Never Flinch: A Novel
Stephen King
May 2025 · Simon and Schuster · Narrated by Stephen King and Jessie Mueller
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14 hr 44 min
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Named a Most Anticipated Book of the Year by The New York Times Book Review, AV Club, Variety, The Boston Globe, The Minnesota Star Tribune, Vulture, Men’s Health, Book Riot, New York Post, Goodreads, AARP, Paste, and more—one of the top psychological thrillers of 2025!
From Stephen King, “a writer of towering brilliance” (The Spectator), a “cinematic, brilliant” (The New York Times) psychological thriller exploring vigilante justice and a diabolical serial killer—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 Jaynes has no idea what to think. Are fourteen citizens about to be slaughtered in an unhinged act of retribution? Izzy 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, disrupting her events, and growing bolder. 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, including world-famous gospel singer Sista Bessie and an unforgettable villain addicted to murder, King’s twinned narratives converge in a chilling and spectacular conclusion—a feat of storytelling only this master of suspense and horror could pull off.
From Stephen King, “a writer of towering brilliance” (The Spectator), a “cinematic, brilliant” (The New York Times) psychological thriller exploring vigilante justice and a diabolical serial killer—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 Jaynes has no idea what to think. Are fourteen citizens about to be slaughtered in an unhinged act of retribution? Izzy 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, disrupting her events, and growing bolder. 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, including world-famous gospel singer Sista Bessie and an unforgettable villain addicted to murder, King’s twinned narratives converge in a chilling and spectacular conclusion—a feat of storytelling only this master of suspense and horror could pull off.
Named a Most Anticipated Book of the Year by The New York Times Book Review, AV Club, Variety, The Boston Globe, The Minnesota Star Tribune, Vulture, Men’s Health, Book Riot, New York Post, Goodreads, AARP, Paste, and more—one of the top psychological thrillers of 2025!
From Stephen King, “a wri...
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Ratings and reviews
43 reviews
Mike O'Brien
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January 27, 2026
disappointingly political..we get it right wing bad left-wing good in all Stephen King books now a days.. aside from that The story didn't seem to have the pull and the magic. usually super engrossed but the past few novels have been stories written around political messages. The Holly books make me miss Bill Hodges. For me the book takes more than it gives. Stephen King is still my favorite author, I just can't get into this new style.
Steve Tetreault
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June 22, 2025
If King keeps wri like this, his constant reader's are going to be a thing of the past! It's like everything he's written, since the Bill Hodges Trilogy has been awful! It doesn't even sound like King anymore, & it reads like it was created using AI! I'd bet anything that if I were uploaded all the books with Holly Gibney by King into an AI (w/ a paid sub), then told it to write a 650 page novel, using that style; w/ a few adjustments &/or suggestions, it'd generate a similar one to this!
martin kilworth
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June 12, 2025
meh, better than Holly, which king used for his pro Vax, anti Trump agenda, but only just, a somewhat boring book and the barbera sub plot was unbelievable, only there to put holly and Jerome in certain places I guess king is like a boxer past his prime, but still going because he doesn't know what else to do it's a shame because just a few years ago we had the bill hodges trilogy, the outsider and under the dome, which were great, hopefully king can return to form or take up golf
About the author
Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes Never Flinch, the short story collection You Like It Darker (a New York Times Book Review top ten horror book of 2024), Holly (a New York Times Notable Book of 2023), Fairy Tale, Billy Summers, If It Bleeds, The Institute, Elevation, The Outsider, Sleeping Beauties (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and a television series streaming on Peacock). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works The Dark Tower, It, Pet Sematary, Doctor Sleep, and Firestarter are the basis for major motion pictures, with It now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.
Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes Never Flinch, the short story collection You Like It Darker (a New York Times Book Review top ten horror book of 2024), Holly (a New York Times Notable Book of 2023), Fairy Tale, Billy...
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