Holly Gibney is one of my favorite Stephen King’s character. She first appeared in the Bill Hodges trilogy as Bill Hodges partner, and in The Outsider and its novella, If It Bleeds as a private detective. Grab a cuppa and see why I recommend you listen to Holly.
by Stephen King
Narrator: Justine Lupe
Length: 15 hours and 24 minutes
Genres: Horror
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Narration: 5 cups Speed: 1.5x
Stephen King’s Holly marks the triumphant return of beloved King character Holly Gibney. Readers 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.
When Penny Dahl calls Finders Keepers desperate to find her missing daughter, Holly almost doesn’t take the case. Her partner Peter out with Covid, but something in Penny’s voice has Holly accepting the case. The tale that unfolds leads to unthinkable horrors. Once again, King pulled me into a dark story that held me captive.
Narrator Justine Lupe brought a voice to Holly and others. She captured the tone and this creeptastic tale came to life. King is an autobuy for me. In the beginning I bought the hardcovers, but once I heard one of his stories, audio became my preferred format.
Married octogenarians, Professors Rodney and Emily Harris, seem to live a respectable life. They are active in the community, but not even their neighbors are aware of activities taking place in their basement. What we discover will shock you.
Holly was a clever. Working with very little clues it leads to more missing persons. King touches on some relevant topics, including societies’ race, to remain youthful. Holly really has to dig in on this case and she slowly pieces things together. A hunch leads her to the Harris home, but will she survive? You’ll need to listen to discover for yourself.
While Holly Gibney has appeared in the Bill Hodges series and The Outsider, along with the anthology If It Bleeds, this book, Holly can be read as a standalone. If you are like me, you’ve read all of his works and I can assure you this is the perfect fall listen.
Holly by Stephen King delivered a dark, engaging tales Holly Gibney takes on a missing persons case. #audiobook #NewRelease #JustineLupe Share on XAbout Stephen King
Stephen King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947, the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. He made his first professional short story sale in 1967 to Startling Mystery Stories. In the fall of 1973, he began teaching high school English classes at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels. In the spring of 1973, Doubleday & Co., accepted the novel Carrie for publication, providing him the means to leave teaching and write full-time. He has since published over 50 books and has become one of the world's most successful writers. Stephen lives in Maine and Florida with his wife, novelist Tabitha King. They are regular contributors to a number of charities including many libraries and have been honored locally for their philanthropic activities.
About Justine Lupe
Justine Lupe-Schomp is an American actress. She is known for her roles on Mr. Mercedes, Succession, Cristela, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Lupe grew up in Denver, Colorado. She is a 2007 graduate of Denver School of the Arts theater program and 2011 graduate of the Juilliard School in New York City. Her grandmother, Kay Schomp, has a theater named after her at the Denver School of the Arts. Her father, John Lupe, is an exhibition specialist at the Denver Art Museum.
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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram
Jill
I read this last weekend and loved it so much. Holly is my favorite King character.
Rachel @Waves of Fiction
I’ve only read one book by Stephan King, but I’d like to read this series for sure!
DEBBIE HAUPT
Oh wow Kimberly I didn’t know that Mr. horror brought back characters. It’s also true I don’t read him enough to know lol.
It’s good to know it stands on its own and I just really enjoyed a horror novel, but it wasn’t labeled as such. Maybe the word horror just puts me off, kind of like Zombies do. 😉 thanks for the super review.
Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature)
I’m so far behind on Stephen King books. Can’t decide if I’ll ever get back on track! Glad you enjoyed this one and it was a good King book. Great review!
Anne - Books of My Heart
I have one left in the Bill Hodges trilogy and want to read this whole trilogy. It’s just enough mystery/thriller I can read it and not feel like it is full blown horror. Melanie reviewed this one also.
Ethan
I’m so excited to read this one! Looking back on my previous reviews for the books that feature Holly, I realized I never read End of Watch. I’m not sure how I missed it, but I borrowed it from the library to read it before diving into this one.
hena
So I haven’t read a lot of King’s work. I’m not a fan of horror. But I read Billy Summers and didn’t love it. I do have Fairy Tale on my TBR list.. maybe add Holly as well.. see how it goes.
Nadene
Ah! This looks good. I need to get to reading his books.
Taylor @ Taylor Fenner’s Bookish World
I’m really looking forward to this one and I think I’ll take your advice and check it out in audiobook!