the review. If you have enjoyed King’s recent stories, I think this is even better than those. Mind you, my favorite of his remains “The Stand,” but this story is a very close second, or, perhaps, third.

Five stars out of five.

Did this review answer most of your questions and concerns? I encourage you to leave a comment below to help me provide reviews that work for you. Further, I am writing a book for aspiring reviewers and for product suppliers seeking reviews in an effort to help improve the process and to understand the value of Amazon’s Customer Review process.

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Thank you.

505 people found this helpful

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slower suspense but worth reading

Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2019

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I went into this book with pretty high expectations. I have only read one of King's books in the past, and that was well over twenty years ago. However, King is known for twisting your mind, creeping you out, and overall giving you a horror experience like no other. I was all-in, hoping to get all of the above.

It's hard for me to rate and review this book. I am big on reviewing based on the words in the book, not the author. This is the first time I have been totally conflicted. Based on what is expected from the author, I would have given this three stars instead of four. But because I need to stick to my usual, I gave it four because it's a really good book, just not a really good Stephen King book.

The first half of this book had me turning the pages, unable to put it down. I didn't know the characters well since I haven't read the series that this connects to, but that didn't take from my reading experience. I jumped in feet first and hit the ground running. I got to know the characters well enough to be invested in their plites.

The plot started out strong. Then it fell a little. It began to drag some. I was still all-in, but by three quarters of the way in, I was just hoping to get to the end. This seems to happen a lot with longer books. It's not easy to keep the reader fully invested in such a long, drawn out story. I am admitting, I did waver in interest from time to time in the second half.

Some big pluses for me in this book were the times I found myself cringing. There were some descriptions in the book where I almost lost my lunch. Huge plus for me. It's what I expected, so I was pleased to get what I had hoped for. The twists and turns in this book might not have been mind boggling, but they fit the plot and made it more interesting.

Overall, this was a well written book. It was definitely worth the read. And it didn't take me nearly as long as I expected to read it. I did falter in the ending. It did drag some. And the VERY end confused me. If you've read it, you might know what I mean. If you end up reading it, you will see what I mean. For a thriller reader, it's definitely worth a read!

34 people found this helpful

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Mark M. Berry

Meh

Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2018

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I keep reading Mr. King's books hoping for that big "hook" that just grabs you and drags you all the way to the end. Except lately, it never comes. Same old boring brown cardboard box feeling. You know, you pick it up with great anticipation and blow the dust off only to open it and find the same tired characters and basically the same old story lines. Kinda getting sad.

48 people found this helpful

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