The Outsider Characters

‘The Outsider‘ added to Stephen King’s streak of more than 30 best-selling novels, with it topping the Sunday Times Bestseller’s list. The authenticity of character description and refined dialogues between characters made ‘The Outsider’ possess an extra layer of originality and realism.

Terry Maitland

Terry is the main character on which the story of ‘The Outsider’ begins. Being the father to two girls, Sarah and grace, the coach of the boys’ little league, an English teacher, and a well-respected person in Flint City, Terry is arrested for the murder of Frankie Peterson, an 11-year-old red-head boy. Though he tried to maintain his innocence throughout his predicament, Terry struggles to clear his name due to eyewitnesses and overwhelming DNA evidence against him. Soon, Frankie’s brother, Ollie, shoots and kills him.

Ralph Anderson

Ralph Anderson is a detective of the Flint City police department and is a fat and tall man in his early 50s. Being the lead detective on the murder case of Frankie Peterson, Ralph believes that Frankie’s killer was none other than Terry Maitland due to the overwhelming evidence and the witnesses against Terry.

However, after leading a public arrest on Terry, Ralph doubts Terry’s guilt as footage of Terry being in Cap City emerges defending the little league coach. Though with doubts, Ralph still adamantly refuses to accept that Terry may be innocent but after Terry proclaims his innocence on his dying breath, Ralph’s doubt become more persistent. Diving deeper into Terry’s case, Ralph discovers that what happened with Frankie’s murder had to be nothing short of abnormal and supernatural, and his doubt gets confirmed after meeting Holly Gibney.

Holly Gibney

Holly is a middle-aged woman with grey hair and pale skin, who gets hired as a private investigator by Alec Pelley, a retired police officer working for Howie Gold, Terry’s lawyer. Holly gets hired to investigate Dayton. Soon, Holly discovers that Terry’s case was similar to that of a man named Heath Holmes. Soon, Holly discovers an evil entity she called The Outsider was responsible for the murders of both Frankie and the girls.

Frankie Peterson

Though having a minute appearance in the story, Frankie is also the main character in ‘The Outsider.’ Frankie is an 11-year-old red-haired boy, raped and brutally killed with a tree branch.

Howie Gold

Howie is Terry’s lawyer, and he believes that Terry is innocent of the allegations against him. Howie helps Terry and his wife Marcy navigate the legal ground of trying to acquit Terry of the crimes labeled against him and is happy when video evidence of Terry being in Cap City emerges. Hiring Alec Pelley to help out, Howie tries his best to see that Terry is released from police custody but is devastated when Terry is shot and killed. Later teaming up with Ralph, Holly, and Alec, A psychotic Jack Hoskins shoots Howie, killing him.

Jack Hoskins

Jack is lazy and corrupt police, who is the antagonist in ‘The Outsider.’ Being Ralph’s colleague and a fellow detective, Jack’s vacation ends when he reaches a site of interest in Terry’s case. Jack encounters a scary entity, who touches him on arrival. The next day Jack is visited by the same entity in his house who claims to have infected him with cancer. Out of fear and a promise to get cured of cancer, Jack does The Outsider’s bidding and fulfills his wish to kill the group comprising Ralph, Holly, Howie, Alec, and Sable. However, Jack successfully kills two members of the group before meeting his end at the hands of Ralph.

The Outsider

The Outsider is the main antagonist of ‘The Outsider’ story. Being an entity who takes the form of whoever he injures, The Outsider kills his victims, mainly children, in a horrible way and spreads their fat over his body. Also referred to as Elcuco, an ancient Mexican entity, The Outsider gets away with his murders by utilizing the law which does not acknowledge the supernatural. The Outsider kills his victims in the appearance of a well-known person and uses this as a way to get away with killing, making the innocent victim pay for a crime they never committed.

Alec Pelley

Alec Pelley is a retired police officer who works as a private investigator due to the guilt of putting innocent men behind bars. Alec works as a freelance private investigator for Howie, Terry’s lawyer, and after hiring Holly Gibney to help out, works with the rest of the group to uncover more about The Outsider. Alec, however, is killed by a psychotic Jack under the influence of The Outsider.

Marcy Maitland

Being the wife to Terry Maitland, the man accused of brutally murdering an 11-year-old boy, Marcy sticks beside Terry as she fights for him to get free. Though Marcy’s efforts go down the drain as Terry dies, Marcy still works with Ralph, Howie, and the rest of the group to ensure that Terry is exonerated.

Ollie Peterson

Ollie is Frankie’s older brother, and after Frankie’s death, everything goes sour for his entire family as his mother, Arlene, dies of a heart attack leaving only him and his father, Fred. Unable to handle the pain and with a growing rage for revenge, Ollie storms Terry’s arraignment, where he fires two shots at Terry, killing him. Ralph jumps to the rescue and kills Ollie preventing any further casualty.

Claude Bolton

Claude is a man with a criminal history and a dodgy reputation. After Terry’s death, Holly Gibney and the rest of the group deduce that The Outsider may have chosen the next victim to frame. They discover Claude Bolton is next as an inscription of CAN’T and MUST on The Outsider’s hands reveal his intentions.

Other characters from the book include Grace Maitland, Terry’s youngest daughter. Sarah Maitland. Jeanie Anderson, Ralph’s wife. Fred Peterson, Frankie and Ollie’s father, and Yune Sablo, a detective who assists Ralph, Howie, Alec, and Holly in their investigation.

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