Never Flinch
- NYT bestseller · 6 weeks on the list, peaked at #1
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Our view
Stephen King runs two plots side by side in “Never Flinch”, and draws Holly Gibney into both. One follows a letter-writer who vows to kill fourteen people in atonement for an innocent man’s death; in the other, someone is targeting a women’s rights activist on a lecture tour. Some readers like the pacing and the villain and feel closer to Holly than before; others feel the two stories never join and are resolved too easily, with characters left undeveloped.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
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.
Reading order · Holly Gibney
Full order & progress →- The OutsiderStart here
7.77.7 / 10 - If It Bleeds
7.67.6 / 10 - Holly
7.97.9 / 10 - Never FlinchThis book
7.47.4 / 10
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.2 across 170 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 54% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Crime & mystery average of 7.6. That is how 7.4 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 7.2 | 170 | 100% |
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
The same shelf — Crime & mystery — and a score of 7.4, the closest to this book.
