Reviews
"What makes King's work so much more frightening than that of most other suspense writers, what elevates it to night-terror levels, isn't his cruelty to his characters: It's his kindness. King describes his characters' interior landscapes, their worries and plans, with a focus like a giant benevolent beam. You can sense the goodness running through them, and that current of goodness is what makes the acts of violence so disturbing." --Flynn Berry, New York Times Book Review "Both intimate and sprawling in its ambitions... Holly is the imperfect but determined angel among all those demons... a fitfully freaky thriller." --Brian Truitt, USA Today "Tense, satisfying, and rich with detail, Holly is proof not just that King had more to say about the title character, but proof that Holly herself has much more to tell us." --Paste "Holly is the heart of the narrative. Her growth from a shy, muttering mess in Mr. Mercedes to the smart, strong, smoking, slightly better, and much richer woman we see in Holly is tremendous. Please, Mr. King, give us more Holly soon." --Gabino Iglesias, NPR.org "In half a century of writing horror novels, Stephen King has created some remarkable villains... The big bads in King's latest novel, Holly, aren't quite so memorable, but that's part of what makes them terrifying." --Rob Merrill, Associated Press "A deadly folie a deux...[Holly] pursues this case to the gates of hell, figuratively--there's no supernatural element in this powerful exploration of grief and delusion, just pure, undistilled evil." --New York Magazine "Deliciously, darkly comical. I'm all in on Holly." --Neil McRobert, Talking Scared "Holly Gibney steps into the spotlight [and] takes center stage at last...Holly's complexity and relatability make her an endlessly fascinating protagonist." --BookPage "King eschews the supernatural here but finds all the horror possible in the evil that 'normal' people may do...readers will find much to love." --Library Journal "Chilling." --AARP "Holly shines... The story is the kind of thing King excels at, too--dark, mysterious, and deeply unsettling. This is the novel Holly deserves." --Booklist, "A deadly folie a deux...[Holly] pursues this case to the gates of hell, figuratively--there's no supernatural element in this powerful exploration of grief and delusion, just pure, undistilled evil." -- New York Magazine "Deliciously, darkly comical. I'm all in on Holly." --Neil McRobert, Talking Scared "Holly Gibney steps into the spotlight [and] takes center stage at last...Holly's complexity and relatability make her an endlessly fascinating protagonist." -- BookPage "King eschews the supernatural here but finds all the horror possible in the evil that 'normal' people may do...readers will find much to love." -- Library Journal "Chilling." --AARP "In her new leading role, Holly shines. She's tough, relentless, and compassionate while at the same time being vulnerable and prone to lapses of confidence. The story is the kind of thing King excels at, too--dark, mysterious, and deeply unsettling. This is the novel Holly deserves." -- Booklist "A tour de force. Creepy as hell but full of heart, too." --Linwood Barclay, #1 internationally bestselling author of Take Your Breath Away and Look Both Ways, "A tour de force. Creepy as hell but full of heart, too." --Linwood Barclay, #1 internationally bestselling author of Take Your Breath Away and Look Both Ways, "Holly demonstrates that one of the last true rock stars of fiction can continue to grow as a writer, and doesn't define success solely as a continuation of what's worked for him before." --The Washington Post "Stephen King does something amazing in his new novel, HOLLY... King's storytelling skills are not dimming one bit." --Tampa Bay Times "Hugely successful... Holly surely deserves further episodes in the spotlight." -- Portland Press Herald "Holly has a thrilling finish, in which our heroine looks horror in the face. The outcome is most satisfying." --St Louis Post-Dispatch "What makes King's work so much more frightening than that of most other suspense writers, what elevates it to night-terror levels, isn't his cruelty to his characters: It's his kindness." --Flynn Berry, New York Times Book Review "Both intimate and sprawling in its ambitions... Holly is the imperfect but determined angel among all those demons..." --Brian Truitt, USA Today "Holly is the heart of the narrative. Her growth from a shy, muttering mess in Mr. Mercedes to the smart, strong, smoking, slightly better, and much richer woman we see in Holly is tremendous. Please, Mr. King, give us more Holly soon." --Gabino Iglesias, NPR.org "In half a century of writing horror novels, Stephen King has created some remarkable villains. Who can forget the sing-song voice of Pennywise the clown, the devil incarnate Randall Flagg, or the drooling jaws of Cujo? The big bads in King's latest novel, Holly, aren't quite so memorable, but that's part of what makes them terrifying." --Rob Merrill, Associated Press "A deadly folie a deux... Holly pursues this case to the gates of hell, figuratively--there's no supernatural element in this powerful exploration of grief and delusion, just pure, undistilled evil." --New York Magazine, Praise for Holly "Here is a thriller scary enough to test its readers'' mettle -- and toughen them up ... What makes King''s work so much more frightening than that of most other suspense writers, what elevates it to night-terror levels, isn''t his cruelty to his characters: It''s his kindness. King describes his characters'' interior landscapes, their worries and plans, with a focus like a giant benevolent beam. You can sense the goodness running through them, and that current of goodness is what makes the acts of violence so disturbing. King is having fun in Holly , absolutely -- the story zings along -- but his work also raises questions that cut keenly." --Flynn Berry, New York Times Book Review "A deadly folie a deux...Holly pursues this case to the gates of hell, figuratively--there''s no supernatural element in this powerful exploration of grief and delusion, just pure, undistilled evil." -- New York Magazine "It''s always fun when a great supporting character earns a starring vehicle...both intimate and sprawling in its ambitions...King''s created monsters - human and otherwise - for decades to examine humanity, our foibles and the unknowable strength we carry inside. Holly is the flip of that in crime-solving form, the imperfect but determined angel among all those demons... a fitfully freaky thriller, a solid exploration of the title character as a soulful beacon of hope, and a reminder of how important it is to answer that call when it comes." --Brian Truitt, USA Today "Tense, satisfying, and rich with detail, Holly is proof not just that King had more to say about the title character, but proof that Holly herself has much more to tell us, and perhaps many more mysteries to solve. We almost certainly haven''t seen the last of her in King''s fiction, and after reading this novel, you''ll be anxious to see where Holly heads next." --Paste "While Holly is brutal and gripping and King did many things right with the story, Holly is the heart of the narrative. Her growth from a shy, muttering mess in Mr. Mercedes to the smart, strong, smoking, slightly better, and much richer woman we see in Holly is tremendous. It''s also a testament to King''s talents as a writer and a stark reminder of what can happen when writers allow the magic that inhabits their characters to blossom unimpeded by their original plans for them. Please, Mr. King, give us more Holly soon." --Gabino Iglesias, NPR.org "In half a century of writing horror novels, Stephen King has created some remarkable villains. Who can forget the sing-song voice of Pennywise the clown, the devil incarnate Randall Flagg, or the drooling jaws of Cujo? The big bads in King''s latest novel, Holly , aren''t quite so memorable, but that''s part of what makes them terrifying." --Rob Merrill, Associated Press "Deliciously, darkly comical. I''m all in on Holly." --Neil McRobert, Talking Scared "Holly Gibney steps into the spotlight [and] takes center stage at last...Holly''s complexity and relatability make her an endlessly fascinating protagonist." -- BookPage "King eschews the supernatural here but finds all the horror possible in the evil that ''normal'' people may do...readers will find much to love." -- Library Journal "Chilling." --AARP "In her new leading role, Holly shines. She''s tough, relentless, and compassionate while at the same time being vulnerable and prone to lapses of confidence. The story is the kind of thing King excels at, too--dark, mysterious, and deeply unsettling. This is the novel Holly deserves." -- Booklist "A tour de force. Creepy as hell but full of heart, too." --Linwood Barclay, #1 internationally bestselling author of Take Your Breath Away and Look Both Ways
