The Outsider is a horror novel by American author Stephen King, published in 2018 by Scribner. The story begins as a seemingly straightforward police procedural in the fictional town of Flint City, Oklahoma, where beloved Little League coach Terry Maitland is arrested for the brutal murder of a young boy. The evidence against him is overwhelming, including DNA and eyewitness testimony, but Maitland has an airtight alibi placing him in another city at the time of the crime.
The novel explores the impossible contradiction between physical evidence and witness accounts, forcing the investigating detective, Ralph Anderson, to confront the possibility that something supernatural is at work. The investigation eventually leads to a shape-shifting entity that feeds on the grief and suffering of its victims, a creature known in folklore as El Cuco. The story blends gritty crime fiction with supernatural horror, a hallmark of King's later career.
The Outsider was well-received critically, with many reviewers praising its compelling first half and the seamless integration of characters from King's earlier Bill Hodges trilogy, particularly the private investigator Holly Gibney, who becomes central to the novel's second half. The book debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list and was nominated for the Locus Award for Best Horror Novel in 2019.
