Book Review of the Outsider by Stephen King: a Horror Murder Mystery

The recently published novel, in May 2018, by Stephen King, The Outsider does not disappoint. The book includes all the qualities that should be in a horror novel. Ralph Anderson is about to arrest Terry Maitland and put him on death row for the murder and violation of an 11-year-old boy, Frank Peterson. In The Outsider, King uses very horrendous words to describe Frank Peterson’s murdered body. One of Stephen King’s unique writing traits is using brutally descriptive words in situations where other authors would sugarcoat it. Stephen King is one of the most famous and successful horror writers of all time. King has written several successful novels such as his first novel that was a huge success, Carrie. He usually writes horror or psychological novels.

Flint City is a relatively peaceful city. Terry Maitland is a beloved sports coach and high school teacher. All the evidence point toward Terry as a murderer, eyewitnesses, DNA evidence, and more. Ralph orders a very public arrest, at a local baseball game in front of Terry’s family and the entire crowd. However, Terry has a very strong alibi, he was at a conference with several teachers hundreds of miles away and there is video evidence to prove it. There is also fingerprint evidence on a book where Terry claimed to be. How can a man be in two places at once?

Ralph Anderson and several other cops escort Terry to court after a few days. Since Terry is believed to have convicted the crime by the entire Flint City, the crowd is not very pleasant. A lot of people are yelling for Terry to be executed, his entire reputation has been tarnished by the public arrest. One person that Ralph and the other officers notice is a burnt man with a bright yellow bandana, he seems to be causing a lot of the riot. After only being outside for a few minutes, the brother of the murdered, Ollie Peterson, pulls up with a gun, and as the crowd parts, he has a clear shot at Terry Maitland and connects. The officers react, and both Terry and Ollie die at the scene. The situation could be referencing the recent problems in the police system in the United States.

While on leave, Ralph Anderson looks at one of the news clips from the event. He notices that the man with the yellow bandana didn’t show up on video. He asks several other people, and they all confirmed that they saw him at the scene. “People are blind to explanations that lie outside their perception of reality. ” Ralph starts to contemplate all his beliefs, there might be some creatures in the world that are supernatural.

Alec Pelley, the private investigator for Terry Maitland’s case, knows just who to call for the job. He quickly picks up the phone and calls Bill Hodges, only to receive news from Holly Gibney that he died a few years ago. This is the same Holly Gibney from the Bill Hodges Trilogy: 2014’s Mr. Mercedes, 2015’s Finders Keepers, and 2016’s End of Watch. These are other books that King has written, and there are a lot of similarities with The Outsider. All of these books are captivating mystery stories. Holly Gibney is the one who resolves that the two Terry Maitland’s means that the murderer is not human. She is asked to investigate a lead in Dayton, Ohio, and realizes there is a pattern between another murder of two girls in Dayton and the murder in Flint City. Both supposed murderers have strong alibis but both have died. Gibney references a Mexican creature involved in a lot of storytellers tales. Holly groups up with the others in Flint City, and together, they work to find out what The Outsider really is. The Outsider would probably be more suited toward young adults, as young children should not be reading the horrendous words. Others with different phobias such as worms might not enjoy reading the book either.

As usual, Stephen King doesn’t disappoint. The ghastly description in this book can send chills up your neck but is much needed in a terrific horror story. The book is very captivating and will keep readers in suspense. Overall, The Outsider is a great book for young adults looking for a good read.