Seth Numrich portrays Jamie Conklin, a young man who sees dead people and can compel them to answer questions truthfully. As a child, Jamie is able to help his mother, Tia, avoid financial ruin. But then Tia’s girlfriend, an NYPD detective, asks him to force a dead man to reveal the location of a hidden bomb. This unleashes sinister forces that stalk Jamie for years. As the 20-something Jamie remembers these traumatic supernatural events, Numrich sounds appropriately melancholic and haunted. But he also illuminates moments of levity and warmth, mostly in Jamie’s musings about growing up and in his relationship with his mother. King’s words and Numrich’s performance reinforce the idea that kindness can still shine in a world full of horrors. A.T.N. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2022 Audies Winner © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

01/25/2021

MWA Grand Master King (The Outsider) demonstrates that no good deed goes unpunished in this gruesome yet mesmerizing paranormal coming-of-age story. For as long as he can remember, 13-year-old Jamie Conklin has been able to see dead people, and images of bloody homicide victims and grotesquely disfigured casualties of traffic accidents haunt him. His gift is sometimes a blessing, as when his protective mother, Tia, an industrious literary agent whose company is on the verge of bankruptcy, exploits his talent for monetary gain, cementing her bestselling client’s legacy in the process. More often, though, it’s a curse, slyly capitalized on by Tia’s girlfriend, NYPD Det. Liz Dutton, who pressures Jamie to aid her in bringing an end to a notorious mass bomber’s 18-year reign of terror. Inevitably, perhaps, Jamie’s virtuous deeds expose him to heinous things no boy should see and bring wrath and vengeance and cruelty upon him. Gory and unnerving, this twisty chiller has sufficient sins and revelations to keep readers pursuing the action to its breathless conclusion. King fans are in for a treat. Agent: Chuck Verrill, Darhansoff & Verrill. (Mar.)

"Voicing Jamie is Seth Numrich, who brings all his classical theater training to what could have been the throwaway role of a kid who mostly tries to ignore an ability he didn’t ask for. Numrich, who played Benjamin Tallmadge in four seasons of AMC’s 'Turn: Washington’s Spies,' embodies Jamie from ebullient first-grader to terrified but determined teen, nailing the evolution of a boy trying to solve his own mystery. The story can be whimsical and funny, thoughtful and alarming, and Numrich is perfectly in step."

#1 on The New York Times bestselling Paperback Trade Fiction list 

#1 on The Washington Post Paperback Bestsellers list

#1 on the Toronto Star's list of Bestselling Original Fiction in Canada

"Part detective tale, part thriller...touching and genuine.” —The New York Times

"There’s classic King here for fans... a thrilling whodunit." - Associated Press

“King’s writing in LATER is as clean, direct and evocative as it’s ever been…the crime-driven plot is propulsive [and] some of the lines just take your breath away…you’re in the hands of a master storyteller.” - Washington Post

"Delivers his signature twists and turns....An eerie, enthralling tale." -Woman's World Magazine (Best Books to Read )

"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."  -Kirkus

"Gory and unnerving, this twisty chiller has sufficient sins and revelations to keep readers pursuing the action to its breathless conclusion. King fans are in for a treat." -Publishers Weekly 

"An entertaining and breezy read, with the stellar storytelling that has justly made King a literary legend." - AARP Magazine

"Later is a horror story, but it’s also a proper thriller, told by a master of his craft."—The Guardian
 
"King’s tics and tricks are all in bloom: folksy dialogue, cockeyed worldview, rising tension, pure evil, etc. " - Philadelphia Inquirer

"A Joy to read...some of King’s best writing...If you haven’t read a King novel for a while due to timeconstraints, or you would like an introduction to the man at or near the top of his game, pick LATER as your delightful literary poison." - BookReporter

"LATER is top-notch Stephen King and one of the most memorable works in his long and storied writing career. The tale calls to mind many of his prior works and is the only other story next to the classic IT to refer to ‘deadlights’ —- a word that should cause icy chills to run down the spine of any faithful King reader." - BookReporter

"A satisfying tale about facing demons—both those we can see and those that lurk in the darkness." - Foreword Reviews 

"Later is yet another example of Stephen King’s special ability to tell a story that’s both simple and compelling. Entertaining and thought-provoking, it’s a must-add to your 2021 reading list." - New York Journal of Books

"A powerful testament to [King’s] storytelling prowess" - Bookbub

"Sharply developed characters, steady incorporation of supernatural elements, and building suspense, make for [a] great read" - Borg.com

"A horror story [that] is really more of a genre-bender, combining the horror with a sensitive coming-of-age tale and an old-school crime thriller. [A] most ingratiating mix." - Booklist Starred Review

"There's classic King here for fans... A thrilling whodunit." - ABC News

"Later is a horror story, but it’s also a proper thriller, told by a master of his craft." - The Guardian

"King at his absolute best." - Daily Mail

"Classic King with a twist." - Barnes & Noble feature 

"Toggle[s] between thrills and feels, all the while slowly dialling up the terror as only [King] can." - Amazon Book Review Best Mysteries of March

"King delivers both a terrifying and touching story." - The Hollywood Reporter 

"Thrills by the dozen." - International Express Books to Read in 2021

"An instapurchase." - HorrorDNA

"A standalone King that combines his mastery of multiple genres." - The Reel Bits 

"A fresh new story for modern audiences." - ScreenRant

"Convey[s] the same loss-of-innocence theme at which King excelled in his classic novella, The Body... If you’re a King fan, you’ll not regret reading it." - Cinema Sentries 

"[King's] clear love of noir fiction joins forces with his horror bona fides and his still-strong ability to capture the fundamental truths about being a child, resulting in a lean and propulsive read." - The Maine Edge

"The truth of the matter is, I enjoyed LATER more than any other Stephen King in quite a while because it’s short and to the point. It’s a fast read, easily knocked out in a few hours, and there are some truly creepy and horrific moments that leave the reader thinking about certain scenes long after the book is done." - Bookgasm

"King veterans absolutely must add this to the collection." - Movie Nooz

"Absolutely riveting read....and memorably terrifying." -Cemetery Dance

"A terrific tale of secrets held by both the living and the dead." - Floriday Times-Union

"King once again demonstrates his ease at depicting younger characters and getting credibly inside their heads...Classic Stephen King" - SciFi Bulletin


"Once you pick up this book, putting it down will be near impossible. The action and dialogue interspersed with spine-chilling terror are engaging from beginning to end. It is a superb addition to the seemingly endless bibliography of this great storyteller."  
- San Francisco Book Review (5 stars)

"King's freakish storytelling powers are on full display here, with the strictures of the pulp novel keeping the action moving from chapter to chapter." - Toronto Star 

"Gripping...easy to stay glued to...a fun read" - Locus

"Seth Numrich portrays Jamie Conklin, a young man who sees dead people and can compel them to answer questions truthfully. As a child, Jamie is able to help his mother, Tia, avoid financial ruin. But then Tia's girlfriend, an NYPD detective, asks him to force a dead man to reveal the location of a hidden bomb. This unleashes sinister forces that stalk Jamie for years. As the 20-something Jamie remembers these traumatic supernatural events, Numrich sounds appropriately melancholic and haunted. But he also illuminates moments of levity and warmth, mostly in Jamie's musings about growing up and in his relationship with his mother. King's words and Numrich's performance reinforce the idea that kindness can still shine in a world full of horrors."

Seth Numrich portrays Jamie Conklin, a young man who sees dead people and can compel them to answer questions truthfully. As a child, Jamie is able to help his mother, Tia, avoid financial ruin. But then Tia’s girlfriend, an NYPD detective, asks him to force a dead man to reveal the location of a hidden bomb. This unleashes sinister forces that stalk Jamie for years. As the 20-something Jamie remembers these traumatic supernatural events, Numrich sounds appropriately melancholic and haunted. But he also illuminates moments of levity and warmth, mostly in Jamie’s musings about growing up and in his relationship with his mother. King’s words and Numrich’s performance reinforce the idea that kindness can still shine in a world full of horrors. A.T.N. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2022 Audies Winner © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

2020-12-26
Horrormeister 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.