Not only this tension is a testament to the flawed nature of law enforcement, but Ralph Anderson’s struggling with his guilt is a great example of negative emotions fueling outstanding human behavior. Samuels is primarily looking to make a square peg fit a round hole and save his job. The former is torn between his sense of duty and his life as an active member of the community. The tension between Anderson and Samuels makes the book come alive. These guys seriously fucked up and operate out of guilt rather than the usual righteousness associated with law enforcement. More precisely, Ralph Anderson and Bill Samuels arresting Terry Maitland without due process and in a very public, humiliating manner in order to appease the locals. Because it’s kind of a straightforward and forgettable boogeyman story if you don’t take the narrative angle into account. What separates The Outsider from all the straightforward and forgettable boogeyman story out there is the first 100 pages. A terrible look for Anderson and Samuels. Three people vouched for him and he’s even featured on local news footage. Except he was at a Harlan Coben conference miles away.

Detective Ralph Anderson and District Attorney Bill Samuels quickly arrest Little League baseball coach Terry Maitland after a handful of people identified him covered in blood near the murder site. The Outsider opens with the horrific murder of 11 years old boy Frank Peterson, who’s been sexually assaulted and mutilated enough that investigators don’t know if it happened before of after his death.

How exciting exactly? Enough to pick up a thick-ass novel that’s been collecting dust in my TBR pile for over a year and start preparing. These days are apparently over because HBO is adapting his novel The Outsider. The iconic (yet uneven) horror writer has suffered through terrible fucking adaptations and it… kind of became a thing with him. It’s not where I expected a Stephen King adaptation to land. These three letters are synonymous with premium quality. The Sopranos, The Wire, True Detective, Westworld, Watchmen, you name it. They’ve been delivering awesome show over awesome show since they aired Oz in 1997 and changed the television game. Say what you want about HBO, they’re almost never boring.

The outsider king novel book review