As a somewhat prolific reader/reviewer of books - the bulk of which are advance copies provided by generous publishers - it's hard to find time for books I simply want to read (especially when they're as long as this one). That said, a handful of big-time and favorite authors get to skip to the head of the line, in large part because I know I won't be disappointed.
And I certainly wasn't with this one. Oh, I won't call this the best of Mr. King's works, although in all honesty, they're all so good I'd be hard-pressed to pick a favorite. Still, I moved heaven and earth to get to the end (well, more like rearranged dinner and bedtimes) not because I had a stack of other books to get to, but because it was so engrossing I just hated to put it down. The first third, give or take a few pages, was a bit traumatizing and the next third was mesmerizing. The last part - where the story begins to shift into otherworldly gear - was a little less appealing to a logical thinker like me; but then what would a Stephen King novel be if it doesn't challenge credibility?
Basically, the story begins with the almost unthinkably vicious murder of a young boy; rock-solid evidence leads to the arrest of a popular Oklahoma teacher and coach. Problem is, said coach has irrefutable evidence that he was elsewhere at the time of the murder. So now what?
Plenty of what, as it turns out, including ties to the similar murders of twin girls from Dayton, Ohio (actually, from nearby Trotwood - of special interest to me since I grew up not far from there and my late father worked for many years as a tool-and-die engineer at Trotwood Trailers). From this point on, I can't reveal much else except to say the rest of the book deals with the fallout and follow-up from that Oklahoma teacher's arrest and that those who read and enjoyed the author's Mr. Mercedes trilogy (like me!) will be happy to see one of the characters make a return appearance here.
The verdict? Well done once again, Mr. King - and when your next book comes out, no matter how many others are waiting for me to sample, you get dibs on passing them up.
The Outsider by Stephen King (Scribner, May 2018); 577 pp.
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