Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - De buitenstaander

I flew through this one, couldn’t put it down. The star of the show here is of course, Holly Gibney. I’m excited to continue reading her story and getting to know her better.

I don’t think there was any real standout plot here, just your run-of-the-mill King novel and those are stories I continue to read and love doing so.

I did like how the villain here has origins in Mexican folklore (and maybe others?). It wasn’t a creature I’d heard about before.

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bruxifixion's review against another edition

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3.0

Despite being a long time die hard fan, this one didn't really do it for me, truthfully, Mr. King. I admittedly only picked it up because my hold for Holly came in and I didn't realize it was technically a third (or a... sixth? depending on your perspective) and I had wondered if there was more to it than "same character, different stories/cases" that I'd need this previous book for. Don't really think I do upon finishing it, if there's anybody who winds up wondering the same.

The final confrontation felt like a letdown but Holly's continued resourcefulness struck my heart as someone who writes characters exactly like her, be it rogues or highly prepared people, etc.

Negativity aside, I liked Ralph's and Holly's relationship so very much, and the last couple pages really honed in perfectly on how far their friendship grew through the course of the novel. If anything, The Outsider left me looking forward to more of Holly as a character.

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chadconnecticut's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This was my first sampling of King’s later work, and while I didn’t hate it, I miss the fervor of his earlier years.

Despite the harrowing nature of the crimes depicted in the book, it’s hard to root for a cast of characters who are all different flavors of middle-aged white cop (plus a Mexican character who does make me doubt King’s ability to write diversely). Holly Gibney, clearly a favorite of King’s, was charming, and I can see why he and readers both attached to her.

Overall, there were moments of tension, but the mystery lacked the tautness I’ve seen demonstrated in King’s other work. More than that, I didn’t feel the same loving attention paid at the sentence level, which made it easier to look past some oversimplified characterization on King’s part in the past. But the moments I loved, I really loved. Lovie Bolton will go down as an example of King’s ability to craft a memorable character when he truly tries. I just wish I could say the same for Ralph Anderson and the rest of the protagonists.

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