HBO's 'The Outsider' is based on Stephen King horror, here's the novel's plot
HBO's 'The Outsider' is an upcoming show that is based on Stephen King's novel of the same name, published on May 22, 2018. The official synopsis of the show is that the series "explores the investigation into the gruesome murder of a local boy and the mysterious force surrounding the case."
The suspect is a teacher and coach of a little league who continually claims that he has nothing to do with the death of the little boy. This was seen in the trailer that was released by HBO.
In the trailer, we also saw how the arrest of the teacher affects the lives of his family members. Now, for those of you who enjoy spoilers, here's what takes place in the novel.
The book is set in Flint City, Oklahoma, where Terry Maitland is a popular teacher and he is also the coach of the Little League. The book begins with Terry being arrested by police detective Ralph Anderson on charges of committing the murder of an 11-year-old boy in addition to raping and mutilating him.
Maitland continues to claim that he is innocent, but then there are hard pieces of evidence to prove otherwise. He hires his friend Howie Gold, a lawyer to represent him.
In the meanwhile, people in Flint City are all turning against the Maitland family. The media begins to harass his wife Marcy and his daughters Sarah and Grace for quotes.
The one thing that has stopped Ralph from closing the case is Maitland's alibi. Maitland has a strong alibi and that is what makes detective Ralph hesitate. It also, in a way, puts him on the spot because his gut tells him Maitland was the one to kill the boy.
However, before he could pursue the new avenue of investigation, Maitland gets killed by the victim's brother outside the courthouse. So, instead of the case being solved as to find how one person can be at two places, we see the murder investigation getting shut down and Ralph meanwhile is put on administrative leave.
During this time, Ralph gets the help of a private investigator Holly Gibney to find the truth. The two of them, then follow clues and end up in Marysville, Texas. This also happens to be the area where Ralph's rival Jack Hoskins works in the local enforcement office.
The real killer is still out there and Ralph and Holly are determined to find out who the killer is. They realize after a while that they have an actual monster to face, dubbed 'The Outsider'.
To stop Ralph and Holly from finding the truth, the Outsider also manipulates Jack and tells him that if he kills Ralph, then he can be cured of his cancer. Before that occurs, however, Ralph and Holly manage to take the Outsider down in a cave in Marysville. Following this, Terry is cleared of all charges.
Another interesting detail about 'The Outsider' is the character, Holly Gibney. She has appeared in King's other works which include 'Mr. Mercedes', 'Finders Keepers' and 'End of Watch'. In fact, Holly also uses the same weapon she used to stop Brady Hartsfield in 'Mr. Mercedes' to stop the Outsider.
'The Outsiders' will premiere January 12 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.