Outsider

Synopsis

King's crime thriller featuring Holly Gibney and Detective Ralph Anderson is now released with a stunning new cover look.

Now you see him. Now you don't.

A horrifying crime.

Water-tight evidence points to a single suspect.

Expect he was seventy miles away, with an iron-clad alibi.

Detective Anderson sets out to investigate the impossible: how can the suspect have been both at the scene of the crime and in another town?

Summary

Chapter 1: The Stranger

* Description: Introduction to Meursault, an apathetic and detached individual who struggles to connect with the world around him.
* Real example: Meursault's indifference towards his mother's death: "Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don't know."

Chapter 2: The Wake

* Description: Meursault attends his mother's wake and encounters Marie, a woman he had a brief affair with. He remains emotionally distant and detached.
* Real example: Meursault's refusal to weep for his mother, despite societal expectations: "They told me that everyone weeps at their mother's funeral."

Chapter 3: The Beach

* Description: Meursault and Marie spend a day at the beach, where Meursault becomes involved in an altercation with an Arab man. He fatally shoots the man, but remains indifferent to the act.
* Real example: The senseless and impulsive nature of Meursault's crime: "I shot him four times in the chest."

Chapter 4: The Investigation

* Description: Meursault is arrested and questioned about the murder. He recounts the events leading up to the shooting, revealing his lack of remorse or guilt.
* Real example: Meursault's detached explanation of the events: "I knew I was shooting at a man, but I didn't think much about it."

Chapter 5: The Chapel

* Description: Meursault meets with the chaplain in prison, who attempts to offer him spiritual comfort. However, Meursault rejects the chaplain's beliefs and proclaims his own existential nihilism.
* Real example: Meursault's confrontation with the concept of God: "I don't believe in God...because everything is absurd."

Chapter 6: The Trial

* Description: Meursault's trial commences, where the prosecutor portrays him as a cold-hearted murderer. Meursault remains impassive throughout the proceedings.
* Real example: The prosecutor's condemnation of Meursault's lack of emotion: "He killed without remorse, without reason."

Chapter 7: The Condemnation

* Description: Meursault is sentenced to death. He accepts his fate with the same apathy he has displayed throughout the novel.
* Real example: Meursault's indifferent reaction to his death sentence: "It didn't matter to me whether I lived or died."

Chapter 8: The Dawn

* Description: Meursault's execution day arrives. He reflects on his life and the emptiness he has felt throughout. In his final act, he embraces the absurdity of his existence.
* Real example: Meursault's newfound acceptance of his fate: "I opened my chest to the morning breeze and savored the rare beauty of the world."