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afshack's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.5
peaknit's review
4.0
Five glorious weeks of listening. This was a great book to let out bit by bit like air from a balloon, such an adventure learning about... the outsider...
mels_reading_rook's review against another edition
5.0
In Flint City, Oklahoma, there has been a heinous, gruesome murder of a child, and it has shaken its population to its core. Especially so when it turns out that it was perpetrated by one of their own. All signs point to Terry Maitland, the local Little League coach, with DNA, fingerprint, and eyewitness testimonies placing him at the crime scene. For Detective Ralph Anderson, it was one of the easiest, yet most difficult arrests he ever made - not to mention the most public. As time goes on, inconsistencies in the details of the case crop up, the most prominent among them being Terry’s ironclad alibi in the next town over, and Ralph begins to question if there is more to this murder than what meets the eye.
This was the first of Stephen King’s books I have read, and what a ride that was! It was a fun - albeit gruesome - mystery novel filled with interesting characters. This book made me want to read more of his works, which works out because the word around the grapevine is that he has loosely connected The Outsider with some of his other books, the blatant The Shining reference notwithstanding.
To start with, I really enjoyed how Stephen King set up the first section of the novel, which was entirely dedicated to the arrest of Terry Maitland and the moments leading up to it. Each chapter alternated between police documents and the scenes of the arrest, with the documents revealing more and more of the crime, its heinousness, its perverseness, and its severity, clearly framing Terry as the culprit. While the description of the novel makes it obvious that there is a supernatural element weaved into the story, I was still somewhat convinced that Terry had committed the crime with Detective Anderson, all while wondering in the back of my mind what monster had managed to create such ironclad evidence against him.
I loved following the story with the characters, watching the mystery unfolding as they investigated and discovered exactly what was behind the gruesome murder. However, there was one character that felt like she was somewhat forced into the story, rather than naturally being brought into it. Don't get me wrong, the reason for her entrance made sense, but it was also a bit convenient to bring her in with all the answers and become the "cast favorite" of the main characters. Also, being that I never read any of his other novels, I got the distinct impression that she might've been important in another of the author's books, which a quick search on Google quickly confirmed. The biggest qualm I had with this character stood out at the very end of the book when a number of the characters seemed to express an almost unnatural amount of affection, even though she was a great help to them. But in the grand scheme of the entire story, it was only a minor quibble.
Despite not always being a big fan of horror, I actually can't wait to read more of what Stephen King has written. And - lucky for me - he has a large library for me to choose from. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good thriller/mystery with a dash of the paranormal; this will be one book you won't regret!
This was the first of Stephen King’s books I have read, and what a ride that was! It was a fun - albeit gruesome - mystery novel filled with interesting characters. This book made me want to read more of his works, which works out because the word around the grapevine is that he has loosely connected The Outsider with some of his other books, the blatant The Shining reference notwithstanding.
To start with, I really enjoyed how Stephen King set up the first section of the novel, which was entirely dedicated to the arrest of Terry Maitland and the moments leading up to it. Each chapter alternated between police documents and the scenes of the arrest, with the documents revealing more and more of the crime, its heinousness, its perverseness, and its severity, clearly framing Terry as the culprit. While the description of the novel makes it obvious that there is a supernatural element weaved into the story, I was still somewhat convinced that Terry had committed the crime with Detective Anderson, all while wondering in the back of my mind what monster had managed to create such ironclad evidence against him.
I loved following the story with the characters, watching the mystery unfolding as they investigated and discovered exactly what was behind the gruesome murder. However, there was one character that felt like she was somewhat forced into the story, rather than naturally being brought into it. Don't get me wrong, the reason for her entrance made sense, but it was also a bit convenient to bring her in with all the answers and become the "cast favorite" of the main characters. Also, being that I never read any of his other novels, I got the distinct impression that she might've been important in another of the author's books, which a quick search on Google quickly confirmed. The biggest qualm I had with this character stood out at the very end of the book when a number of the characters seemed to express an almost unnatural amount of affection, even though she was a great help to them. But in the grand scheme of the entire story, it was only a minor quibble.
Despite not always being a big fan of horror, I actually can't wait to read more of what Stephen King has written. And - lucky for me - he has a large library for me to choose from. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good thriller/mystery with a dash of the paranormal; this will be one book you won't regret!
mainereading's review against another edition
4.0
I thought The Outsider was a great book. If you want to go read this I suggest you read the Mr. Mercedes trilogy first. You don't have to necessarily, but some things in this book will make more sense after you read the trilogy. I read the Outsider before I read the Mr. Mercedes trilogy and wish I would have read the trilogy first. But, overall, I really enjoyed the book and there was some things in The Outsider that I didn't see coming.
ilostyourphone's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
kerryjackson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
k3rmoon's review against another edition
3.0
It starts intriguing and mysterious… but halfway through it just gets a bit too goofy.
lou_noel's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
this book really surprised me; i’m not a steven king fan, but i really liked how this was done. not very scary, but tense. i wasn’t expecting a happy ending but was very glad to see it