Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - The Outsider

Once I got past the book it wasn't as exciting anymore. The ending felt underwhelming, but I can't deny that the book kept me entertained for the most part. Not a bad option for anyone who's into suspense and fiction.

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audri0421's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

It’s a little darker of a book than I like to read but King always is so entertaining and such a good writer. I had to finish it.

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linzee_carter's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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catriona176's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

My favourite of those featuring Holly Gibney so far and I loved the call back to the first one at the end. *chef’s kiss*

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julessssss's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious tense medium-paced

3.5

the mystery here I think it very well crafted. I was at the edge of my seat for most of it - the best part for me was I had a basic idea of what was going on but had no idea how the evidence was going to make sense, which made me feel like i needed to know even more.

I also enjoyed the two main characters and their narration in general. I really liked Holly, but that seems to be a common opinion, even from King.

my biggest issue was with the pacing of the ending in comparison with the rest of the book. I also found the switch back to what felt like a normal police procedural from the paranormal thriller middle jarring and wish that it had stayed more on the paranormal side.

Most of the other issues i had i have had with King before, so those I think are just expected: weird descriptions of woman’s bodies and fat bodies as well as super wordy portions and random/weird/unnecessary details. Some of the descriptions of younger people also sounded like an older person talking about what they would think younger people would be like, but again King is in fact an older person talking about younger people lol.

I think this book could have been shorter, but probably not super short (in comparison) given how much I liked most of King’s crafting in the beginning and middle. I do wish the ending was tweaked more though.

Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I was going to at the start and will probably follow through to more of King’s books, especially ones like this. This one definitely gave me nightmares / kept me up during portions too which is fun.

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aniloma's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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cestcallie's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

I'm an avid reader of horror, and I truly believe King paved the way for a lot of contemporary horror authors. That being said, after a decade of avoiding King in favor of new, different, more diverse voices in the genre, coming back to a King novel felt like revisiting an old family member. A fond reunion with a beloved uncle. But just like seeing Uncle Steve over Thanksgiving, reading this novel was filled with moments where I couldn't stop myself from cringing, feeling some ick, and sighing deeply. But at least he didn't vote for Trump? The story delved into something that felt more like a crime procedural than a horror novel with frustratingly stupid people at the helm. It doesn't really get much better until the monster of the novel is at least mostly unmasked, and the paranormal aspects of the story are centered. These parts were fun, and felt more like classic King work. I liked the story well enough, and while the characters were mostly generic, they were easily relatable and that was enough to endear yourself to them. I didn't love the portrayal of Holly. She does seem to be an established character in the wider King Expanded Universe, so there's a lot I could be missing from her. I do tire of the gifted neurodivergent detective character trope though. It's the Adrian Monk curse, and I think Holly suffered from it in this one. Anyway, if people are into pulp, I'd recommend it. It was fast paced, an easy read, nothing to really digest. But I don't think I'll be thinking about it for much longer than this post.

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abudd2348's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

The book keeps you on your toes. Just when you think you understand whats happening, King comes in with a well placed plot twist to leave you second guessing your initial thoughts.

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