The Outsider

A Novel

By: Anthony Franze

Narrated by: Robert Petkoff

Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

A young Supreme Court law clerk finds himself caught in the crosshairs of a serial killer in The Outsider, a breathtaking thriller #1 New York Times bestseller James Patterson called "as authentic and suspenseful as any John Grisham novel."

Things aren't going well for Grayson Hernandez. He just graduated from a fourth-tier law school, he's drowning in student debt, and the only job he can find is as a messenger. The position stings the most because it's at the Supreme Court, where Gray is forced to watch the best and the brightest—the elite group of lawyers who serve as the justices' law clerks—from the outside.

When Gray intervenes in a violent mugging, he lands in the good graces of the victim: the Chief Justice of the United States. Gray soon finds himself the newest—and unlikeliest—law clerk at the Supreme Court. It's another world: highbrow debates over justice and the law in the inner sanctum of the nation's highest court; upscale dinners with his new friends; attention from Lauren Hart, the brilliant and beautiful co-clerk he can't stop thinking about.

But just as Gray begins to adapt to his new life, the FBI approaches him with unsettling news. The Feds think there's a killer connected to the Supreme Court. And they want Gray to be their eyes and ears inside One First Street. Little does Gray know that the FBI will soon set its sights on him.

Racing against the clock in a world cloaked in secrecy, Gray must uncover the truth before the murderer strikes again in this thrilling high-stakes story of power and revenge by Washington, D.C. lawyer-turned-author Anthony Franze.

©2017 Anthony Franze (P)2017 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"It's like a mix of John Grisham and Scott Turow alongside the inner workings of the court system. Toss it all together and the end result is this winning novel." ( Washington Post/AP)

“What a thriller. From the opening lines of the audiobook, the story of a string of murders in the shadow of the U.S. Supreme Court is, if you excuse the expression, a killer . . . . Murder, law, flawed but loyal old friends, and entitlement all come into play in this outstanding audiobook.” -- Audiofile

Awesome!!

Listened to this in 3 days. I can't wait for his next book to come out.

Stick with it. Well done legal thriller

Petkoff is great as usual and main reason I selected it. Story almost turned me off as it jumped around and was garrulous. But then it got really good. Learned a lot about Supreme Court and law clerks. Smart and clever story. Main character was a little odd. Could not gain a grasp of what kind of man he was. Seemed smart and tough then later unexpected naive and cowardly.
Overall if you like good mystery, legal and murder and games of a narcissistic tendency then you will enjoy.

A good listen

Enjoyed learning about the Supreme Court. Liked the characters. Narration was a bit dry but worked for this book.

Superb

Great book. Left me guessing to the end. Really enjoyed both of Anthony Franze’s books. Definitely worth a credit.

Loved!

Loved author's first book The Advocate's Daughter, and this one just as good. Especially love the historical aspects brought into the characters' lives as well as the DC intrigue which I think is an ongoing way of life in our capital. Narrator does outstanding job. Highly recommend this book, and look forward to Mr. Franze's next release.

Twisty turny legal thriller

Hadn’t read a good legal thriller in a while and this one was a perfect choice. Keeps you guessing and is a fun and thrilling story set at the Supreme Court.

good read

this is my second franze novel. he's an excellent writeer, keeping his story moving along quickly, with pointed, terse and meaningful dialogue,.his novel creates good characters, an insight into the supreme court that is well researched and a fast paced well crafted plot iwth lots of twists. the reader is excellent, with a good range of voices. i really liked this "listen".

Exceeded my Expectations!

Anthony Franze’s first book on Audible The Advocate’s Daughter was great so I was looking forward to the release of this book. However when it was released I read a couple disheartening review by members whom I usually follow and I decided to skip The Outsider. Then many years later, I was having a very hard time finding a book that held my interest and once again came back to this legal thriller and read some good reviews so decided to give it a try. I can say that my credit was well spent.

You need to understand this is a total work of fiction and as such the plot is, of course, not completely realistic. I found the main characters very likable and well developed. There were many twists and turns along the way. It is a busy book that did jump around a bit but as long as you pay attention it comes together nicely. The narration by Petkoff is fantastic as normal. I listened to this book in one day!

I will definitely be getting the next Franz book regardless of reviews. If you enjoy legal thriller then I strongly recommend The Outsiders!

A fictional look inside SCOTUS

I enjoyed this book that goes deep into the workings of the Supreme Court and talks about procedures and actual decisions. Some stuff sore thin: how many times did the protagonist encounter a stun gun? And dynamics between the justices and their clerks did not seem real. It certainly held my interest.

Disappointing legal thriller

Anthony Franze is a litigator famous for his many cases before the US Supreme Court. His first novel, The Advocate's Daughter, is my pick for one of the 10 best thrillers released in 2016. With The Outsider I have a difficult time choosing between 2 and 3 stars. 3 stars win not because of the story but because of the educational value of Franze explaining so much about the Supreme Court building and the inner workings of the court in the authors comments at the end of the novel.

Even as the author writes mystery/thriller fiction and describes events that are highly unlikely or even impossible he/she must make the reader/listener find enough credibility to enjoy the story. That is where Franze fails with The Outsider; it sounds like a totally fabricated story with little or no credibility. The protagonist is both too naive and too heroic.

Narrator Robert Petkoff does a fine job.