Does The Outsider work more effectively as a detective novel or as a horror story? Does blending the two genres make the story more effective? Less? How or why?

Discuss how King presents women in this book and compare this to his other work or works by similar authors. Are his depictions overall positive or negative?

Do male authors have an obligation to give equal time to female protagonists? Can male authors write effective female characters who aren’t essentially men in women’s bodies? Should there be any difference in how men and women are presented in genre fiction?