Audiobook15 hours
Holly
Written by Stephen King
Narrated by Stephen King and Justine Lupe
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
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About this audiobook
Holly Gibney, one of Stephen King’s most compelling and ingeniously resourceful characters, returns in this thrilling novel to solve the gruesome truth behind multiple disappearances in a midwestern town.
“Sometimes the universe throws you a rope.” —BILL HODGES
Stephen King’s Holly marks the triumphant return of beloved King character Holly Gibney. Audiences have witnessed Holly’s gradual transformation from a shy (but also brave and ethical) recluse in Mr. Mercedes to Bill Hodges’s partner in Finders Keepers to a full-fledged, smart, and occasionally tough private detective in The Outsider. In King’s new novel, Holly is on her own, and up against a pair of unimaginably depraved and brilliantly disguised adversaries.
When Penny Dahl calls the Finders Keepers detective agency hoping for help locating her missing daughter, Holly is reluctant to accept the case. Her partner, Pete, has Covid. Her (very complicated) mother has just died. And Holly is meant to be on leave. But something in Penny Dahl’s desperate voice makes it impossible for Holly to turn her down.
Mere blocks from where Bonnie Dahl disappeared live Professors Rodney and Emily Harris. They are the picture of bourgeois respectability: married octogenarians, devoted to each other, and semi-retired lifelong academics. But they are harboring an unholy secret in the basement of their well-kept, book-lined home, one that may be related to Bonnie’s disappearance. And it will prove nearly impossible to discover what they are up to: they are savvy, they are patient, and they are ruthless.
Holly must summon all her formidable talents to outthink and outmaneuver the shockingly twisted professors in this chilling new masterwork from Stephen King.
“I could never let Holly Gibney go. She was supposed to be a walk-on character in Mr. Mercedes and she just kind of stole the book and stole my heart. Holly is all her.” —STEPHEN KING
“Sometimes the universe throws you a rope.” —BILL HODGES
Stephen King’s Holly marks the triumphant return of beloved King character Holly Gibney. Audiences have witnessed Holly’s gradual transformation from a shy (but also brave and ethical) recluse in Mr. Mercedes to Bill Hodges’s partner in Finders Keepers to a full-fledged, smart, and occasionally tough private detective in The Outsider. In King’s new novel, Holly is on her own, and up against a pair of unimaginably depraved and brilliantly disguised adversaries.
When Penny Dahl calls the Finders Keepers detective agency hoping for help locating her missing daughter, Holly is reluctant to accept the case. Her partner, Pete, has Covid. Her (very complicated) mother has just died. And Holly is meant to be on leave. But something in Penny Dahl’s desperate voice makes it impossible for Holly to turn her down.
Mere blocks from where Bonnie Dahl disappeared live Professors Rodney and Emily Harris. They are the picture of bourgeois respectability: married octogenarians, devoted to each other, and semi-retired lifelong academics. But they are harboring an unholy secret in the basement of their well-kept, book-lined home, one that may be related to Bonnie’s disappearance. And it will prove nearly impossible to discover what they are up to: they are savvy, they are patient, and they are ruthless.
Holly must summon all her formidable talents to outthink and outmaneuver the shockingly twisted professors in this chilling new masterwork from Stephen King.
“I could never let Holly Gibney go. She was supposed to be a walk-on character in Mr. Mercedes and she just kind of stole the book and stole my heart. Holly is all her.” —STEPHEN KING
Editor's Note
Fan-favorite…
When a distraught mother contacts the Finders Keepers detective agency about her missing daughter, Detective Holly Gibney agrees to the job despite a recent personal loss. At the core of the mystery is an elderly married couple no one would suspect of evil intent, but who prove cunning and shrewd. Fan-favorite character Holly, first introduced to readers in King’s “Mr. Mercedes,” is a vulnerable and brave heroine in this character-driven mystery that unfolds during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reviews for Holly
Rating: 4.40809968847352 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
321 ratings45 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This one kept me coming back everyday excited to pick up where I left off!
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- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fabulous! Just fabulous! You have to listen to it. King reminded me of just how much we all went through during the pandemic.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I love the Mr. Mercedes series and spinoffs, so it was good to have Holly back. My fear that replacing Will Patton would 'ruin' the character was fortunately unfounded, Lupe did a fine job. The story is great, a bit predictable at times but it made some nice twists and turns. It has some very tense and gruesome moments, but there's also a lot of humour in it. I wasn't too keen on all the Covid-19, (anti-)vaxxing and Trump stuff in there, although I can see where King's coming from after listening to the author's note. It's not because it clashes with my opinions or that I found it preachy or soapboxy, but rather because it reminds me of times and debates I'd rather forget about. For me as an European reader it also makes it very US-centric rather than having the more universal appeal most of his other stories have despite clearly being set in the US. This would sometimes distract from the overall flow of the story for me and get in the way of the escapism of a good horror yarn. But classic King all the way. Liver and woodchippers.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5It was believable evil set at a rapid pace. I couldn’t put it it down! Stephen King is the master.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I love SK books with Holly Gibney in it! This book is amazing although I could have done without the reminiscence of Covid times but after hearing the author’s note, I surely understand why it was necessary. I also like the narration (even though I am soo used to Will Paton as Holly) as Justin Lupe did a very good job changing her voice to fit the gender, emotion, etc. - I find that most female narrators lack that most of the time but she definitely delivered the book experience well. Overall this is such a good read/listen. I’m looking forward to Holly’s next adventure!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The narration by Lupe was excellent. The story and characters took me out of my world and into theirs. Another hit by King in my eyes! More Holly stories with Lupe please!!