The Outsider first half is some of the best stuff King has EVER written. The second half? Not so much.

This isn't to say I think the second half is bad. It's a fun monster hunting storyline that mostly works but fails to live up to the tension building first half.

So the story starts with a detective named Ralph who's about to publicly arrest a man named Terry for the murder of a child who was viciously murdered. He has MULTIPLE witness, finger prints, everything he pretty much needs to close this case easy. However, he makes a mistake. Once he takes Terry in, evidence comes out that Terry was NOT in town but at a public gathering with multiple witnesses and video proof. Not Ralph is stuck between figuring out what the fuck is happening.

The first half is thrilling, nail biting, how can this be storyline. It keeps you on edge, excellent character motivation and some of the best dialogue King has ever done. I think the fact you're not sure what is happening and what the truth is leaves you as shocked as the characters in the actual story.

About half way we get a reveal that expands this from a murder mystery basically to a full on supernatural event. It won't be for everyone but even with the twist I was still very invested on where we were going. And then around the last 4th of the book, the pacing felt odd, and I started to see this would end in a simpler way than I would have liked. Still some shocking deaths, great imagery, and a creepy antagonist. And I did grow to like a large number of the characters but overall the last 1/4th was weaker in comparison, especially to the first half.

A 4 out of 5 for me.