The Outsider by Stephen King

Short Audio Book Summary

Description

The Outsider by Stephen King is a chilling blend of crime thriller and supernatural horror, following the investigation of a brutal murder that defies all logic. In the small town of Flint City, the mutilated body of an 11-year-old boy, Frankie Peterson, is discovered in a local park. The evidence overwhelmingly points to Terry Maitland, a well-respected Little League coach, teacher, and family man. DNA, fingerprints, and multiple eyewitness accounts place him at the crime scene, leading Detective Ralph Anderson to arrest him in a very public and humiliating manner. However, as the investigation deepens, an impossible contradiction arises—Terry was also seen miles away at a conference, with video footage proving his alibi. As Anderson and a team of investigators struggle to explain the unexplainable, the case takes a darker turn with eerie forces at play. When Holly Gibney, a brilliant private investigator from King's Mr. Mercedes series, joins the case, she brings unsettling knowledge about a supernatural entity known as El Cuco—a shape-shifting predator that feeds on grief and fear, mimicking its victims to commit horrifying crimes. With mounting tension, terrifying twists, and King's signature psychological depth, The Outsider explores themes of guilt, justice, and the battle between reason and the supernatural. The novel grips readers with its unsettling atmosphere, keeping them on edge until its shocking conclusion.