When an eleven-year-old boy is found murdered in a town park, reliable eyewitnesses undeniably point to the town's popular little league coach, terry Maitland, as the culprit. Dna evidence and fingerprints confirm the crime was committed by this well-loved family man. Horrified by the brutal killing, detective ralph Anderson, whose own son was once coached by Maitland, orders the suspect to be arrested in a public spectacle. But Maitland has an alibi. And further research confirms he was indeed out of town that day. As Anderson and the district attorney trace the clues, the investigation expands from ohio to Texas. And as horrifying answers begin to emerge, so king's propulsive story of almost unbearable suspense kicks into high gear. Terry Maitland seems like a nice guy but there is one rock-hard fact, as unassailable as gravity: a man cannot be in two places at the same time. Can he?

Review

The Outsider gives King fans exactly what they want at the same time as cramming in new ideas, proving the least surprising thing of all: that his novels are as strong as they ever were.

A crime masterpiece that has you gripped throughout.

Nerve-shreddingly brilliant

If you read only one thriller this summer, make it this one

King's blend of supernatural crime makes for a taut, clever read that will keep you guessing until the end

King pulls back the layers of the everyday to show just how dangerous and threatening the ordinary world we live in case be

Compulsive entertainment

So shout it from the rooftops: This new take on the old conundrum of how a man can be in two places at once is sensationally good

The Outsider is a crime masterpiece

Edge-of-the-seat horror

Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American writer of contemporary horror fiction, science fiction, fantasy literature, and screenplays. More than 350 million copies of King's novels and short story collections have been sold, and many of his stories have been adapted for film, television, and other media. King has written a number of books using the pen name Richard Bachman, and one short story, "The Fifth Quarter", as John Swithen.
In 2003 the National Book Foundation awarded King the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.