In Stephen King's entertaining new crime novel Later, an adolescent can see dead people.

After witnessing a bicycle crash and meeting the dead cyclist, Jamie's life turns into a self-described horror story. His mother Tia, the owner of a literary agency that has fallen on hard times, is the only one who knows what Jamie can do. She implores him to keep it to himself. But when her best client dies before finishing the book that will bail them out, she brings her lover Liz, a detective, in on the secret so that they can use Jamie's abilities to save the agency.

Liz and Tia's relationship degrades once Liz uses Jamie for her own purposes—to find out where Thumper, a now-dead serial killer, left his last bomb. After finding out Thumper has a dark force unlike any other ghost he's met, Jamie needs to extricate himself from the spirit, all while continuing to navigate his anything-but-ordinary childhood.

Later is a touching story about a boy growing up without a father, and with talents that set him apart from everyone else. It's also thriller about the darkness that lies under the surface of everyday life. Its characters, from Jamie's hard-drinking, curse-prone, yet affectionate mother Tia to wise-cracking, innocent, and good-hearted Jamie, brim with life, while mentions of television shows and other pop culture from the mid-2000s set a colorful atmosphere.

The plot progresses from Jamie's harmless yet disturbing encounters with ghosts to darker situations wherein Jamie is in peril. Tia and Liz's relationship turns from supportive and loving to brutal and life-threatening, culminating in a climax that is frightening yet tinged with heroism.

Later is a satisfying tale about facing demons—both those we can see and those that lurk in the darkness.

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.)