I’ll Never Eat “Parfait” Again: Holly by Stephen King

My daughter thinks it is near impossible for someone to be this prolific a writer.

I say Stephen King can do whatever he wants as long as he keeps on releasing spooky books for me to read at least once a year.

Last year, I picked up King’s “Fairy Tale” and it took me just about the rest of the year to read. Very, very good but very, very long.

This year, King checks my fall thriller read box with “Holly,” not so much a follow up to the Bill Hodges-plus-one-with The-Outsider trilogy, but a continuation of a much deserved character’s own story arc — that of Holly Gibney, Bill’s assistant and now proprietor of the detective agency, Finders Keepers.

This time around, readers find Holly grieving the loss of her mother to Covid. It’s a complicated relationship and King returns to it from time to time, as Holly grapples with her latest assignment, which is to located the missing Bonnie Dahl. Bonnie’s mother Penny is certain that despite police assurances that her young adult daughter has decided to take leave of their tiny town of her own accord, Bonnie is actually in grave danger.

Through interspersed flashbacks, readers are also introduced to other characters that have gone missing over the stretch of a decade — Jorge Castro, Ellen Craslow, Peter Steinman, Cary Dressler — so one does not have to wait too long to know who the killer or killers are and what is happening to their victims. The real mystery is whether or not Holly can discover who is the Red Rock Predator in tine to prevent other gruesome murder.

And a note about the killers — while it technically would not be spoiling it for you if I shared a few details, as it is information out there from the get go, there’s something about the journey that would be less thrilling if I say too much. So I’ll leave it at this: There’s crazy and there’s CRAZY. They are CRAZY.

A great read for anyone that enjoyed the Mr. Mercedes trilogy — the Robinson kids, particularly Barbara, are featured prominently here. If you are triggered by gore, you may want to pass on this one — it’s not overwhelming, but this is Stephen King, so consider the author and his capacity for shock value and amoral characters. I for one loved it — it’s escapist and thrilling and an absolute page turner. And I can’t wait to see what’s up his sleeve for 2024.