Master storyteller, and author of more than 60 bestsellers, Stephen King’s rumours of retirement due to literary exhaustion, is unfounded as his shift of genre from horror to crime after recharging his creative batteries.

Never Flinch is about a killer on a diabolical revenge mission, and another about a vigilante targeting a feminist celebrity speaker – featuring the beloved Holly Gibney. When the Buckeye City Police Department receives a disturbing letter from a person threatening to “kill thirteen innocents and one guilty” in act of atonement of the needless death of an innocent man”. Detective Izzy Jaynes has no idea what to think. Are fourteen citizens about to be slaughtered in an unhinged act retribution? As the investigation unfolds, Izzy realises that the letter writer is deadly serious and she turns to her friend Holly Gibney for help.

Meanwhile, controversial and outspoken women’s rights activist Kate McKay is embarking on a multi-state lecture tour, drawing packed venues of both fans and detractors. Someone who vehemently opposes Kate’s  message of female empowerment is targeting her and disrupting her and disrupting her events. At first no one is hurt, but the stalker is growing bolder, and Holly is hired to be Kate’s bodyguard – a challenging task with a headstrong employer and a determined adversary driven by wrath and unhinged righteousness.

Featuring Sista Bessie and an unforgettable villain addicted to murder, these twinned narratives converge in a chilling and spectacular conclusion. King takes us into the consciousness of a killer on a trajectory into madness. Moral issues are examined, raising provocative questions- but never at the expense of storytelling impetus.

Outrageously engrossing book, in February 2023, King stated that his early inspiration for the novel was the February 2021, dognapping case involving American singer, songwriter, and actress Manhattn-born, Lady Gaga (Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta) known for her image reinventions  and versatility across the entertainment industry.

Never Flinch by Stephen King, Hodder & Stoughton £25, 432 pages