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.
So, as it says, Terry Maitland is this near saint in this small town...a loving father and husband and beloved little league coach for many years. When his fingerprints AND DNA are found all over the raped and murdered victim, Detective Anderson arrests him in front of the huge crowd at the Little League game that will decide if this year's team goes to the state championships. The town immediately turns against Terry and his family because there are at least two eyewitnesses who saw Coach Maitland with the little boy, Frank Peterson, the day he was murdered, and two who saw him all bloodied up from head to toe right afterwards. The thing is....Terry Maitland was at a conference with three other English teachers for the weekend, in a completely different town, too far away to make it back and forth. AND, he's even shown on video tape asking the author they went to see (Harlan Coben, by the way!!) a question. His fingerprints are also at the convention...so which one is it? Was Terry Maitland in his home town heinously raping and murdering a young boy, or did someone or something somehow mimic his face, his DNA and his fingerprints?? The book is good and suspenseful, with a couple of shocking and tragic deaths of main characters. And, King also brings back Holly Gibney, a main character from his Finders Keepers trilogy, to help solve the big mystery. It's lovely to have her back!! The ending of the book, and frankly the middle, is bittersweet, but Holly and Ralph, with the help of some great new characters, do end up getting their "man"! :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment