Stephen King’s The Outsider Combines Detective Thriller and Vampire Horror

Describing Stephen King’s 2018 detective thriller requires careful footing. Calling it a pure detective story is merely playing along with its disguise, because October demands horror and this is a horror book.

Lurid and propulsive, the 576-page novel serves as an ode to mystery procedurals. Stephen King even features author Harlan Coben playing a significant role in the story. While the precise amount of homage to Coben remains debatable, the legacy of the genre runs deep through the veins of The Outsider right from the start.

A child murder occurs alongside a mild-mannered suspect in a whodunnit stretching across the backwoods of Oklahoma. The crime at the heart of the book is genuinely horrendous. On an early morning in Flint City, Oklahoma, the remains of 11-year-old Frankie Peterson are discovered off a park walking path. Forensics determine that he has been raped, mutilated, and murdered, though the exact order remains unclear at first. Stephen King tests the stomachs of his typical readers with these early descriptions, creating an ascent akin to a roller coaster that makes you regret every step before the wild drop in The Outsider.

Detective Ralph Anderson is relentless in his investigation, offering immediate appeal to anyone missing Mare of Easttown. He quickly identifies a culprit in local little league coach Terry Maitland, who stands out as perhaps the most beloved man in town. Multiple eyewitnesses place him at the scene of the crime, and additional evidence piles up as Ralph digs deeper for the truth. Certain he has nailed Terry for the violent act, Ralph rolls up mid-baseball game and cuffs him in front of friends and family. The tension between Terry Maitland and the insurmountable case against him pushes Stephen King to write some of the most upsetting human drama of his career.

The horror still bubbles under the surface even after a child’s death and a freaky arrest, calling to mind the author of The Shining, Carrie, Salem’s Lot, and IT. Realizing the trick Stephen King is playing delivers a massive wallop. Spoilers follow for anyone wanting a clearer look at the premise.

If you want to go in as in the dark as I did and enjoy the heck out of this stop now, but OK I will also pull the curtain way back to intrigue you if you insist

The Outsider is secretly a vampire book

While Terry Maitland remains behind bars, Ralph keeps digging out of sheer disbelief over how definitively his suspect fits the crime. The murder case then begins to unravel. Miles away, recorded security footage suggests Terry Maitland was nowhere near Flint City at the time of the murder. Furthermore, Terry’s daughter tells the detective she saw her father stalking in the shadows of her room, or perhaps not her father, but a version of him with “straws for eyes.”

Someone else in Flint City will commit murder before the final pages of The Outsider. Holly Gibney, the budding detective from previous books Finders Keepers and Mr. Mercedes, enters the picture to assist with the disturbing implications of Ralph’s discoveries. Continued pursuit of the truth leads the pair into corners of the King-verse that approach the supernatural realms of Salem’s Lot and The Dark Tower saga.

The thrill of The Outsider stems from its refusal to lose the grounded footing established in the opening pages. Mirroring many of his most famous novels, the author asks what would happen if mythological horrors and storybook beasties existed in the real world. What if a man needed to feast on the blood of children to survive? What if that entity could transform its appearance and become invisible to anyone wanting to drive a stake through its heart? What if all of this unfolded in the American heartland among people just trying to pay bills and raise families?

The crackling prose in The Outsider reaches its most terrifying moments when it plays out like Happy Valley or The Killing mixed with a literal supernatural bent. HBO adapted the story into a miniseries in 2020 featuring Jason Bateman as Terry, Ben Mendelsohn as Ralph, and Cynthia Erivo as Holly, though the television format struggled with the odd pacing and construction of the original work. Human imagination often does a better job morphing the antagonist into personal fears than any visual screen adaptation.

Anyone seeking a theatrical energy boost for The Outsider should turn to the audiobook narrated by actor Will Patton, known for his work in Remember the Titans and Train Dreams. Will Patton has narrated numerous Stephen King audiobooks over the years, displaying a distinct knack for salt-of-the-earth dialogue and the vocal tics of eclectic characters.

His recitation of The Outsider is no different, bringing the weary voice of Ralph to life alongside a nervous sharpness for Holly. Hearing him whisper creepy vampire lines in his gravelly voice is genuinely frightening. Anyone planning to listen should start more than 18 hours before Halloween, as it is a long journey.

Source: Polygon