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Mothers and sons. Fiction.
Children of single parents. Fiction.
Psychic ability. Fiction.
Mediums. Fiction.
Police. New York (State). New York. Fiction.
Criminal investigation. Fiction.
Serial murderers. Fiction.
Bombings. Fiction.
Good and evil. Fiction.
Ghost stories.
New York (N.Y.). Fiction.
Starred Review Teenager Jamie Conklin warns the reader at the outset that "this is a horror story." He's right learn in the opening chapter that Jamie can see dead people, sometimes with innards on display t King's beguiling short novel is really more of a genre-bender, combining the horror with a sensitive coming-of-age tale and an old-school crime thriller. There's also a nifty publishing subplot involving Jamie's literary-agent mother, Tia, whose struggling business (she lost her savings when a Ponzi scheme imploded) depends on the continued output of a best-selling author of historical romances. Jamie would prefer to keep his eyes closed to dead people, but when his mother and her lover, police detective Liz, both in serious jams, are forced to admit the teenager is telling the truth about his special ability, Jamie is inveigled into doing some paranormal sleuthing. Cue more innards. But there are also relationship issues between Tia and Liz, leading to an even bigger jam (with demons) for Jamie. In his signature style, King keeps the narrative cantering along, mixing lots of pop culture into the flow and building Jamie into a witty and thoroughly empathetic lead (recalling the teens in King's It and his novella "The Body" (on which the movie Stand by Me was based). This may be the most ingratiating mix of sweet and sour since Daniel Kraus' genre-bender Blood Sugar (2019).
Kirkus ReviewsHorrormeister King follows a boy's journey from childhood to adolescence among the dead-and their even creepier living counterparts.Jamie Conklin sees dead people. Not for very long-they fade away after a week or so-but during that time he can talk to them, ask them questions, and compel them to answer truthfully. His uncanny gift at first seems utterly unrelated to his mother Tia's work as a literary agent, but the links become disturbingly clear when her star client, Regis Thomas, dies shortly after starting work on the newest entry in his bestselling Roanoke Saga, and Tia and her lover, NYPD Detective Liz Dutton, drive Jamie out to Cobblestone Cottage to encourage the late author to dictate an outline of his latest page-turner so that Tia, who's fallen on hard times, can write it in his name instead of returning his advance and her cut. Now that she's seen what Jamie can do, Liz takes it on herself to arrange an interview in which Jamie will ask Kenneth Therriault, a serial bomber who's just killed himself, where he's stowed his latest explosive device before it can explode posthumously. His post-mortem encounter with Therriault exacts a high price on Jamie, who now finds himself more haunted than ever, though he never gives up on the everyday experiences in which King roots all his nightmares.Crave chills and thrills but don't have time for a King epic? This will do the job before bedtime. Not that you'll sleep.
Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)MWA Grand Master King (
Starred Review ALA Booklist (Mon Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2021)
Kirkus Reviews
Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)
“Part detective tale, part thriller…touching and genuine.” —The New York Times
#1 bestselling author Stephen King returns with a brand-new novel about the secrets we keep buried and the cost of unearthing them.
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
SOMETIMES GROWING UP
MEANS FACING YOUR DEMONS
The son of a struggling single mother, Jamie Conklin just wants an ordinary childhood. But Jamie is no ordinary child. Born with an unnatural ability his mom urges him to keep secret, Jamie can see what no one else can see and learn what no one else can learn. But the cost of using this ability is higher than Jamie can imagine – as he discovers when an NYPD detective draws him into the pursuit of a killer who has threatened to strike from beyond the grave.
LATER is Stephen King at his finest, a terrifying and touching story of innocence lost and the trials that test our sense of right and wrong. With echoes of King’s classic novel It, LATER is a powerful, haunting, unforgettable exploration of what it takes to stand up to evil in all the faces it wears.