Author:Stephen King
Private eye Holly Gibney seems to have developed a life of her own. Originally just a walk on character in the Mr Mercedes trilogy, she also appeared in The Outsider, then once more in the novella If It Bleeds, and now here she is again as the lead character in this new crime thriller set in the Mid West during the Covid years. It’s a novel that finds King at his gruesome best, in a tale of horrific events happening in a most unlikely and mundane domestic setting in the affluent suburbs of a small university town. The disappearance of a young woman is the thread that soon unravels a number of other suspicious incidents that occurred in the same area, hinting that perhaps a serial killer may be at large. Surely the pair of retired academics, both octogenarians, are beyond suspicion, or is their veneer of devotion and respectability hiding a terrible secret that lurks just beneath the surface of their seemingly ordinary life? This rather grisly novel marks a sea change from last year’s fantasy based Fairy Tale, but illustrates what a master technician King is, as he seamlessly slips back into a different and perhaps more familiar genre. This is a really enjoyable if somewhat chilling and creepy read – it’s dark and unsettling, and it’s one that shows that sometimes the most frightening monsters are to be found in everyday life rather than lurking in the murky recesses of our imaginations. All in all, this is another fine addition to the ever growing King canon, and it’s very apparent in the writing that Holly is a character he really loves. Another bestseller without a doubt!
Length of Read:Long
Might appeal to people who enjoyed…
Horror stories, King’s other works, especially the stories featuring this character..
One thing you’ve learned
The ever advancing years certainly don’t seem to have diminished King’s storytelling abilities, or indeed his work rate. Next year will see the publication of a collection of short stories titled ‘You Like It Darker,’ then in the longer term there’s another Holly novel ‘We Think Not’ on the horizon, and possibly a third volume in The Talisman series King co-authored with the late Peter Straub.
Length of read: King-sized… 🙂
I remember the Holly character in ‘Mercedes’ and was struck by King’s bravery in having somebody who might be a little ‘different’ well able to hold her own and be quite feisty in her own way.
Putting her front and centre will be interesting.
Ordered.
You might want to take a look at The Outsider and If It Bleeds too.
I’ve just seen that I’ve read* The Outsider. That was good.
(* listened to, actually. Which might be why I forgot Holly was in it. That was great. I mean, as per, rubbish ending but yeah, great fun)
Thanks Bargepole. I’ll definitely put that on my list.
I’ve a dreadful backlog of unread books on my bookcase, but it’s always to have a few new ideas for my shopping list.
Unbelievably the kindle ebook costs 50p more than the £12 hardback
The hardback is being discounted heavily by many retailers. not so the Kindle version.
Understand that, but given the state of the world and with companies banging on about how environmentally responsible they are, it’s absurd that an ebook that uses no paper and costs next to nothing to produce, package and post costs less than the dead-tree alternative.
They’ve done the same with the new Mick Herron Slough House origins book
I totally understand what you’re saying but pricing is decided by the retailers not the publishers.
As far as the new Mick Herron is concerned – which is brilliant by the way, review to follow nearer the publication date – Amazon have the book at £19.99 whereas the Kindle edition is £12.99.
By the way, on the Herron book, if you haven’t read the novella Standing By The Wall, then I would suggest you do as it very much sets the scene for the new one.
I sit corrected!
Is this the one written by HP Saucecraft?
Any Flying/Floating Away people in it?
Nice one Tigs!
@TIggerlion
I think this has all the hallmarks
of an AI Saucecraft