The “King” of horror has hit yet another home run with this mystery of a baseball youth team coach-accused of murder. Read The Outsider By Stephen King- The Impossible Alibi review below:
From only hearing the description, you can figure out that The Outsider sounds as if it is King by the numbers. When Terry Maitland, a baseball youth coach, proper family man, all-round good guy is accused of murdering a young boy in the most horrific way possible- the whole town turns against him. And seemingly enough, there’s a big list of characters saying: “he’s coached, my son/grandson!”. The case is run by Detective Ralph Anderson, a man whose son was coached by Terry. In fact, Ralph has a great admiration for Terry before he finds out that Terry is possibly responsible for a heinous act. And, most of all, every evidence points at Terry of being guilty.
And soon enough, the story stops being a head-hopping third-person narrative. Then you get to a transcript of official statements made by key personnel in the prosecution’s case. Essentially what you will be able to find is a well-researched, fine-tuned crime-cum-legal case novel which will form a big chunk of the book. You will get the regular detective work with Detective Anderson and the state prosecutor trying to amass evidence. You are currently reading “The Outsider By Stephen King- The Impossible Alibi”.
But there’s a giant curveball! Terry not only has an alibi but also has been caught on video at a talk show by Harlan Coben in another town. Can you guess at what time? Exactly at the time of the crime took place. Leaving the unnecessary cameo to one side, this is a genuinely intriguing mystery. In fact, it’s one mystery that uses many of the tropes of both so-called “grip-lit” thrillers and some conventional forensics-driven crime fiction.
Then, as it has happened in so many of King’s novels, the rug is pulled from under the reader’s feet. The airtight case is still airtight, but the alibi still stands as well. That is until Anderson with the help of Holly Gibney, starts to uncover the mystery.
And then, the novel goes to some very odd places from that point onward. And you really have to consider this as a compliment. All the supernatural things have more than a little in common with a few of King’s beloved creations. There is a vague way he tries to convey what these really are. He has always been able to understand that the mystery-the question- is scarier than finding out the truth. The Outsider By Stephen King- The Impossible Alibi review continues below:
You will be able to see The Outsider as King’s take on the fake news. There is a lot of moving from the political realm to something more personal. Lies being sold as the truth: what form can that concept take?
Of course, it takes a couple hundred pages for the weirdness to fully set in. And there’s the sense of uncanny that pervades the entire novel meaning that the more horrifying elements fail to surprise when they actually come up. But The Outsider is here to give King’s fans exactly what they want while cramming up new ideas. All of it proves the least surprising thing: that his novels are just as strong as they ever were.
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