Becky's Great Book Reviews Holly by Stephen King

Holly Gibney is back. The beloved private investigator introduced in the Mr. Mercedes trilogy takes the main character slot in this novel. The King writes in the last line of his author notes, "thanks for coming to another dark place with me". We expect no less!

Holly is unconventional and idiosyncratic. She uses "fracking" in place of the F word, prays on her knees every night, and is fastidious - except for her smoking habit! Holly is attuned to the irony of smoking in light of her slight hypochondria (Covid plays a huge role in this novel). Holly Gibney suffers from low self-esteem and insecurities but believes they make her a better detective because she listens to her gut. Stephen King's love for his character shines through.

Holly is hired to help a mother find her young adult daughter who has gone missing. Holly eventually discovers several people have gone missing over the past ten years, all in the same vicinity in their college town. The only connection between the people is a pair of retired, elderly professors. And because this is Stephen King, here comes the sick, evil part!

Roddy and Emily Harris play up their frail, elderly personas to trap victims in their van. The victims are then held captive in their basement until the Harris's make them a part of their heinous project.

It is because of Stephen King's expert writing that parts of this tale are difficult to read. Not even the gruesome parts, but those of the heart- wrenching variety (i.e. the victim's families' pain). The rest of the novel is entertaining and compulsively readable due to King's same expertise. His prose holds little insightful nuggets throughout like when Holly has the thought that "people are not always happy. If they were it wouldn't mean anything".

Strong supporting characters, like the literary siblings Jerome and Barbara Robinson who are also recognizable from the Mr. Mercedes trilogy, round out the story. Nevertheless, they don't necessitate reading the other books first. Holly Gibney carries this tale. She embodies the idea that courageous people don't do difficult things because they are fearless but rather because they have no other choice. Alas, this is what makes them brave. I give this book a 5/5.