Hardcover, 561 pages
English language
Published May 22, 2018 by Scribner.
An unspeakable crime. A confounding investigation. At a time when the King brand has never been stronger, he has delivered one of his most unsettling and compulsively readable stories.
An eleven-year-old boy’s violated corpse is found in a town park. Eyewitnesses and fingerprints point unmistakably to one of Flint City’s most popular citizens. He is Terry Maitland, Little League coach, English teacher, husband, and father of two girls. Detective Ralph Anderson, whose son Maitland once coached, orders a quick and very public arrest. Maitland has an alibi, but Anderson and the district attorney soon add DNA evidence to go with the fingerprints and witnesses. Their case seems ironclad.
As the investigation expands and horrifying answers begin to emerge, King’s propulsive story kicks into high gear, generating strong tension and almost unbearable suspense. Terry Maitland seems like a nice guy, but is he wearing another face? When the answer comes, it …
An unspeakable crime. A confounding investigation. At a time when the King brand has never been stronger, he has delivered one of his most unsettling and compulsively readable stories.
An eleven-year-old boy’s violated corpse is found in a town park. Eyewitnesses and fingerprints point unmistakably to one of Flint City’s most popular citizens. He is Terry Maitland, Little League coach, English teacher, husband, and father of two girls. Detective Ralph Anderson, whose son Maitland once coached, orders a quick and very public arrest. Maitland has an alibi, but Anderson and the district attorney soon add DNA evidence to go with the fingerprints and witnesses. Their case seems ironclad.
As the investigation expands and horrifying answers begin to emerge, King’s propulsive story kicks into high gear, generating strong tension and almost unbearable suspense. Terry Maitland seems like a nice guy, but is he wearing another face? When the answer comes, it will shock you as only Stephen King can.
I feel like the pacing for this book was backward. It started off extremely suspenseful. Then about 1/3 way through the book the pace fell off and things slowed down considerably. The rest of the book was good, just not as good as the beginning.
Typical King. I was 200+ pages in when I just gave up. I love the man’s writing...so easy to read, but I was just waiting for the alien, or devil or whatever was going to explain the weird goings-on. I don’t know what the explanation is, but I only care enough to find an internet explanation.
This was an enjoyable read. I've read soooo many Stephen King books in my life at this point but I can honestly say I usually find the experience rewarding. This book immediately captures your interest and imagination and keeps you turning the pages. The characters are interesting enough, if somewhat formulaic if you've been reading Stephen King as long as I have. The plot, too, is somewhat formulaic but you can forgive Mr. King because he makes the experience so enjoyable. The ending is kind of abrupt... you would expect the "antagonist" to put up more of a fight or somehow be more of an adversary. Also, the ending was kind of corny and unbelievable but you can forgive that too because the whole of the reading experience is so much fun.
So all in all a good book. Not one of his best but definitely much better than some. …
This was an enjoyable read. I've read soooo many Stephen King books in my life at this point but I can honestly say I usually find the experience rewarding. This book immediately captures your interest and imagination and keeps you turning the pages. The characters are interesting enough, if somewhat formulaic if you've been reading Stephen King as long as I have. The plot, too, is somewhat formulaic but you can forgive Mr. King because he makes the experience so enjoyable. The ending is kind of abrupt... you would expect the "antagonist" to put up more of a fight or somehow be more of an adversary. Also, the ending was kind of corny and unbelievable but you can forgive that too because the whole of the reading experience is so much fun.
So all in all a good book. Not one of his best but definitely much better than some. Give it a go.
не найкраща історія від кінґа, але — все-одно неможливо відірватися.
As others have said, this book started out as a great murder mystery which seemed to become too difficult for King to create an ending for, so he just slapped in a monster... There is even line in the book which reflects the fact that King didn't think of the ending before starting.
Fun escapism. King at his best. Even better if you've read any of the Finders Keepers books, because Holly makes an appearance here.
The police and DA's office think they have an easy open and shut case guaranteed to lock Terry Maitland away, but for every bit of proof they have, there is mounting evidence that he could not possibly be the killer. This turns into a whodunit of epic proportions but with a deeply disturbing supernatural element to spice things up even further. For me personally, the last decade or so of Stephen King books have been pretty hit or miss. This one is a hit and I mean right out of the ballpark. There were literally no points in the story that dragged. If anything it barreled along at a break neck speed leaving me barely able to catch my breath from one shocking development to the next.
5 stars
