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dans_bookscape 's review for:

The Outsider by Stephen King
4.5
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

After the brutal murder of a child, Terry Maitland is arrested with a boatload of evidence against him. Detective Ralph Anderson is convinced he has the right man, leading to a very public arrest of a the popular local. This turns the city hostile against their friend and generally accepted good guy, Terry.

Soon this slam dunk case begins to unravel when Terry’s airtight alibi turns out to be exactly that, but it’s to late, families have been destroyed while someone or something is still walking free to carry on their destruction.

I loved the mix of Kings crime/thriller writing with his supernatural/horror elements, they blend well to tell a really good story with this one. With my King journey I have been sticking mostly to the more grounded stories so this was a good look into the other side of his writing.

The really liked the characters in this, I can see why Holly Gibney has become a recurring character and I like Ralph’s conviction that he had the right man, but then the willingness to carry on investigating despite his massive doubts.