The Outsider (King novel)
 First edition U.S. cover | |
| Author | Stephen King |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Crime fiction, Horror |
| Published | May 22, 2018 |
| Publisher | Scribner |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 576 |
| ISBN | 978-1501180989 |
The Outsider is a horror novel by American author Stephen King, published on May 22, 2018, by Scribner.[1][2]
Description
The novel begins with the tone of a police procedural in its early parts, but shifts to a horror novel toward the end, employing two common genres of Stephen King. However, the plot is wholly consistent and split into several titled sections, each section containing multiple chapters. In addition, there is a small epilogue following the climax. The sections are ordered according to date in relativity to the inciting incident. The first section contains several fictional police documents. [3]
The novel takes place in the fictional town of Flint City, Oklahoma. Police detective Ralph Anderson arrests popular teacher and Little League Baseball coach Terry Maitland in front of a crowd of baseball game spectators, charging him with raping, killing, and mutilating an 11-year-old boy. The town quickly turns against Maitland. Maitland insists he is innocent, and hires elderly layer Howie Gold to assist him, but Anderson has eyewitnesses and clear physical evidence (DNA and fingerprints) of his guilt. In the meantime, eager reporters harass Terry's wife, Marcy, and his two daughters, Grace and Faith. [3]
The District Attorney, Bill Samuels, who has a cowlick that causes him to resemble Alfalfa from the Little Rascals series, tells Anderson to break Maitland's alibi in order to turn a long court battle into an open-and-shut case. Anderson discovers, however, that not only do multiple eyewitnesses confirm Maitland was out of town when the murder occurred, at a writer's conference in a neighboring fictional town known as Cap City, but security footage provides confirmation as well. With the assistance of private investigator Holly Gibney (a character from King's novel Mr. Mercedes), Anderson begins to dig deeper into the case, following a trail of clues that takes the duo to the fictional town of Marysville, Texas. Jack Hoskins, Ralph's business rival, is coerced by the Outsider to kill Ralph, promising that if he kills Ralph he will save him from cancer. With the help of Marysville police officer Yune Sablo (a Mexican American), Claude Bolton, an eyewitness to the Maitland Case and the next victim of the Outsider, and Claude's mother, Marysville resident Lovie Ann Bolton (a white woman in the predominantly Latino town), Anderson and Gibney discover that they have an actual monster on their hands, and set out to destroy him in a large cave, a tourist attraction known as The Maysville Hole, where two children died years earlier. [3]
Background information
The novel was first mentioned in an interview for USA Today on August 7, 2017.[4] The book cover was first revealed on January 18, 2018.[5] An excerpt was published in the May 25, 2018 issue of Entertainment Weekly.[6]
References
- ^ "StephenKing.com - The Outsider". www.stephenking.com.
- ^ "The Outsider". May 22, 2018.
- ^ a b c Lavalle, Victor (May 22, 2018). "Stephen King's Reign of Terror Continues in a New Novel". The New York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
- ^ "Q&A: Stephen King busier than ever with 'Mr. Mercedes' show, new books". USA Today.
- ^ "Exclusive: Stephen King's new novel The Outsider gets a chilling cover: Exclusive". Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ "It's GLOW time! Get an exclusive season 2 first look with this week's cover". Entertainment Weekly.
