Never Flinch: A Novel
May 2025 · Sold by Simon and Schuster
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142 reviews
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About this ebook
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
142 reviews
Karen Chiodini
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July 1, 2026
This book is waste of everyone's time, including Stephen King's. His obsession with Covid, abortion, and conservatives prevented him from developing a coherent plot, compelling characters, and moving familiar characters forward in any meaningful way. He even states in the acknowledgements he knows this is a mediocre book, he gave up on trying to make it better, and published it so he could call it done. That should have been a warning label on the cover instead of a confession at the end of the book. Make better use of your time and money.
Charles Lusk
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June 16, 2025
I'm with Tabitha you could do better could you please write a vampire novel your constant reader Charles Dennis Lusk PS I go by Dennis have great night. you Rock
Regan Ellis
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June 3, 2025
love king, but it's not as gripping as most of them are. I'm not overly invested in the Holly books, but this one was vs. normal crazy not fantasy crazy, and there wasn't much magic spark in this one, like I feel for most of his books. still 4 star isn't bad, I wish they could all be favorites.
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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