Never Flinch

Never Flinch once again stars Stephen King’s favorite heroine of the last decade, Holly Gibney.

Holly was first introduced in Mr. Mercedes (2014), where she was a neurotic but capable woman who helped retired detective Bill Hodges to go up against a murderous psychopath named Brady Hartsfield. Since then, King has developed Holly into the leader of a detective agency, who has confronted evil of both the supernatural and the regular human variety.

In Never Flinch, Holly has to juggle two competing priorities. On the one hand, there’s a serial killer on the loose in her hometown, and one of the detectives assigned to the case is asking for her help. On the other hand, she has a new client—a prominent feminist activist who has enlisted her as a bodyguard against anti-abortion fanatics.

The most original idea in the novel is the serial killer’s motive. Without spoiling anything, suffice it to say that he’s very convinced that he’s making an important point by killing random strangers.

The feminist activist who hires Holly, Kate McKay, also keeps the story interesting. In an effort to push for women’s rights, she openly seeks confrontation even in the most conservative US states. As a client, she makes Holly’s work to protect her almost impossible. And someone really is out to get her.

Eventually, and with some suspension of disbelief on the reader’s part, the different threads come together. Holly’s best friends, Jerome and Barbara Robinson, also get pulled into the story, drawn in by a jazz and gospel singer named Sista Bessie.

King capably builds the suspense, and once I was hooked, I found it hard to put the book down. Unfortunately, the payoff isn’t quite commensurate with the build-up. Strands of character development and backstory are left hanging. In their place we get a somewhat conventional villain arc.

Leaving you a bit hungry is not the worst thing you can say about a book, and if Mr. King still has more books to gift his constant readers, I suspect we’ll hear from some of these characters again.