Never Flinch
 First edition cover | |
| Author | Stephen King |
|---|---|
| Audio read by | Jessie Mueller[1] |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Crime fiction |
| Publisher | Scribner |
Publication date | May 27, 2025 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover), e-book, audiobook |
| Pages | 439 |
| ISBN | 978-1-66808-933-0 (First edition hardcover) |
Never Flinch is a crime novel by American author Stephen King. The book was published on May 27, 2025, by Scribner.[2] The story follows recurring character Holly Gibney who also appeared in Mr. Mercedes (2014), Finders Keepers (2015), End of Watch (2016), The Outsider (2018), If It Bleeds (2020), and Holly (2023). The book was announced on November 18, 2024, with an excerpt published in Entertainment Weekly.[3]
Premise
[edit]Holly Gibney assists a detective in uncovering a vigilante threatening retribution. Meanwhile, a celebrity feminist activist is being pursued by a stalker and Holly signs on as her bodyguard.
Background
[edit]In August 2023, speaking as a guest on an episode of the Talking Scared podcast, King confirmed plans for another novel featuring Holly Gibney, titled We Think Not.[4] In July 2024, in his second appearance on the podcast, King announced that he had been working on a novel titled Always Holly since February 2023. He stated that his early inspiration for the novel was the February 2021 dognapping case involving singer Lady Gaga.[5][6]
Reception
[edit]Publishers Weekly commended the novel's structure, writing, "Holly shines as a quirky but lovable beacon of hope amid the plot's grisly violence, and King never lets his Rube Goldberg–esque plot overshadow his characters' humanity."[7] Writing for The New York Times, Ainslie Hogarth noted the novel's cinematic style and commended King's social critique of virtue signalling, writing that it "works well to draw so many initially disparate threads together over the course of the novel".[8] Kirkus Reviews similarly characterized at as "[reading] like a big-screen thriller" and concluded, "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."[9]
References
[edit]- ^ "NEVER FLINCH Reader Announced!". stephenking.com. April 25, 2025. Retrieved April 25, 2025.
- ^ King, Stephen (May 27, 2025). Never Flinch. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-6680-8933-0.
- ^ Lenker, Maureen Lee (November 18, 2024). "Stephen King announces new book Never Flinch, shares exclusive excerpt". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
- ^ Creamer, Ella (August 16, 2023). "Stephen King says he may continue the Talisman series". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
- ^ Eisenberg, Eric (July 9, 2024). "Stephen King Reveals The Lady Gaga Dognapping Case Helped Lead Him To The Story In His Next Novel". CinemaBlend. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
- ^ Vespe, Eric (July 10, 2024). "Stephen King Reveals The Title of His Next Book And Teases A Return To THE TALISMAN". Fangoria. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
- ^ "Never Flinch". Publishers Weekly. April 3, 2025. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
- ^ Hogarth, Ainslie (May 27, 2025). "A New Stephen King Novel Asks, Does the World Have Heroes Anymore?". The New York Times. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
- ^ "Never Flinch". Kirkus Reviews. February 1, 2025. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
