Book Review: NEVER FLINCH by Stephen King

NEVER FLINCH by Stephen King (Scribner, May 27, 2025) Hardcover, 448 pages. ISBN # 9781668089330 Synopsis on the Goodreads website . . . . . .

From master storyteller Stephen King comes an extraordinary new novel with intertwining storylines—one about a killer on a diabolical revenge mission, and another about a vigilante targeting a feminist celebrity speaker—featuring the beloved Holly Gibney and a dynamic new cast of characters.

When the Buckeye City Police Department receives a disturbing letter from a person threatening to “kill thirteen innocents and one guilty” in “an act of atonement for the needless death of an innocent man,” Detective Izzy Jaynes has no idea what to think. Are fourteen citizens about to be slaughtered in an unhinged act of retribution? As the investigation unfolds, Izzy realizes that the letter writer is deadly serious, and she turns to her friend Holly Gibney for help.

Meanwhile, controversial and outspoken women’s rights activist Kate McKay is embarking on a multi-state lecture tour, drawing packed venues of both fans and detractors. Someone who vehemently opposes Kate’s message of female empowerment is targeting her and disrupting her events. At first, no one is hurt, but the stalker is growing bolder, and Holly is hired to be Kate’s bodyguard—a challenging task with a headstrong employer and a determined adversary driven by wrath and his belief in his own righteousness.

Featuring a riveting cast of characters both old and new, including world-famous gospel singer Sista Bessie and an unforgettable villain addicted to murder, these twinned narratives converge in a chilling and spectacular conclusion—a feat of storytelling only Stephen King could pull off.

Thrilling, wildly fun, and outrageously engrossing, Never Flinch is one of King’s richest and most propulsive novels.

My Four-Star Review on the Goodreads website . . . . .

While I did not enjoy this as much as HOLLY, the previous Holly Gibney novel, this is another great example of King's ability to write crime fiction almost equal to his horror fiction as well as his ability to create memorable characters. Since King is such an accomplished story-teller, it's nearly impossible not to find something to like in his novels. 

There are several new characters to appreciate here, as well as some well-defined and disturbing antagonists. NEVER FLINCH has overlapping storylines and it's a blast to see how King links everything together. The conclusion is not as dramatic as some might expect but is very satisfying nonetheless. Here's hoping there are more Holly Gibney stories in the future.

I started reading this with the Nightmares & Dreamscapes group on the Goodreads website.

NOTES 

JULY 02

Started reading yesterday. Now at Page 79.

Like most King novels, it didn't take me long at all to become immersed in the story.

King is always great at characterization, and these are familiar characters so it happened even faster for me. I love Holly, and it sure feels like King does too.

One of the things I have noted about his books is that even though NEVER FLINCH is told in third person - it always feels like a narrator is speaking directly to me. A master storyteller.

JULY 03

Now at Page 115:

With the exception of THE OUTSIDER, I don't really consider the Holly Gibney novels to be horror (MR. MERCEDES, HOLLY- haven't read the other ones). Same with NEVER FLINCH, at least so far.

To me, they are riveting crime novels, another genre that King is really good at because of his incredible way with depicting characters.

I like that NEVER FLINCH contains two different crimes/perpetrators to be solved/apprehended. That reminds me of many of Michael Connelly's Bosch novels. These keep me reading for the same reasons.

JULY 15

There are numerous and clever little hints and foreshadowing throughout this novel. I won't share them and spoil it; but I'm having fun detecting them.

There's an ironic twist on Page 318 that destroys any possible endings that I can guess/imagine. I'm excited to see how King wraps this up. Loving so many of these characters, and beginning to worry for several of them.