Eight stars
Always keen to read another Stephen King novel, I turned to his latest, with a great protagonist. Fans will remember Holly Gibney from her time as a private investigator in the Mr. Mercedes series, with her quirky approach to investigative work. When she is hired to help locate a young girl, Holly is ready for whatever will come her way. However, as things progress, she soon realises that this is a case like no other she has worked in the past. King succeeds once more with this story that straddles the mystery and horror genres.
A call by Penny Dahl to the Finders Keepers Detective Agency turns up Holly Gibney’s interest, but also a great deal of panic. Holly is hesitant to take the case of a missing girl, as COVID is still simmering and causing health outbreaks, but there is something lingering in the background of her brain that leads to feel it might be a worthwhile case. With the tears of a frantic mother, Holly’s firm demeanour is softened and she agrees to take the case.
Only a short distance from where Bonnie Dahl disappeared and left her bicycle, two prominent members of society life. Professors Rodney and Emily Harris are retired and living well into their eighties, always looking to find new and exciting discoveries in the world of academia. They hold a secret in their basement that could be the clue to discovering Bonnie, as well as others who have disappeared out of thin air.
As the case takes many twists, Holly must work through her intuition and push forward to solve this case. All the while, her friends are busy with their own lives, dodging the COVID cloud, and making the most of things. When Holly makes the ultimate sacrifice, she will need to rely on these friends to help her or she will fall prey to the Harris’ antics and potential experiments. King dazzles and kept me reading well into the night to discover the truth.
One o the best storytellers I have come to discover since I picked up a book, Stephen King keeps the reader involved in the story as the narrative gains momentum. There is so much going on and the reader is treated to a wonderful set of occurrences to keep the story moving and on edge. Great characters help flavour the piece, which King uses well and tends to buid through their tangential developments.
Plot development is key to King’s storytelling and this story was not without the great elements that help trademark his novels. The great twists that occur throughout the story keep things from being too predictable, though King loves to push the reader along a path that some might predict. Those familiar with Holly Gibney know she is not one to delve too far off the beaten path. There is a great deal to enjoy here and King adds his own perspective to keep things intense. I can only wonder if there will be more Holly Gibney in the future.
Kudos, Mr. King, for another stellar piece I thoroughly enjoyed.