Holly

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: Justine Lupe, Stephen King

Length: 15 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Holly Gibney, one of Stephen King’s most compelling and ingeniously resourceful characters, returns in this thrilling novel to solve the gruesome truth behind multiple disappearances in a midwestern town.

“Sometimes the universe throws you a rope.” —BILL HODGES

Stephen King’s Holly marks the triumphant return of beloved King character Holly Gibney. Audiences have witnessed Holly’s gradual transformation from a shy (but also brave and ethical) recluse in Mr. Mercedes to Bill Hodges’s partner in Finders Keepers to a full-fledged, smart, and occasionally tough private detective in The Outsider. In King’s new novel, Holly is on her own, and up against a pair of unimaginably depraved and brilliantly disguised adversaries.

When Penny Dahl calls the Finders Keepers detective agency hoping for help locating her missing daughter, Holly is reluctant to accept the case. Her partner, Pete, has Covid. Her (very complicated) mother has just died. And Holly is meant to be on leave. But something in Penny Dahl’s desperate voice makes it impossible for Holly to turn her down.

Mere blocks from where Bonnie Dahl disappeared live Professors Rodney and Emily Harris. They are the picture of bourgeois respectability: married octogenarians, devoted to each other, and semi-retired lifelong academics. But they are harboring an unholy secret in the basement of their well-kept, book-lined home, one that may be related to Bonnie’s disappearance. And it will prove nearly impossible to discover what they are up to: they are savvy, they are patient, and they are ruthless.

Holly must summon all her formidable talents to outthink and outmaneuver the shockingly twisted professors in this chilling new masterwork from Stephen King.

“I could never let Holly Gibney go. She was supposed to be a walk-on character in Mr. Mercedes and she just kind of stole the book and stole my heart. Holly is all her.” —STEPHEN KING

©2023 Stephen King (P)2023 Simon & Schuster Audio

Of course it's excellent,

The 'reviews' in here that slam it are predictable and have nothing to do with the book, everything to do with America's current outbreak of fanaticism. Odd that his disappointed detractors have never noticed that King's human villains have always reflected his keen awareness of how real evil plays out among the citizens of small town and rural America - we recognize them and have known them from our schooldays. His familiar bad guys are everyday bullies, abusers, hypocrites, haters, and random sociopaths writ large and monstrously scary. There used to be a sane consensus about those types, in real life as well as fantastic novels.

The books work so well because King understands understands vice, and American-style vice particularly, in all of its moral and psychological awfulness. He also understands American goodness, in all of its stubborn, earnest sanity. And he understands what's going on today. It's in his books because writers are culturally engaged, even when they seem or pretend not to be - literacy 101.

And it's odd that the complainers are so exercised about Holly, anyway - the villains aren't even vicious sheriffs or lunatic clergy or woman-bullyers (plenty of those traditionally right wing bad guys in his works). Just some perverse old academics genially going about their evil versus a modest, luminously decent, politically temperate woman investigator, in a pandemic-exhausted, half-lunatic, Trumpy world that King could have written himself. Same as the one we're all trying to survive.

And as always, it's delicious, creepy fun.

Perfect narrator

I have six hours left. But I wanted to say a few things. Great choice for the narrator. I recognized Holly’s voice right away.
Also, I love the politics. Yes, they are thrown in a lot, but it works with where this country was during Covid. So it works. More when I’m finished.

Absolutely loved it

My first NEW Stephen King book since I became a "Constant Reader". I love how King weaves modern day events into his stories. It makes it more real and believable.

Loved this!

Excellent story with relatable characters you can’t help but love — or hate. While I’m aware of Mr. King’s political positions, I did not find the story to be “preachy” or overbearing in any way — they simply and accurately reflected our country during the height of the pandemic. And while I’m a huge fan of Will Patton, I never cared for his portrayal of Holly. I found Justine Lupe’s voice much better suited for this book. Maybe a collaboration for the next Holly story?

Wonderful and terrifying

Another brilliant story from the great Stephen King. His ability to create believable and sympathetic characters facing dire situations is unmatched. As is his thrilling imagination.

Good writing as usual but disappointed.

This is my critique.
1. Steve, why did you have go there with your politics?
2. What made you select any but Will Patton for this novel?
3. I liked the Holly in prior books not only because of her personality but also the way she spoke. Kind of robotic, but that was her.
Someone should have advised you not to do that. Big mistake.

Such a let down

This is the wrong narrator for the book: she wasn’t able to capture Holly’s presence at all and her tendency to shout the dialogue hit my ear as strident.

It seems also that Holly’s entire personality has changed from prior books in the series. I remember her as having somewhat quirky traits, but this Holly is flat and without her former struggles and inner dialogue. Not that we spend much time with Holly in this novel: more time than is necessary is spent with the creepy villains (with witchy, high-pitched narration).

For me, Holly was one of the more interesting characters from this series, so I was really looking forward to a novel that focuses on her. This isn’t that novel.

The characters constant inquiries of, “Are you vaxxed?” along with mentioning which brand of vaccine they received while urging each other to take off masks was weird and became tedious. Not one person said “vaccination”. always “vaxxed” which I’ve never encountered IRL. This is another pet peeve of mine with King’s recent novels: his use of slang is very narrow and often awkwardly non-modern.

I stayed to the end

Despite the heavy left-leaning political beginnings, as a committed fan I decided to stay through to the end, albeit at 2+ speed. I hope King feels better after getting his anti-trump and pro-vaccination views out to his readers who don’t follow him on social media so he can get back to taking us through the thrillers we know and love him for.

Not Holly’ voice

I took stars off because of the narrator. This is not the voice and mannerisms of the Holly we know and love. I ended up switching to the kindle book so I could keep her in my head. I’m my opinion the choice of narrator here was a huge mistake.

A gift from the King

Thank you Mr. King for this amazing book! Thank you for telling the truth about the pandemic and not shying away from portraying the various courtesies and unfortunate idiocy we all had to endure during that time (and ongoing!) The story is brilliant and scary and Holly is lovely. And I, for one, was grateful for the break from Will Patten’s narration. Time for Holly to have a voice of her own.