The Outsider | Stephen King

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I would like to start this review off by saying that I did, in fact, listen to this book on an Audible download read by Will Patton. In a return to his most recent series, Stephen King brings us back to the world of Bill Hodges with The Outsider. This novel’s first half is a slow mystery and almost unavoidably so, the second half is devoted to becoming a lesser entry into the repertoire of King’s supernatural horrors. Though the novel served to ultimately entertain, it failed to leave much of a lasting impact upon the mind of this reader. Though for me, at least, I feel the novel may have suffered from high expectations. If the novel had come from any other author I feel I may have been more forgiving. But maybe not. The novel has many highlights, Holly never fails to be anything less than engrossing and wonderful. I truly did find her moments in the book to be pieces of great storytelling. Ralph Anderson, on the other hand, is a bit of a bumbling oaf and near insufferable at times. The story is almost derailed as well by a lackluster ending. I wasn’t disappointed that I acquired the novel, but I will be much looking forward to King’s next effort and leaving this one in the rearview.