Later – Stephen King (2021)

Later by Stephen King, published in 2021, is a gripping blend of horror, crime, and coming-of-age fiction. The novel follows Jamie Conklin, a boy with an unusual ability – he can see and communicate with the dead. As he grows up under the care of his struggling literary agent mother, Tia, Jamie’s gift becomes both a blessing and a curse. When a desperate NYPD detective, Liz Dutton, exploits his power to hunt down a dangerous criminal, Jamie is pulled into a terrifying confrontation with forces beyond his control. The novel masterfully intertwines supernatural horror with a noir crime thriller, delivering suspense, emotional depth, and chilling revelations.

Plot Summary

Jamie Conklin was six years old when he first saw the dead. They looked just like the living, except they were always wearing the clothes they died in. They faded over time, their voices growing fainter until they disappeared entirely. But before that happened, they had to tell the truth when asked a question. His mother, Tia, a struggling literary agent in New York, realized quickly that this was no childish delusion. She told him to never speak of it to anyone. People wouldn’t understand. People might want to use him.

For years, Jamie kept his secret, his gift lurking in the background of his otherwise normal childhood. His mother worked tirelessly to keep them afloat, but after the financial crash of 2008 and a disastrous investment in a Ponzi scheme, money grew tight. The one thing keeping them from losing everything was Regis Thomas, a best-selling author whose historical adventure novels about Roanoke had earned them a steady fortune. But then Regis Thomas died. And when he died, his final book – the one that was supposed to answer all the mysteries his fans had been waiting for – was left unfinished. The publisher wanted their money back. The debt was coming fast, and Tia had nowhere left to turn.

But Jamie could talk to the dead. And the dead had to answer.

Tia drove Jamie upstate to Regis Thomas’s house, where his body had already been taken away, but Jamie knew how it worked. If Regis was still there, he would see him. The house was a mess – papers scattered, books half-open, a life interrupted. And then Jamie saw him, sitting at his desk, solid and real. Regis was confused at first. They all were. But Jamie asked him the question his mother needed answered. Where was the last book? The completed pages were in the desk. The rest, the outline, the plan for how it would end – it was in his head.

And he told Jamie everything.

Tia took the notes back to the publisher. Regis had spoken the ending aloud, and Jamie had memorized every word. A ghostwriting team would finish the book based on what Jamie dictated. The money wouldn’t be as much as they had hoped, but it was enough to keep them from drowning. Tia promised Jamie that this was the last time she would ever ask him to do something like this.

Then Liz Dutton came back into their lives.

Liz had been a detective with the NYPD and, for a while, Tia’s on-again, off-again lover. She had also been one of the few people Jamie trusted, until she wasn’t. Liz had gotten herself tangled up in something bad. She owed money to the wrong people. And she needed Jamie’s help.

A man named Kenneth Therriault – better known as Thumper, the serial bomber – had been caught, arrested, and convicted, but he had one final trick up his sleeve. Before his execution, he claimed that he had hidden one last bomb, one that would go off somewhere in the city. He died without revealing its location, but Liz wasn’t about to let that stop her. She knew what Jamie could do. She knew how his ability worked. And she was going to make sure he used it.

Jamie and Liz drove to the prison morgue. The body was still fresh. Kenneth Therriault was sitting on the autopsy table, smiling with his ruined teeth. He didn’t resist. He told Jamie exactly where the bomb was, grinning all the while. It was buried beneath a playground, right where it would have done the most damage. Liz called it in, and the bomb was defused before it could kill anyone.

But Thumper didn’t leave.

Jamie had seen dozens of ghosts fade, their voices growing quiet, their bodies losing their solidity before vanishing. But Thumper was different. He lingered. He laughed. And Jamie could still hear him, louder than any ghost he had ever encountered.

Something was wrong.

Liz thought it was over, that Jamie had done what she needed. But Jamie wasn’t free. Thumper followed him home. He whispered to him in the night. He promised that death wasn’t the end, that he had seen what lay beyond, and it wasn’t empty. It was full. And soon, Jamie would see it too.

The hauntings grew worse. Jamie stopped sleeping. He stopped eating. His mother knew something was wrong, but Jamie was too scared to tell her. Liz, now desperate to wipe her own mess clean, came back for one last favor. A cartel informant had been murdered, and Liz needed Jamie to get the name of the killer. She was willing to do whatever it took to make him cooperate.

Tia stepped in before Liz could force Jamie into another nightmare. She pulled a gun on Liz and made it clear that if she ever came near Jamie again, it would be the last thing she did. Liz left, humiliated and enraged, but she wouldn’t stay gone forever.

Jamie had bigger problems. Thumper wouldn’t leave. His voice was as loud as ever, and the things he whispered were getting darker. He was waiting for Jamie. He was patient. And Jamie couldn’t take it anymore.

There was only one way to get rid of him. He had to see what lay beyond.

Jamie’s ability wasn’t just about seeing ghosts. He could touch them. And if he could touch them, maybe he could step where they stood. Maybe, just for a second, he could cross over.

He went to the bathtub and filled it with ice. He had read about near-death experiences before. He knew that drowning in ice water sometimes stopped the heart just long enough to push someone to the other side. He only needed to be there for a moment. Just long enough to see what Thumper saw.

He slipped under the water.

Darkness.

Cold.

Then something pulled him back.

Tia was screaming. She had found him in time. But Jamie had seen it. He had seen what waited. And he knew – Thumper had been right. It was full.

Liz never came back. She died months later, shot during a bad drug bust. Jamie heard about it on the news. That night, he sat in bed, waiting.

But Liz never appeared.

Whatever had happened when Jamie crossed over, whatever had changed – it had broken something. Maybe it had broken him.

Years passed. Jamie grew older. He never saw the dead again.

But sometimes, late at night, he thought about what he had seen in those few seconds of death. He thought about Thumper’s laughter.

And he wondered if, when his time finally came, he would still be able to close his eyes and pretend he hadn’t seen what was waiting.

Main Characters

• Jamie Conklin – The protagonist, a boy who can see dead people and hear their last truths. Initially innocent and curious, he learns that his ability can be both a weapon and a burden as he grows older.
• Tia Conklin – Jamie’s mother, a struggling literary agent who fiercely protects her son. She is pragmatic, loving, and desperate to shield Jamie from those who might exploit his gift.
• Liz Dutton – A NYPD detective and Tia’s sometimes-lover. She starts as a friend but turns into a major antagonist, using Jamie’s powers for her own dark purposes.
• Thumper (Kenneth Therriault) – A deceased serial bomber whose ghost refuses to fade away, posing an escalating supernatural threat to Jamie.
• Regis Thomas – A best-selling author and Tia’s key client. His sudden death creates financial turmoil for Tia, leading her to make desperate decisions.

Theme

• The Burden of Truth – Jamie’s ability forces him to confront truths no one else can hear. The dead are compelled to answer honestly, but the truth is often dangerous.
• Exploitation and Corruption – From Liz using Jamie’s gift for her own gains to Tia’s moral dilemmas, the story explores how power can be abused.
• Death and the Supernatural – Unlike traditional ghosts, the spirits in Later fade over time, but some, like Thumper, defy the rules, revealing an eerie, unknown force at play.
• Coming-of-Age Under Horror – Jamie’s journey from childhood innocence to hard-earned wisdom is shaped by both human cruelty and supernatural horrors.
• Fate and Inevitability – The word “later” echoes throughout the book, reinforcing the idea that the future is always waiting, whether we’re ready or not.

Writing Style and Tone

Stephen King’s writing in Later is conversational and deeply engaging, as Jamie narrates his story with a mix of dark humor and raw emotion. The prose is direct, occasionally breaking the fourth wall, making the reader feel like they’re being personally confided in. King masterfully blends horror with everyday realism, using sharp dialogue, vivid descriptions, and unsettling suspense to immerse readers in Jamie’s world.

The tone fluctuates between eerie and introspective, with moments of warmth and humor offset by chilling horror. King captures childhood wonder and dread equally well, making Jamie a compelling and authentic narrator. The novel also carries a noir-inspired crime thriller edge, particularly in Jamie’s interactions with Liz and the escalating tension with Thumper’s ghost. King’s signature ability to mix the supernatural with gritty realism ensures a gripping read that lingers long after the final page.