Never Flinch (May 2025)

BevVincent

Steve said in the Talking Scared Podcast that he's currently working on a long book called We Think Not. It's nominally a Holly story, but there are a lot of other characters in it, too.

GNTLGNT

.....any Steve news like that is tremendous news!!!....

Hedda Gabler

Hmmmm. Not sure what I think about this. 

Lou_Sytsma

Excellent! Maybe two books next year? This and the short story collection?

BevVincent

Jerome is very important in what I’m writing now. I’m writing another book, and Jerome is involved with this one particularly because in a lot of the early books, Jerome’s job with the Finders Keeper’s Agency has to do with finding lost dogs or kidnapped dogs. So I had a chance to do something in this book with that, and I’m really delighted to see him involved in the book. He’s a cool character. [Rolling Stone]

Lou_Sytsma

Hmmm, werewolves perhaps?

GNTLGNT

Lou_Sytsma said:

Hmmm, werewolves perhaps?

...only if he sets it in London....

Lou_Sytsma

Sorry if this has been previously posted - I couldn't find any thread.

According to Giant Freaking Robot and Holly Gibney is in it. If memory serves the focus of the story is Jerome this time but the story doesn't mention that.

Article here - https://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/ent/stephen-king-reveals-continuation.html

BevVincent

It sounds like the Jerome story didn't pan out -- he was inspired by the kidnapping of Lady Gaga's dogs. However, the story is now about Holly being hired as a bodyguard for a woman who's a flashpoint in US politics. "Throw in a stalker and stir."

May 27th, 2025

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 James 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 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.

BevVincent

Stephen King has long been the master of horror, and he returns with another terrifying read, Never Flinch,  which will hit shelves on May 27, 2025. Entertainment Weekly can exclusively share the first excerpt from the novel, told from the perspective of the mysterious Trig, a man with vengeance on his mind.

Never Flinch features intertwining storylines — one about a killer on a diabolical revenge mission and another about a vigilante stalking a feminist celebrity speaker. The novel features a host of familiar characters, including King's beloved Holly Gibney and gospel singer Sista Bessie, as well as riveting new faces that include a villain addicted to murder.

BevVincent

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 realises 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.

Philippa Pride, Editor for Stephen King, says, “Following a sensational year for Stephen King – with the No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller You Like It Darker, the stand-out paperback of Holly, and the launch of an exciting new list of Classic King titles, starting with a 50th Anniversary Edition, introduced by Margaret Atwood – we are thrilled to be publishing Never Flinch in 2025. I was held captive from the first page of this brilliantly suspenseful crime thriller. King offers readers both a fascinating exploration of justice and a glimpse into the world of an author on promotional tour, and his description of a woman’s singing comeback is matched only by his brilliant observation of dance in his story ‘The Life of Chuck’, soon to be a major movie. Never Flinch is the perfect entry point to readers new to Stephen King and offers and enticing reunion for fans of Holly Gibney.”

BevVincent

BevVincent said:

gospel singer Sista Bessie

Steve says she's inspired by Mavis Staples.