Holly by Stephen King (Scribner)

The story revolves around Holly Gibney, as she grapples with a series of mysterious disappearances in her hometown. Penny Dahl reaches out to the Finders Keepers detective agency seeking assistance in locating her missing daughter. Holly initially hesitates to take on the case due to various personal challenges—her partner, Pete, is battling Covid, she recently lost her mother, and she is supposed to be on leave. However, something in Penny Dahl's desperate plea resonates deeply with Holly, compelling her to accept the challenging task.

Close to Bonnie Dahl's place of disappearance reside Professors Rodney and Emily Harris. On the surface, they appear to be an ordinary, respectable couple. Little do the townspeople suspect the dark secret harbored in the basement of their well-maintained, book-filled home—a secret that might be linked to Bonnie's perplexing vanishing. The Harris couple proves to be exceptionally cunning, patient, and merciless, making it a daunting challenge to uncover their grisly activities.

To outsmart these shockingly twisted murderers, Holly must summon all her considerable talents. 

The plot of Holly is both captivating and profoundly moving, as King delves into the intricate workings of the human mind. The readers are not tasked with solving the mystery themselves, as both perspectives—that of the elderly couple engaged in kidnapping and murder, and of Holly investigating the disappearance—are presented from the outset. We become bystanders, observing this intense cat-and-mouse game unfold, instead of actively participating in the detective work.

After indulging in countless mystery and thriller novels, many twists have become predictable. Consequently, my attention is often drawn to the characters and their motivations. Already captivated by Holly, I was intrigued by her experiences with the looming threat of COVID and her complex grief for her late mother. Additionally, I found the villains in this tale strangely captivating. While undeniably unhinged, they possess their peculiar reasons, lending them a bizarre yet strangely believable quality.

While not King's magnum opus, Holly is undoubtedly worth a read if the reader can tolerate moments that may provoke discomfort, alongside characters with distinct and intense political views. 

3.5/5