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BOOK REVIEW | FICTION | STEPHEN KING
“Holly” by Stephen King — An Audiobook Review
Ending the “Thanks for the Nightmares Challenge” with the Godfather of Horror
It seemed fitting to end Paul Combs summer reading challenge with Stephen King. Besides being the Hemingway of Horror, King is the father to Joe Hill, and Hill’s book, Heart Shaped Box, began my summer read and review list.
It had been years since I had read King, with Misery possibly being the most recent, so I had a long list to choose from. Stephen King was not on Paul’s list, but I knew any of his titles would satisfy. After a quick jacket read, I went with Holly. The synopsis mentioned that the book’s titular character, Holly, is established in previous King stories. So, I was a bit worried about the story working as a stand-alone without knowing anything of the character’s history — the opening chapter allayed those concerns.
Wonderfully narrated by Justine Lupe, the main character, Holly Gibney, comes alive as a sweet, polite, and endearing young woman who works as a private detective in her agency, Finders-Keepers.
Set in 2021, King takes the temperature of the time’s social, political and Covid climate with the pandemic touching lives in all manner. This includes…
