More Stephen King, an author of which I use to think I couldn't get enough but has, in my opinion, veered off in a direction I'm not inclined to follow.
Not that he's not superb at what he's doing, it's just different and not in a genre that I especially like.
The Outsider sets up a gruesome crime scene and a suspect beyond belief, where it ultimately takes a lot of courage and believe to see it all through.
His characters are believable, even though he's got a thing for strong middle aged policemen that I don't share, but they do the trick to sell this story.
The plot and suspense in this novel are okay. Some things you see coming from a mile away, but other stuff does take you by surprise, but I'm missing that streak of genius of his earlier work. That special kind of commitment to a character, where you almost believe that it's King writing about himself.
This story ties into the universe of Bill Hodges (known from Mr Mercedes, Finders Keepers and End of Watch), and Ralph, the main protagonist in this story is probably a younger version of Bill, still active on the police force instead of retired with a private detective agency.
I can't say it struck home with me, the last part was actually a bit difficult to get through, because it was too neatly done, but it's still King and he's still got a spot in my readers' heart.
