The Outside Man: A Novel [Hardcover]

Richard North Patterson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1981

The inhabitants of a genteel Southern town turn against Yankee lawyer Adam Shaw, who is in the area to try to solve a friend's murder. Reprint. NYT.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

The outside man is society lawyer Adam Shaw. A northerner in a southern town jealous of its secrets, he finds the dead body of his best friend's wealthy wife -- and his friend is missing.
In a world where wealthy people will stop at nothing to maintain a genteel image, Shaw must gamble his career, his marriage, and his very life in a passionate quest for the real murderer -- and learn the shocking truth about his own past and future . . . .
"A classic detective story." -- The New York Times Book Review
"Rich, complex, beautifully written." -- The New Republic
"Richard North Patterson seems destined for celebrity status, alongside Scott Turow and John Grisham, as an acknowledged master." -- Los Angeles Times Book Review


From the Paperback edition. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 236 pages
• Publisher: Atlantic-Little, Brown; 1st edition (1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316693626
• ISBN-13: 978-0316693622
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,957,014 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

RICHARD NORTH PATTERSON is the author of The Spire, Eclipse and fourteen other bestselling and critically acclaimed novels. Formerly a trial lawyer, he was the SEC liaison to the Watergate special prosecutor and has served on the boards of several Washington advocacy groups. He lives in San Francisco and on Martha's Vineyard with his wife, Dr. Nancy Clair.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A little slow in the beginning, but definately picks up., April 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Outside Man (Paperback)

Sex,Money, Power and racism you get it all with this Patterson novel. He does a fairly decent job of developing his characters and everyone and I mean everyone is a suspect. He developes motives for some of the characters which are inconsistent with the real story. He attempts to get you involved with what it's like living in the south but does not do a very good job. His main character (who is a lawyer) is 10% lawyer and 90% cop who is definately out of his element. His ending is great as are most of his novels, however there are other Patterson novels I would suggest (Degree of Guilt, Silent Witness), however if you are a hard core Patterson fan (as I am) you'll enjoy classic Patterson In "The Outside Man".

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars HE'S A REAL NOWHERE MAN, March 1, 2003

By 

Michael Butts (Berkeley Springs, WV USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Outside Man (Mass Market Paperback)

I liked this book, but it pales in comparison to Patterson's later works. Adam Shaw is a young lawyer employed in his father-in-law's firm who is asked to drop off a document to his friends, Lydia and Henry Cantwell. Shaw finds the murdered body of Mrs. Cantwell, and then discovers the document he was delivering was the latest edition of her last will and testament. The prime suspects in the murder are the husband whose alibi is he was out of town for the night, and their psychotic son, Jason, whose girlfriend says he was with her all night.
Nothing is as it seems from this point; there's much more than meets the eye in all of the characters' secrets and so forth. Eventually three people end up dead by the time the crime is solved. The true culprit is somewhat of a surprise, although the character's presence in the book is never really likeable. The showdown at the end is somewhat contrived, but it serves its purpose.
If you're a true Patterson fan, this book will please you but savor his later efforts.
RECOMMENDED (SLIGHTLY)

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Patterson's best effort, but worth reading, December 23, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Outside Man (Mass Market Paperback)

I read all of Patterson's other books prior to reading The Outside Man and I would consider this to be the weakest of the lot. If you like Patterson's books, it is certainly worth reading; however, I would recommend reading his other books first, particularly Caroline Masters (AKA The Final Judgement) and Protect and Defend. If you are unfamiliar with Richard North Patterson, he writes gripping, complex legal/political thrillers. His earlier books, of which The Outside Man is one, tend to be looser and harder to follow. I had some difficulty keeping the characters' names straight and kept having to flip back to the beginning to refresh my memory regarding who was whom.