Holly by Stephen King: A review

 

Stephen King is a very good writer but his preferred genre, horror, is something I tend to steer clear of in my reading. There seems to be more than enough horror in the real world, so why inflict it on myself in my reading life. I think the only book of his that I'd ever actually read was Billy Summers which was notable for its lack of horror. But I kept reading so many intriguing reviews and comments about his new book that I decided to give it a go. And I found plenty of horror but still...

The book features a character who has appeared in the background in other King novels, Holly Gibney. In this one, she is front and center as the title of the book would indicate.

Holly is a partner in a detective agency called Finders Keepers. Her life is a bit complicated at the moment by the facts that her mother has just died and her partner, Pete, is currently suffering from Covid. So Finders Keepers is a bit strapped for working detectives at the moment, but when the agency receives a call from Penny Dahl, a desperate mother who has been unable to contact her daughter, Bonnie, something in the woman's voice makes it impossible for Holly to turn her down. 

Her search for Bonnie brings her in contact with a pair of professors at the local college. Professors Rodney and Emily Harris are octogenarians and are semi-retired. They appear to be the most benign and harmless academics, but appearances can be deceiving. And they were never more deceptive than in this case. Rodney and Emily are (not to put too fine a point on it) cannibals. Their basement harbors a cage where they keep their "livestock" before slaughtering and eating them. 

Holly is off her guard in the presence of the professors, not considering them any kind of threat. That is her big mistake and is how she ends up in that cage in the basement. (Spoiler alert!) She is not slaughtered and eaten and lives to inhabit what I understand will be a series of Stephen King books in which she will evidently be the main character.

And she is a great character. She is resourceful and quick-witted and utterly devoted to her profession. I look forward to reading her further adventures, so, quick, Mr. King, get busy on that next book!