It has been 16 years since Stephen King announced his retirement. One can be forgiven for forgetting that, given that his bibliography has continued to grow seemingly exponentially and with barely a pause. The results, whether good, bad or indifferent (and yes, all three categories have been well-represented), have been noteworthy in that King, for all his virtues and sins, continues to produce some of his best writing. This brings us to THE OUTSIDER, his latest and, yes, one of his greatest, even at this late date. Seriously.

There is a genuine mystery at the heart of the book, along with suspense, thrills, horror, and even a platonic romance that quietly develops in the second half. But make no mistake about it, King isn’t just ticking off boxes here. He hits that sweet spot --- the one you almost think he might have invented --- where you want to stop reading for fear of what comes next, but you can’t. It’s a fairly long book, and while you may not finish it in one sitting, you will want to read it as quickly as possible to see if the mystery is solved and justice is served.

"There is a genuine mystery at the heart of the book, along with suspense, thrills, horror, and even a platonic romance that quietly develops in the second half. But make no mistake about it, King isn’t just ticking off boxes here."

The mystery is a jaw-dropper. It arises from the mind-numbingly brutal murder of an 11-year-old boy in the quiet town of Flint City. The police are looking for a quick arrest, which they get. The evidence, consisting of eyewitnesses (notoriously unreliable) and fingerprints (very reliable), points to Terry Maitland, a mainstay in the community who had been regarded as an asset. Maitland is an English teacher, a Little League coach, and an upstanding husband and father. Detective Ralph Anderson, for reasons explained gradually over the opening pages of THE OUTSIDER, arrests Maitland very quickly and publicly in front of God and everybody, resulting in the pillar of the community and his family being brought down quickly. Case closed. It’s all over but the trial.

However, Maitland lawyers up, and his attorney hires an investigator, who quickly uncovers evidence and witnesses that demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that he could not have committed the crime of which he is accused. Yet there is solid evidence that he did. When disaster strikes, Anderson finds himself haunted by his rush to judgment and his actions in arresting Maitland, even as he is convinced that Maitland is guilty of murder.

Meanwhile, Maitland’s attorney seeks outside help --- someone we have met before in King’s literary universe --- who follows the facts backward and discovers a similar pattern hundreds of miles away. Law enforcement and the defense enter into an uneasy alliance in an attempt to explain how the seemingly impossible has occurred. They get their answer, but it comes at a great cost. Not everyone we meet during the course of the book will make it to the end.

King has explored the concept of the inexplicable contradiction in the past, most notably in THE COLORADO KID, but he takes that idea and runs with it here. Oh, and you’ll find some of his best and most memorable writing between the covers of this book as well. You will want to underline and mark up passages from beginning to end. King also demonstrates yet again that had things gone a bit differently, he would have been a fine sportswriter. He can actually make a baseball game seem interesting. And as always, he maintains the ability to make the ordinary horrific. After reading THE OUTSIDER, I will not eat cantaloupe again. I don’t regret the experience, though, and neither shall you.