Stephen King Confirms He’s Bringing Back a Fan-Favorite Character

Stephen King is one of America’s favorite authors, one who has gotten much more prolific in his old age. King has created iconic stories over the decades, starting way back in Carrie and moving into the present day. King’s best known for horror but his books run the gamut, taking in sci-fi, fantasy, and more. King’s characters are among the best in fiction, as he’s able to bring them to life in ways that give his stories much more impact, creating characters that truly resonate. Everyone has a favorite and one of those is coming back for his next novel, Never Flinch: Holly Gibney.

Gibney first appeared in the Bill Hodges trilogy of novels — Mr. Mercedes, Finders Keepers, and End of Watch — before coming back as a major supporting character in The Outsider. She was the main character of If It Bleeds, a novella in the collection of the same name, before getting her own novel, Holly. Gibney struck a chord with readers, being fiercely competent while also having issues that made her more relatable. She’s appeared in adaptations of Mr. Mercedes, where she was played by Justine Lupe, and the short-lived The Outsider, where future Wicked co-star Cynthia Ervo brought her to life.

Never Flinch consists of two intertwining stories — one about a killer out for revenge and the other about vigilante stalking a radical feminist celebrity. The book’s description reads:

“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.”

King fans have been getting an embarrassment of riches lately, and Never Flinch looks like another great addition to his oeuvre, anchored by a character he obviously loves to write and fans love to read about.