Never Flinch

4.5 starsNo spoilersI’ve read all of Stephen King’s books on Holly Gibney. I love Holly’s character, I feel I can relate to her quirks.As usual, Stephen Kings work here on characters is great. I felt connected to the characters, and felt invested in their stories.There were several reoccurring characters from the other “Holly” books. These excellently felt consistent, and their character development felt natural.New characters also felt real, and I was excited to learn more about them. I always feel like Stephen king shines when it comes to character development.I give a slight ding due to an unlikely and a bit difficult to believe, circumstance in the book. I’m a bit picky, and other readers may not feel this way. I’d give 4.5 if I could.There was also a twist I didn’t expect from the book, which was a fun addition.Overall, I very much enjoyed this book. I stayed engaged, and I loved getting back in Holly’s world.

Leave it to King to write a novel that hits all the issue buttons. As he lays out this latest tale he incorporates women's issues, abortion, immigration, political stupidity, racism, religious fanaticism, and feminism. I may have left some out, but you get the point.The story is pretty basic and in typical King fashion is well told. He after all is a master story teller. The characters are what keep you reading, and one has to laugh at the way the issues are added to the story.This is not one of his best novels but it is a fun read.

Over a decade after creating a fictitious Ohio town along the southern shore of Lake Erie, Stephen King finally gives his “Second Mistake on the Lake” a name—Buckeye City. (Think Cleveland, only slightly smaller.) While the name may not mean anything to you, you might recognize a handful of its residents: Detective Izzy Jaynes, siblings Jerome and Barbara Robinson, but most notably, Holly Gibney, the unassuming and quirky proprietor of the Finders Keepers Detective Agency.Ah, yes. Holly Gibney…Conceived as a supporting character in the first of King’s Bill Hodges trilogy, Mr. Mercedes, Gibney has more than held her own throughout the years, emerging as the most unlikely of heroines in six subsequent outings, including King’s latest, a superbly twisted tale with vengeance and fanaticism fueling its parallel tracks that are destined to collide, if only for their one common denominator—if you guessed Holly Gibney, then huzzah! You’ve clearly been paying attention…After the events detailed in 2023’s Holly, even Detective Izzy Jaynes has developed a grudging respect for Gibney and her uncanny knack for filtering through the noise and finding threads that have provided resolution to a growing number of difficult cases. The two women have developed a routine of lunching together with increasing frequency, finally fostering a friendship in which they can seek each other’s counsel both on and off the record.When Izzy lands a puzzling case involving a serial killer whose motives are anything but clear, she casually solicits Holly’s advice on how to proceed—off the record, of course. Intrigued from the onset, Holly has barely provided any input at all when she’s hired (and for big bucks, too!) to provide security for an outspoken activist, Kate McKay, whose controversial feminist agenda has put her in the crosshairs of several groups of religious fanatics who want nothing more than to derail every single date on her sold-out tour of the country. While most of them are simply obnoxious hecklers, some are not nearly so innocuous, and after a couple of hair-raising incidents, Gibney is retained for the duration of McKay’s tour. While not an obvious choice for the job, Holly’s reputation has preceded her, and best of all—she’s a woman.As you might know by now, you can’t really check in with Holly without getting an update on Jerome and Barbara Robinson, the brother and sister who are almost Holly’s surrogate children at this point. When last we checked in with the Robinsons, both were celebrating the unlikely success of their recent published works. Jerome had briefly hit the New York Times bestseller list with his biography of his great-grandfather’s hoodlum days, and Barbara with her book of poetry which had been the recipient of the coveted Penley Prize. Having recently concluded a book tour, Jerome is back in town to begin work on his next novel while Barbara attends Bell College, focusing on her academic career. Imagine her shock when legendary soul singer, Sista Bessie, reaches out to fangirl over Barbara’s little book of poetry. She’s enamored with one poem in particular and would love to set it to music with an eye on unveiling it during the first show of her comeback tour in nearby Mingo Auditorium—sound familiar? Ahhh, you HAVE been paying attention! It’s the site of the epic resolution of the book that started it all, Mr. Mercedes!Surely, nothing bad could ever happen there…And thus the foundation of King’s story is set. As the pages turn, the pieces begin to coalesce, and what a story it is! Fraught with heightening tension, it had me flipping pages fast and furious to see how this might all play out. Delightfully devoid of supernatural elements—although it does tip its hat to encounters in previous cases—this is just good, old-fashioned detective work at its finest, and watching Holly Gibney do her thing is something I could do all day long.Another bullseye from the King. Are you really surprised?

Just finished Stephen King’s "Never Flinch" - the latest addition to the Holly Gibney series. What struck me most was the familiarity of the character. By now, Holly feels like an old friend whose growth and resilience continues to deepen with each tale. King leans less on the supernatural this time. The psychological tension kept me fully engaged from start to finish.I especially appreciated the way he crafted two seemingly separate storylines, only to have them come crashing together in an intense climax. The pacing and the layered villains all showcase King at his finest. "Never Flinch" proves that true horror doesn’t require monsters in the shadows; sometimes the darkest places are found in the human mind.A gripping read that I couldn’t put down. Check it out!

Such a promising book that just couldn’t leave politics out. I have loved SK’s books for decades, but politics has been a prominent fixture in all of his recent works, it has no place in fiction. Fiction is what I turn to as an escape from the everyday back and forth of political and hot social issues. Social media has made it inescapable in daily life and I don’t want it where it is not necessary. What a shame.

Stephen King has written another great story. It’s fun to have familiar characters face new challenges &, of course, having them succeed. Always interesting and, at times, a page turner, this story weaves it all together beautifully. Highly recommend this one.

Huge and forever King fan but can't say I loved this one. Seemed somewhat frantic. A whole lot of characters and locations that had to inevitably run into each other at the end. Ending anticlimactic. Still engaging and readable beginning to end.