Later By Stephen King (2021)

 

While Hard Case Crime publisher claims they’re devoted to releasing and reprinting the best in hard-boiled crime fiction, it does seem strange they’ve published this horror tale from Stephen King (his third after 2005's The Colorado Kid and 2013's Joyland). But of course, it is Stephen King and that may be the only reason Hard Case Crime needs.

 “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.”

Once again, King delves into the world of magical kids with Later. But, as always, he’s able to bring a lot of depth and horror to this well-know road he’s traveled for nearly fifty years. But I think this works a lot because the lives these kids live are so ordinary, so everyday, that you can’t help but see these some of things truly happening to them. Here we get 22 year-old Jamie recounting his life that starts at six and the runs to about year 15. King loves kids as protagonists, I think, because it generates sympathy for someone who has no real control over their life and must depend on their parent(s). Plus, I think, when we were all kids, we wanted some darkness, some supernatural aspect to part of our everyday life. Of course, all of King’s supernaturally blessed (?) kids are a bit more adult than most (see Luke Ellis from King’s The Institute). And, again, everything is so ordinary.

Jamie is likable and as much as he narrates and claims he’s not like the kid in The Sixth Sense, you can’t help but think he is. Still, unlike the M. Night Shyamalan’s film, where the kids sees real ghost, Jamie just sees dead people who are seemly disinterested in the living.

There is crime here, but not in the traditional sense this publishing company produces. There is no femme fatales (as the cover tries to imply) or extraordinary villains here, just your average bad guy (and gals) who do horrible things in pursuant of their goals.

But I enjoyed this book, even if it’s not his best. It's still a treat.