Stephen King's beloved private investigators are back with King's sixth novel, “Never Flinch,” featuring Holly Gibney, whom readers first met in the Bill Hodges trilogy: (“Mercedes” “Finders Keepers,” “End of Watch”). Holly also solved the murders central to “Outsider” and “Holly.”
In “Never Flinch,” Holly tackles two intriguing cases. One involves an editor of a controversial figure who travels the nation discussing women’s reproductive rights, while the other sees her returning to Ohio to confront umpires following a miscarriage of justice.
The primary link between the two cases is a classic King hallmark: a murderer burdened by the shadow of a deceased father. We meet both early in the story and delve into their psyche, but the full identity of one remains shrouded in mystery until close to the climax. One of the killers shares the title of the novel, recalling how a domineering father would push him to a bitter end, stating, “He would not flinch and turn his back.”
Despite the inner dialogues of the two killers, Holly remains the focal point. She “continues to attract eccentrics like magnets draw iron filings,” as her friend Barbara aptly describes. Often, Holly’s obsessive-compulsive tendencies enable her to “think outside the box,” as one detective notes.
King also brings back Barbara's brother, Jerome, and introduces a host of vibrant new characters, including Sister Bessie (“She's not the Beatles, but she’s a big deal”). As these characters unfold, readers will surely relish the thrilling conclusion, reminiscent of King's best works—though thankfully no pig blood like in “Carrie.”
All the characters return to Dayton, Ohio (“The Second Miss of the Lake”), where we first encountered Holly. The pacing quickens dramatically in the final third—will Psychopath Brady Hartsfield resurface to wreak havoc as he did in “Mr. Mercedes”? Will Mingo's auditorium become another site of tragedy, or can Holly and her amateur sleuthing save the day once more?
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Source: apnews.com