March 1, 2025
King's follow-up to Holly has PI Holly Gibney helping to guard Kate, an outspoken feminist activist who has been receiving messages from an increasingly aggressive stalker. At the same time, Holly's friend, Buckeye City Police Detective Izzy Jaynes, is assigned a case that involves a threat to kill 13 innocents and one guilty person. At first, Izzy isn't sure the threat is real, but their doubt disappears after the first murder, with possibly 13 more to come. Izzy has an idea of the "why" of the murders, but hasn't a clue as to who, so she asks Holly to take a look at the evidence. As Izzy investigates and Holly gets pulled further into Kate's orbit, their cases converge, forcing them to work together to prevent a larger disaster. Holly's progression (from supporting character to a protagonist worth rooting for) continues. She's taking on new challenges and finding support in new relationships, a development that gives heart to King's novel. While the horror elements are not as prominent here as in other series installments, there is real suspense in the dual narratives and the actions of an increasingly off-kilter villain. VERDICT Fans of Holly Gibney and/or detective procedurals will find a lot to love here.--Jane Jorgenson
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March 1, 2025
Two killers are on the loose. Can they be stopped? In this ambitious mystery, the prolific and popular King tells the story of a serial murderer who pledges, in a note to Buckeye City police, to kill "13 innocents and 1 guilty," in order, we eventually learn, to avenge the death of a man who was framed and convicted for possession of child pornography and then killed in prison. At the same time, the author weaves in the efforts of another would-be murderer, a member of a violently abortion-opposing church who has been stalking a popular feminist author and women's rights activist on a publicity tour. To tell these twin tales of murders done and intended, King summons some familiar characters, including private investigator Holly Gibney, whom readers may recall from previous novels. Gibney is enlisted to help Buckeye City police detective Izzy Jaynes try to identify and stop the serial killer, who has been murdering random unlucky citizens with chilling efficiency. She's also been hired as a bodyguard for author and activist Kate McKay and her young assistant. The author succeeds in grabbing the reader's interest and holding it throughout this page-turning tale of terror, which reads like a big-screen thriller. The action is well paced, the settings are vividly drawn, and King's choice to focus on the real and deadly dangers of extremist thought is admirable. But the book is hamstrung by cliched characters, hackneyed dialogue (both spoken and internal), and motives that feel both convoluted and overly simplistic. King shines brightest when he gets to the heart of our darkest fears and desires, but here the dangers seem a bit cerebral. In his warning letter to the police, the serial killer wonders if his cryptic rationale to murder will make sense to others, concluding, "It does to me, and that is enough." Is it enough? In another writer's work, it might not be, but in King's skilled hands, it probably is. Even when King is not at his best, he's still good.
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March 1, 2025
Private investigator Holly Gibney has her hands full. She's unofficially helping her friend, Buckeye City P.D. detective Izzy Jaynes, with a case involving a potential serial killer, while also doing bodyguard duty for a women's-rights activist who's being targeted by someone who isn't shy about using violence to make their point. Holly thrives under pressure--as readers of the Bill Hodges trilogy or Holly (2023) already know--but she's also easily frustrated, and diplomacy isn't exactly her strong suit. So working a serial-killer case without being in charge of the investigation, and trying to wrangle an impulsive public figure, isn't her idea of a smooth ride. Complications follow complications, unexpected events disrupt carefully laid plans, murder follows murder, and, shifting nimbly between the two story lines, King keeps us in a constant state of edge-of-our-seat suspense. Ms. Gibney continues to be a deeply interesting and likable character, and the author has created one of his most twistedly compelling villains. This is Stephen King at his finest, and an absolute must-read for his fans.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: A new King novel is always "hot," and readers are particularly thrilled with sleuth Holly Gibney.
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