Outsideren

by Stephen King

Hardcover, 2018

Status

Available

Call number

813.54

Library's review

USA, Flint City, 2018
Indeholder delene "Arrestationen, 14 juli", "Beklagelser, 14 - 15 juli", "Fremstillingen, 16 juli", "Fodspor og cantalouper, 18 - 20 juli", "Gul, 21 - 22 juli", "Holly, 22 - 24 juli", "Besøg, 25 juli", "Macy's siger det til Gimbels, 25 juli", "Universet er uden ende, 26 juli",
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"Bienvenidos a tejas, 26 juli", "Marysvillehullet, 27 juli", "Flint City (senere)", "Forfatterens note", "Oversætterens note".

Terry Maitland er baseballtræner i byen, så det vækker forfærdelse, da han bliver arresteret for mord og voldtægt på en elleveårig dreng Frank Peterson. To betjente Ralph Anderson og Troy Ramage arresterer ham midt under en City League kamp, sætter håndjern på ham og siger højt at han er arresteret for mordet for Frank Peterson. Terry er gift med Marcy, der også overværer kampen. De har to piger, Sarah og Grace. Distriktsanklageren Bill Samuels på 35 år har godkendt fremgangsmåden for folk er opskræmte og vil gerne se en hurtig arrestation, materialet mod Terry er overbevisende og hvad nu hvis han når at få fat en dreng mere?
Der er mange vidner, der har set Terry, så politiet føler sig sikre på at de har den rigtige. De laver ransagning i Terry og Marcys hjem, hvilket får Marcy til at føle sig rasende og magtesløs på samme tid. Ransagningen ledes af en kommisær Yunel Sablo og en højgravid kriminalassistent Betty Riggins.
Terry får tilkaldt sin sagfører Howie Gold, der er ganske kompetent. Efter en times snak med sin klient virker han lige så sejrssikker som anklageren.
Politiet har fingeraftryk, blodspor, overvågning og vidneudsagn og føler sig helt sikre, indtil sagføreren spørger om de har styr på Terrys færden på mordtidspunktet, for han var sammen med flere andre engelsklærere til messe i en naboby Cap City. Hans nære kollegaer har været tæt på ham næsten minut for minut og samtidigt med politiets overvågningsbilleder, der viser ham i Flint City er Terry filmet af lokal tv, Kanal 81: Cap City Borgertv: mens han stiller spørgsmål til forfatteren Harlan Coben. Mens anklageren fordøjer det, rammes Frank Petersons forældre af en ny tragedie, for moderen Arlene får et hjerteanfald og dør, selv om manden Fred giver hjertemassage og den syttenårige søn Ollie får ringet til alarmcentralen med det samme. Politi og anklagemyndighed er sene til at erkende fejl, så Terry forbliver fængslet på trods af at det er helt umuligt at han kan være den skyldige. En sovs af overvejelser over valg til politichef-embedet og katastrofale erstatningsbeløb til Terry og familie tæller også med. Faktisk har betjentene bemærket flere detaljer som mere tyder på en narkoman-type med næseblod og en lang lillefingernegl til at skovle kokain med, men disse detaljer er fejet under gulvtæppet fordi blodtype og fingeraftryk og overvågning pegede på Terry. Ralph tager til Cap City og måske er der fingeraftryk på en bog, som Terry kiggede i under konferencen.
Det er der faktisk, men det får ingen betydning for sheriffen og det lokale politi gør overførslen til retten til en farce. Ollie dukker op som trold af en æske og skyder Terry. Ralph skyder også og sårer en kameramand og dræber Ollie.
Ralph når at spørge Terry om han vil tilstå drabet på sit dødsleje for at lette sin samvittighed, men Terry siger nej han har ikke dræbt Frank Peterson og spørger til gengæld Ralph hvordan hans samvittighed har det.
Ovenpå denne rædselsfulde dag går Fred Peterson ud i haven og hænger sig, men han bliver reddet af naboen, så han i stedet for at slutte sig til Frank, Arlene og Ollie, havner som en grønsag på intensivafdelingen.
Han har dog nået at se en mørk skikkelse med halm i stedet for øjne stå og kigge på ham.
Samme drøm har Grace og Ralph diskuterer sagerne med Alec Pelley, som Howie har hyret til at undersøge sagen fra deres side. Der bliver også fundet hvad der ligner et skummelt skjulested i nærheden af mordstedet. Det er oversprøjtet med sæd og noget af tøjet, som politiet har set på overvågningskameraer bliver også fundet. Foruden blod, dnaspor og fingeraftryk, som er Terrys, men sært slidte eller ufærdige. Alec synes at tingene ser skumle og overnaturlige ud og kontakter Holly Gibney, der er indehaver af "De der søger", et detektivbureau startet af den nu afdøde Bill Hodges. Bill døde for to år siden. Hun finder en sag, der ligner rigtig meget. På samme Heisman Hukommelsesklinik som Terrys far, Peter Maitland, er indlagt på arbejdede en Heath James Holmes på 34 år. Han blev arresteret for mordet på to søstre Amber og Jolene Howard. På samme vis som med Terry, var der i denne sag blod, dna, fingeraftryk og overvågningskameraer. Og Heath var på samme tid hjemme ved sin mor, men hendes vidneudsagn var der ingen, der tog sig af. Heath begik selvmord i arresten og moderen hjemme i sin kælder. Holly begynder at tænke at det er en Outsider, der er skyld i alle tragedierne.
En Claude Bolton ser ud til at være den næste, der har fået sig en dobbeltgænger. Denne forsøger at skræmme Ralph Anderson ved at vise sig for hans kone. Og en betjent Jack Hoskins bliver skræmt over at Outsideren truer ham med samme lede hudkræft, som har taget livet af flere af hans familie. Alle dobbeltgængerens ofre, Terry, Heath og Claude er blevet strejfet af en negl, mens Outsideren gik forbi.
Holly Gibney får indkaldt til et møde, hvor alle lægger deres brikker frem. Marcy Maitland, Ralph Anderson, Jeannie Anderson, Yunel Sablo, Alec Pelly, Howard Gold, Holly Gibney og William Samuels. Holly indleder med at vise en gammel meksikansk gyserfilm, hvor der præcis optræder en El Cuco. Og med halm i stedet for øjne. Hun gennemgår også en tidslinie, der passer med begivenhederne, men Ralph kan ikke få sig selv til at tro på spøgelser. Jeannie er mindre skeptisk og da mødet er slut, tager Holly hen til Andersons for at overnatte. Om morgenen mødes de over kaffen og Holly fotograferer med sortlys og finder spor af Bolton-dobbeltgængeren. Det overbeviser sjovt nok Ralph. Han og Holly tager afsted for at snakke med Bolton og imens passer Ramage og Yates på huset.
Ralph, Holly, Howie og Yune mødes med Bolton og hans mor Lovie og advarer ham om at han ret sikkert er næste offer for Outsideren. Outsideren kan måske læse Boltons tanker, så de holder ham lidt i mørke mht deres planer. Lovie Bolton giver dem en ide om at Outsideren måske gemmer sig ude i et hulesystem kendt som Marysvillehullet. Outsideren har tænkt at de måske kunne komme på den ide og har sørget for at hans allierede Jack Hoskins er på plads med en god riffel. Ralph, Holly, Howie, Alec og Yune tager ud til Marysvillehullet og bliver beskudt af Hoskins. Howie og Alec dør og deres bil bliver beskudt til den bryder i brand. Yune bliver såret, men Ralph får ram på Hoskins, der er ret handicappet af undervejs at være blevet bidt af en klapperslange. Holly og Ralph går ind i hulen og finder Outsideren og efter lidt snak med den og hån om at den nok er impotent, banker Holly den i hovedet med en sok, fyldt med stålkugler og smadrer kraniet på den.

Holly får strikket en historie sammen, som politiet accepterer (specielt fordi alternativet er at tro på spøgelser, dobbeltgængere og andre utroligheder). DNA-beviserne i sagerne mod Heath Holmes og Terry Maitland er begyndt at smuldre rent bogstaveligt (og uforklarligt). Terry Maitland bliver renset og selv folkedybet i Flint City accepterer det næsten. Happy End på nær for alle de døde og Outsideren / El Cuco / Dobbeltgængeren. Ralph har tænkt over en lille papirkvittering fra en restaurant ved navn Tommy og Tuppence (navnet er selvfølgelig inspireret af Agatha Christie som skrev et par bøger med et detektivpar med det navn). Kvitteringen satte hele lavinen i gang og han tager det som muligt indicie på at der også er gode kræfter, der virker bag kulisserne i kampen mellem Det Gode og Det Onde.

Forfatteren takker blandt andet sine researchere og sin kone Tabby. Oversætteren skriver lidt om Shakespeare udgave og oversættelse (Niels Brunse) og Bibelen (1992-udgaven).
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Publication

Kbh. : Hr. Ferdinand, 2018.

Description

Fiction. Horror. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:Now an HBO limited series starring Ben Mendelsohn!�?? Evil has many faces...maybe even yours in this #1 New York Times bestseller from master storyteller Stephen King. An eleven-year-old boy's violated corpse is discovered in a town park. Eyewitnesses and fingerprints point unmistakably to one of Flint City's most popular citizens�??Terry Maitland, Little League coach, English teacher, husband, and father of two girls. Detective Ralph Anderson, whose son Maitland once coached, orders a quick and very public arrest. Maitland has an alibi, but Anderson and the district attorney soon have DNA evidence to go with the fingerprints and witnesses. Their case seems ironclad. As the investigation expands and horrifying details begin to emerge, King's story kicks into high gear, generating strong tension and almost unbearable suspense. Terry Maitland seems like a nice guy, but is he wearing another face? When the answer comes, it will shock you as only Stephen Kin… (more)

Media reviews

At nearly 600 pages, “The Outsider” isn’t exactly a streamlined thriller. Yet, it doesn’t feel bloated or self-indulgent. Anderson, Maitland and the supporting cast are so deftly drawn, their predicaments so fraught with menace, that the momentum of the narrative builds steadily and keeps
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the pages turning. In the background is the Outsider, a stranger in town, orchestrating tragedies seemingly on a whim. King cleverly keeps him at a distance for most of the book, letting his menace build by increments. By the time Anderson’s search for the truth leads to an abandoned mine in the desert, readers are unlikely to be able to put “The Outsider” aside for even a moment....Ultimately, “The Outsider” is about belief, the conscious choice to acknowledge that the universe is a stranger place than most people think it is. The Outsider is a wily opponent, who can survive because few are able to recognize him for what he is. They fail to protect themselves from his very real malice and destructiveness.
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7 more
What would it feel like to be so perfectly, completely implicated in the worst crime to ever befall a small town, and have perfectly, completely exonerating evidence you weren’t there? That’s the biggest question King explores in “The Outsider” as small-town cops and prosecutors are asked
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to believe the impossible — and find the impossible as well. Mob mentality, pedophilia, horrific violence — King never shies away from tough topics.
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As with most of King’s work, “The Outsider” is at its heart an exploration of good and evil; except this time, skepticism blurs the lines between the two. Terry Maitland is by all accounts a solid family man, a beloved Little League coach, and, quite suddenly, the main suspect in the horrific
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mutilation and murder of a young boy. The physical evidence and eyewitness testimony against him are incontrovertible, though completely at odds with his reputation as a husband and father who for years has been a pillar of his insular Flint City, Okla., community....No book is perfect, but Stephen King is reliably closer than most. He has always excelled at writing about real people tested by unreal situations, whether it’s told in the unbroken narrative of Dolores Claiborne or via the mental lockboxes of Doctor Sleep. With “The Outsider,” if you can accept that a contemporary man in his late 40s recalls quoting “Our Gang” with his kid brother instead of the Fonz or even Pee-wee Herman, you’re in for one hell of a ride.
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More than 50 novels published, and he’s still adding new influences to his work. I can think of a great many literary writers who are far lazier about their range of inspirations and interests. This expansiveness allows King to highlight the idea that whether we’re talking about Mexico or
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Maine, Oklahoma or Texas, people the world over tell certain stories for reasons that feel much the same: to understand the mysteries of our universe, the improbable and inexplicable.... Here’s to mutant rats in the basement and Mexican myths; here’s to the strange and to Stephen King. Still inspiring.
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There’s plenty of shadowy, wormy supernatural goings-on in Stephen King’s new novel The Outsider. Yet the most unsettling stuff — that which will leave you uncomfortable when you sit and devour this first-rate read — probes the monstrous side of human nature....How does a place deal when
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the very best of them does the very worst thing imaginable? How does that man’s family and the family of the deceased boy go on living? And what of the cops who are faced with what seems like an impossible situation? The author plumbs to the gloomy depths with his cast before letting off the gas and giving them — and the reader — some needed hope....In King’s hands, real darkness is just as pervasive as the supernatural.
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The story switches from King’s graceful head-hopping third-person narrative to a transcript of official statements from key personnel in the prosecution’s case, a formal change that nods to the statements and newspaper extracts King used throughout his debut, Carrie. A well-researched, finely
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tuned crime-cum-legal case novel forms a good chunk of the book ... The supernatural elements have more than a little in common with some of King’s most beloved creations, especially in the vague way he conveys what they actually are. He has always understood that the mystery – the question – is scarier than finding out the truth ... That’s not to say the whole novel works. It takes a couple of hundred pages for the weirdness to get started, and the sense of the uncanny pervading the entire novel means that the more horrifying elements fail to surprise when they eventually arrive. But The Outsider gives King fans exactly what they want at the same time as cramming in new ideas, proving the least surprising thing of all: that his novels are as strong as they ever were.
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Horrormeister King (End of Watch, 2016, etc.) serves up a juicy tale that plays at the forefront of our current phobias, setting a police procedural among the creepiest depths of the supernatural....Snakes, guns, metempsychosis, gangbangers, possessed cops, side tours to jerkwater Texas towns, all
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figure in King’s concoction, a bloodily Dantean denunciation of pedophilia. King skillfully works in references to current events (Black Lives Matter) and long-standing memes (getting plowed into by a runaway car), and he’s at his best, as always, when he’s painting a portrait worthy of Brueghel of the ordinary gone awry....Not his best, but a spooky pleasure for King’s boundless legion of fans.
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What begins as a manhunt for an unlikely doppelgänger takes an uncanny turn into the supernatural. King’s skillful use of criminal forensics helps to ground his tale in a believable clinical reality where the horrors stand out in sharp relief.

User reviews

LibraryThing member Bookmarque
Long-time King fans will understand how anxious I was for this book to be good all the way to the end. It has all the hallmarks of the King stories we love - a terrific marriage, good friends, strange shit happening, suspense and a wicked boogeyman. Oh please stick the landing! Don’t pull a
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Revival on me. And he didn’t.

The blend of police procedural and supernatural thriller was perfect and done with the usual licks of humor throughout. It was delicious waiting for the hard left turn you know the story will take. There are a lot of writer and literary references peppered around, but thankfully none are self or son-referential, something I’m pretty tired of.

Something Uncle Steve apparently isn’t tired of is a hidden evil using people to satisfy its gross appetites. As in The Shining, Doctor Sleep, Revival, Needful Things, Christine and a host of other books the innocent suffer at the hands of an ancient evil trying to keep its hold on this world. The way the outsider had its hooks into Jack was familiar and a bit worn though; take a basically bad person and exploit his inner failings and fears and he will naturally fall into line and do your dirty work. It was odd though that the outsider didn’t talk to Ralph directly though. I guess if he had it would have been impossible for Ralph to continue to disbelieve which seemed an important element.

The ending is good and there is a tiny scare toward the very end, but since it’s King you expect that. I thought Ralph might be shaping up to be a Bill Hodges replacement for Holly, but he goes back to his regular job. Who knows if we’ll see him again, but I have a feeling we will.

Oh and I love the bit about hard drug painkillers and it’s something I’ve been saying for years - vicodin etc, doesn’t actually kill the pain, it just makes you not care. Right on.
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LibraryThing member alanteder
Saying very much here would be a spoiler so I'll stick with: fans of the Mr. Mercedes trilogy will not be disappointed. Also, if you are not familiar with Latin American horror myths you will be as surprised as I was when I googled the big bad here after the fact and found that there is a very long
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history of that mythology.

I listened to the audiobook edition and the performance by actor Will Patton was outstanding, especially in the voice of Lovie Ann Bolton.
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LibraryThing member over.the.edge
The Outsider🍒🍒🍒🍒
By Stephen King
2018
Scribner

Creepy, unsettling atmosphere, true to Stephen Kings style, this is also very difficult subject matter for some. If your sensitive to child abuse and rape, you may want to not read this.
This is a fiction that reads like a true crime with a
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dark eerie twist....
Eyewitnesses and other evidence of the rape and murder of a young boy point to a much loved and respected member of the community, Terry Maitland. Little League coach, English teacher, husband and father of 2 girls.....the case against him is strong.
Could Maitland have a secret hidden side?? Are the witnesses being fooled by a double trying to set him up? If so, why???

The ending will shock you.
Recommended. Really good King book in classic King style.
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LibraryThing member msf59
"Dreams are the way we touch the unseen world . . ."

King mined the crime/mystery/supernatural genre with his Bill Hodges trilogy and he continues in that direction here. It begins with a horrific murder of an eleven year old boy and the arrest of a popular high school coach, for the heinous crime.
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The teacher has a perfect alibi but the police have solid DNA proof that he committed it. How King, addresses the rest of this novel, is truly thrilling, scary and entertaining. As a bonus, Holly Gibney returns from the Hodges books, to assist with the investigation. She is a terrific character and it is good to see her back. Mr. King continues to deliver, in his usual masterly style.

**Will Patton does an excellent job on the audiobook narration.
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LibraryThing member TomDonaghey
THE OUTSIDER byStephen King was a highly anticipated book that, to me, was a bit of a let down. I think King is our greatest living writer for his diversity (you write fifty plus “horror” books without rehashing you own plots), ability to evoke deep sensations within the casual reader, weave
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compelling dramatic tales that involve the reader and compels them to read on and on, long past the time they should have set the book aside for real life pursuits. And every new book is eagerly anticipated by readers around the globe. Mr King invokes the zeitgeist to sell books and he does it well.
The Outsider is half such a book. A horrendous crime is committed upon a 12 year old boy and every stitch of compelling evidence points directly at one person. That Terry Maitland is a model citizen, English teacher in the local high school and the small town’s best baseball coach doesn’t stop the local police from making a very public arrest.
But Coach Terry has a solid alibi. He was attending a teachers convention 70 miles away where we was almost constantly with at least one of three other teachers from the same school, all who have known his for years and years. Also, at the time of the murder, he was filmed by a local television station asking a question of Harlan Coben during a lecture given by the same.
So who is this look-alike with the same fingerprints and DNA? Keep in mind Coach Terry was an only child.
This is some of Mr. King’s best crime writing. But the second half seems overly drawn out, the guilty party given short shrift, and the finale rushed. Or perhaps I just tired of reading an over long tale that could have used scissors in many of the scenes.
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LibraryThing member sturlington
The story begins with a horrific child murder, and all the evidence points to an unexpected suspect: a high school teacher, Little League coach, and family man. But after his very public arrest, other contradicting evidence comes to light--it appears that the suspect was in two places at once. This
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was solid King--a suspenseful plot, a chilling monster, and a band of characters you want to root for, and also perhaps a couple of hundred pages too long. It is less horror and more of a supernatural thriller, and fans of King's Bill Hodges trilogy will be happy that a beloved character from those books makes a reappearance here.
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LibraryThing member Kathl33n
I started reading SK in the mid-eighties and read literally everything he wrote right up until the mid-nineties, the last book I read being Insomnia. Then of course I read the The Green Mile series several years later - because who could resist those tiny, cute serials in the grocery checkout
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lanes. Does anyone else remember those or am I dating myself?? It was then my love affair ended as my life circumstances just did not allow me to read creepy, scary, horror novels and I moved very heavily into historical fiction. But then, over the last several years (and different life circumstances again) I have been thinking about delving back in. The Bill Hodges books started to appeal to me. So, when I saw that I could be the first person in my library to read this newest work, I jumped at the chance thinking - yes! I want back in Mr. King! I want to be part of your club again!

It was with this excited fervor that I began reading the first page and immediately it was like slipping on my favorite old pair of slippers I thought I had lost years ago. Mr. King is a phenomenal writer, his words feel effortlessly given and are so easily absorbed. I was in heaven and was kicking myself for staying gone so long. This story was seriously engaging. It grabs you immediately with a horrific crime and then deftly pulls you along with a mystery that rivals those of Agatha Christie and Edgar Allen Poe. Who, interestingly, are mentioned several times during the read. I was so very excited that maybe I was reading one the best mystery stories ever written. But alas! - I was soon to be disappointed. The story came to land right back in the horror genre with a supernatural twist explaining away the carefully plotted mystery I was so desperate to see solved with great detective work.

But that is not to say this wasn't a good book. It was. If you want a typical SK story then this was a great book. I just feel a bit disappointed. I feel a bit cheated. I wanted more. I wanted something different. I wanted something other. I guess I wanted Mr. King to change his spots. And we all know that never happens.
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LibraryThing member jrthebutler
A gruesome murder of an 11-year-old boy, with all evidence pointing towards one of the town’s most popular residents as the killer, who has an airtight alibi.
LibraryThing member Stahl-Ricco
Only 30 pages in, and I’m totally hooked! That’s often the case when I pick up one of his books!
And that hook stuck in me all the way through! Basically, there's a horrible murder and all the evidence points to one man - and that man has an airtight alibi! So, who done it? And how? Dun, dun,
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dun...

SPOILER ALERTS:
This basically is a mystery/thriller, that takes a supernatural turn toward the end. I loved that Holly Gibney (from the Bill Hodges trilogy) shows up, as she is an excellent character and brought a fun/quirky angle to the story! And I really enjoyed the El Cucuy legend, as I had never heard it before! And Las Luchadoras! I think the final confrontation went too quickly, but other than that, I was completely happy with this latest novel from Uncle Stevie!
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LibraryThing member Carol420
Can someone be in two places at once? Before you say "no way", stop and think about the author that is trying to convince you of this. This is the man that presented us with nightmares about a killer clown that lives in the sewer (It), a disturbed young girls that used her powers to destroy an
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entire town and the people that tormented her (Carrie), that sometimes "dead is better'...a lesson that we learned as dead pets and eventually people returned, (Pet Sementary), various werewolves and vampires make appearances along his literary path...so this should not be too difficult for a Stephan King fan to buy into. Creepy and disturbing barely begin to describe "The Outsider. Once you start on this journey you won't be able to stop until you reach page 560..the end. Fans will also recognize and welcome back some of the characters from "The Mercedes Trilogy". I have to agree with the one reviewer that wrote "More than merely horror...this story will take you on an incredible ride through places you otherwise dare not go."
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LibraryThing member rivkat
King continues his forays outside Maine, with characters he’s introduced in recent books (especially Holly) playing supporting roles. In a small Oklahoma town, a boy is kidnapped, savagely abused and murdered. Given the eyewitnesses, fingerprints, and DNA, it’s an open and shut case: the
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beloved baseball coach did it. Except that he was hours away, in front of cameras and close friends, at the same time. Starting from that point, the story follows what happens to the coach, his family, the cop who arrested him, and others sucked in, eventually confronting the possibility of supernatural activity. It’s a good romp, though basically just a variant of King’s standard “random evil exists and we must face it” story.
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LibraryThing member cathyskye
Through movies and television, we have been trained to put complete faith in forensic science... DNA, fingerprints, and everything else that goes with it. In The Outsider, Stephen King has enjoyed himself immensely by turning all that science on its head, and he does it by using a Sherlock Holmes
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quote as a sort of mantra: "Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth."

Ralph Anderson is the immovable rock-- everything must make sense. Everything must have a logical explanation. He is the person who must see the truth in that Sherlock Holmes quote. But Terry Maitland's proven alibi and the evidence he and his team have found do not make sense. At. All. Maitland's defense team knows they need help, and I was delighted when that help turned out to be Holly Gibney from King's Bill Hodges mystery trilogy (Mr. Mercedes, et al). Quite frankly, I think Holly rocks, and she certainly does in this book.

King has created a core cast of characters whose emotional responses to events can break your heart, and it's easy to become wrapped up in their lives. The solution to the young boy's murder is vintage King, and even if you don't quite go for "that sort of thing," it's fun to put all the clues together along with the characters. As I read, I had the feeling that the book was leading up to an explosive ending, and it wasn't, which was a tad disappointing. But on the other hand, most mysteries are not solved by an eardrum-splitting clap of thunder and a huge bolt of lightning. The Outsider grabbed me from page one and kept me enthralled to the end. You can't ask for anything more.
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LibraryThing member Mooose
Pretty predictable. Not sure why I expect anything that is not predictable but obviously I did. Think it could have been told with about 300 fewer pages and been a better book.
LibraryThing member AliceaP
The Outsider is the newest notch in the belt of one of the most prolific writers of supernatural horror, Stephen King. It's been a good long while since I've sunk my teeth into a King novel but when I read the premise (and saw the ultra rad cover) I knew that it was time to take a bite. (That
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metaphor got away from me.) The very beginning launches the reader into a graphic description of the murder of an 11 year old boy named Frank Peterson. [A/N: As this is literally the first two pages I don't consider this a spoiler. I do want to point out that it is very graphic and involves a sexual element so if this is in any way triggering to you please steer clear.] It seems to be an open and shut case because of the preponderance of evidence which points directly to a prominent member of the community...who also happened to be the coach of the Chief Detective assigned to the case. Can anyone say conflict of interest? However, things are not so cut and dry because it turns out that this man has an alibi with witnesses. So how was he in two places at once? What next occurs is a roller-coaster of police procedural drama with a heaping dash of supernatural horror thrown in for good measure. I wrote tons of notes about this book after I had read it but because they are mainly about the plot and super spoiler-y I don't feel that I can enumerate them here. Suffice it to say that in trademark King style there are always more twists and turns just when you think there couldn't possibly be any more. I enjoyed it thoroughly right up until the very end which I felt was not up to King's usual standard. With that being said, I did really like it and immediately lent my copy to another coworker with my recommendation so I can't help but give it a 9/10.
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LibraryThing member martinhughharvey
Rated this 3.5 stars (unsure what FB and Twitter will show). Actually, it was a very good book although as a Stephen King book my expectations were very high - all the books I've read in the past were exceptional. This just wasn't. Good characters but I didn't really gel with them, there wasn't the
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nostalgia I'm used to - either the characters or the location (maybe because it wasn't in New England), I felt the fantasy/horror part was contrived, plus while I didn't predict the end it wasn't that surprising.

I suspect I am bucking the reviews trend!
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LibraryThing member RidgewayGirl
The Outsider is Stephen King at his most Stephen King-like. Which is to say that if you generally like King's style, you'll be pleased with this book. If his quirks annoy you, this isn't the book for you.

The Outsider tells the story of the aftermath of the murder and mutilation of a young boy. The
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perpetrator, Terry Maitland, a well-known and well-liked coach, was seen by several people who knew him at the scene and there was plenty of forensic evidence, so the police move quickly to arrest him. And then things go badly wrong, leaving the lead detective, Ralph Anderson, a man not unlike King's other detective, Bill Hodges, deeply uneasy and looking for answers. Joined by Maitland's lawyer and his private investigator, as well as the county prosecutor, along with help from a character in earlier King novels, Holly Gibney, the search for answers in on. But will they believe the answers when they see them?

This is an interesting blend of horror and crime novel, and it works as wonderfully as it did in the final books of King's Bill Hodges trilogy. There were several moments when I was pulled out of the story by something so characteristic of King that I had to pause and recognize that. There's no forgetting the author, which is not necessarily a bad thing, when King is so reliably able to pull off a complex and satisfying conclusion.
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LibraryThing member gail616
Very. I have enjoyed this book. Kept my attention the whole time!
LibraryThing member Audriana0202
Stephen King has done it again! The Outsider was intriguing and well written, leaving me wanting more after every page, all the way to the end.

Side note: There are some spoilers for the Bill Hodges trilogy in this book, so if you don't want that trilogy to be spoiled for you, I suggest reading it
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first!
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LibraryThing member silversurfer
King is back on top form with this high caliber creep fest.there should be a warning label: Beware, may cause you to look under the bed and sleep with the lights on.
LibraryThing member JaredOrlando
Firstly, I cannot stress enough how much more rewarding this book is after reading the Bill Hodges trilogy. So before you begin the Outsider, fellow reader, read that trilogy.

***

Okay. You finished the trilogy? Good. Welcome back. Now let's talk the Outsider.

King is back with a creepy whodunnit.
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This book is one you want to devour, and in doing so may lose some details along the way. But Stephen King has a great knack for reminding you, keeping you up to speed, almost letting you treat the Outsider like a Netflix binge.

This isn't a review meant to detail what actually happens in this book. That isn't up to me. But if you were curious at this stage in the game if Stephen King still has it... he does. He still has it. His baddies are unnerving, his pacing absolutely stellar, and the setting is one that breathes and reveals itself. Go ahead and throw this on your Want to Read, and put it near the top.
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LibraryThing member Twink
I enjoy Stephen King's chunkster books. With his last few, I've started to listen to them instead of reading. And I've found that I actually prefer the audio version - I feel more immersed in the story.

King's latest is The Outsider. (creepy cover eh?) The Outsider does open with a horrible crime -
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an eleven year old boy is found dead and violated. Fingerprints and forensic evidence firmly point to the guilty part - his baseball coach. But Terry Maitland has an alibi, a seemingly airtight alibi. How could he be in two places at once? And there's the opening for another creepy King-esque twisty plot. A plot that veers into darkness. But is that darkness supernatural or could it be from the natural world? King keeps the listener guessing with a slow eking out of the case and its resolution. King fans will be happy to see the return of Holly Gibney in The Outsider. I always enjoy the large cast of characters and the detailed descriptions that earmark King's work.

The reader was Will Patton - one of my hands down favourite audio book narrators. He has a voice that is so versatile - from soft, dulcet tones to harsh, sharp tones and everything in between. One of the things I do enjoy about King novels is the large cast of characters. Patton had a voice and style for everyone of them. It was easy to identify who was talking in a conversation. This variance and versatility make the story come alive. It also keeps the listener engaged. Easy to understand, well enunciated.

King's style has evolved from the early days, but bottom line - no one spins a tale like Stephen King
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LibraryThing member ghr4
Stephen King's The Outsider begins as a riveting, fast-paced murder mystery, but the story gets quite convoluted and ultimately loses steam as King struggles to hold the supernatural solution together. And there is an extraordinary amount of padding in the second half of the novel, largely in the
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form of unnecessary and/or long-winded dialogue. Overall, a disappointment after a promising start.
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LibraryThing member DrApple
As always, King creates unforgettable characters and puts them in strange and stressful situations. I loved the fact that he resurrected one of the characters from the Mr. Mercedes trilogy in this work.
LibraryThing member jen.e.moore
This is one of the best Stephen King novels I've read in a while - intense, scary, and full of compelling characters. All the things Stephen King does best, and the ending wasn't even terrible. There may have been a few too many graphic details for my taste, but possibly I'm just getting old.
LibraryThing member ChelleBearss
I had 50 pages left at 1030pm and was in the zone when two stray cats started fighting and screaming outside. I may have just had a heart attack. This was great and at only 560 pages it was actually small for a King novel. Recommended to anyone who likes to be scared and has already read King’s
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Bill Hodges Trilogy (due to spoilers)
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Awards

Audie Award (Finalist — Thriller/Suspense — 2019)
Locus Award (Finalist — 2019)

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2018

Physical description

601 p.; 22 cm

ISBN

9788740049978

Local notes

Omslag: Imperiet
Omslaget viser et billede, der vender på hovedet, af en sort skikkelse med lysende røde øjne, der sidder for højt på hovedet
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Oversat fra engelsk "The Outsider" af Jakob Levinsen
Side 72: Du er distrikstanklagemyndigheden. (typo)
Side 78: Er der mon blot sket en fejl som vi kan prøve at få udjævnet, eller er I sgu da gået fuldstændig fra forstanden?
Side 82: Fortæller du mig at du arresterede ham foran to tusind mennesker uden så meget som at give ham mulighed for at forklare sig?
Side 88: I to er da godt nok i vanskeligheder.
Side 105: Vi ved begge to godt at du er idiot, men jeg vil ikke udstille dig over for dine jævnbyrdige.
Side 151: Kanel 81 (typo for Kanal 81)
Side 379: Jeg er muligvis ikke specielt genial, men jeg er heller ikke faldet ned og har slået hovedet.
Side 458: Dobbeltgængere. Edgar Allan Poe: William Wilson. Rachel Withers på Lucitania. Guy de Maupassant. Pigeskole i Letland i 1845.
Side 461: Bienvenidos a Tejas = Velkommen til Texas
Side 504: Bram Stoker: Dracula

Pages

601

Library's rating

Rating

½ (1121 ratings; 3.9)

DDC/MDS

813.54
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