Stephen King announces next novel which features the return of Holly Gibney

Master of horror Stephen King returns with another horror novel in the first half of 2025. Entertainment Weekly exclusively shared a first look at the upcoming book, titled Never Flinch, along with an excerpt that will give prospective readers an idea of what to expect.

Never Flinch has several "intertwining storylines," including one that revolves around a popular character who has appeared in several of King's novels, Holly Gibney. Holly first appeared in King's Mr. Mercedes trilogy, followed by The Outsider, and eventually got her own book titled Holly.

Per the outlet, Never Flinch centers on the Buckeye City Police Department after they receive an ominous letter from someone who wants to murder 14 people, all in "atonement for the needless death of an innocent man." Detective Izzy Jaynes is forced to turn to Holly Gibney for assistance.

The second narrative follows a women's rights activist targeted by an angry stalker who opposes her empowering message. Again, she needs Holly's assistant, this time as a personal bodyguard. The two storylines eventually come together, "resulting in a spectacular, chilling climax."

Entertainment Weekly includes an excerpt from the book, the first two chapters from the POV of a character named Trig, who is attending an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. The second chapter teases a news headline about a man known as "Buckeye Brandon," who might have been innocent. Seems like he could be linked to the mysterious killer's agenda to kill people in atonement for someone else. Read the chapters yourself at the source.

King also links the article via his Threads account since he recently quit X (formerly Twitter). On Threads, he replied to the embedded article revealing that Never Flinch is his next book, and he didn't announce it "on Twitter."

While King did not release a new book in 2024, Holly came out in 2023, preceded by Fairy Tale and Gwendy's Final Task in 2022. Next year will also see the release of It prequel series Welcome to Derry and The Life of Chuck, both based on King's works.

Never Flinch will be released wherever books are sold on May 27, 2025.