Never Flinch cover art

Never Flinch

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for £0.00
£8.99/mo thereafter. Renews automatically. Terms apply. Offer ends 31 July 2025 at 23:59 GMT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

Never Flinch

By: Stephen King
Narrated by: Jessie Mueller
Try for £0.00

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends 31 July 2025 23:59 GMT. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £16.99

Buy Now for £16.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

 From master storyteller Stephen King comes a thrilling new novel with intertwining storylines - one about a killer on a diabolical revenge mission, and another about a vigilante targeting a feminist celebrity speaker - featuring the beloved Holly Gibney and a dynamic new cast of characters.

When the Buckeye City Police Department receives a disturbing letter from a person threatening to 'kill thirteen innocents and one guilty' in 'an act of atonement for 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 of 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 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 a riveting cast of characters both old and new, including world-famous gospel singer Sista Bessie and an unforgettable villain addicted to murder, these twinned narratives converge in a chilling and spectacular conclusion - a feat of storytelling only Stephen King could pull off.

Thrilling, wildly fun and outrageously engrossing, Never Flinch is one of King's richest and most propulsive novels. ©2025 Stephen King (P)2025 Hodder & Stoughton Limited Editors Select Horror Thriller & Suspense Celebrity Exciting Feel-Good Funny Revenge

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Going Home in the Dark cover art
Hideaway cover art
The House at Phantom Park cover art
Intensity cover art
Devoted cover art
After Death cover art
All stars
Most relevant  
As Holly Gibney story's go this is probably the weakest, of the series. don't get me wrong it's a good book but seems to be wanting.. in places and the ending feels a little rushed. the afterwards from SK kind of explains this. but hopefully not the last Holly novel...

You can help but love Holly

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I’ve read every single Stephen King book - literally, all of them.

I’ve loved him for years. His stories have been with me through heartbreak, grief, joy, personal growth… everything. I’ve stayed up way too late turning the pages, cried over characters, ruminated over little threads that connect across books. I’ve always felt like he got something about the world that few others do.

Holly deeply connects with me as a character, not just because we share the same name but on a personal level we have so much in common.

But this one just didn’t land for me.

It feels more like a script than a story. Fast scenes, clipped dialogue, and barely any real emotional depth. It’s like he’s writing with an eye to the TV adaptation instead of taking us deep into the characters like he used to.

And the Holly Gibney formula has become so repetitive now:

She’s got a case. There’s a dark, strange villain. Jerome pops in. Barbara connects with an older woman. Something’s brewing in the background. And then it wraps up. Again.

There’s no real exploration of what things mean anymore - no pause, no weight, no ache. Even the fact that Holly is now a millionaire?? It’s mentioned in passing, and then… nothing. That’s huge for someone like her, where’s the inner conflict? The shift? The change in how she moves through the world?

It all just feels emotionally flat. Predictable. Like a diluted version of what he’s capable of.

I don’t say this lightly… I love King. I always will. But this one made me sad. Because I remember what it used to feel like reading him. That raw, unnerving beauty that lingered for days. This one didn’t give me that.

Still a Constant Reader, always. Just not a constant fan of where things are going.

Never Flinch - A review from someone who’s read everything King has ever written

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Was very excited when this preorder dropped into my library and started it immediately. Not disappointed, love the characters and an exciting fast paced story. Excellent narration.

Brilliant

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Good story as ever from Stephen king but why is the narrator in SUCH a rush! She really spoils it.

Spoiled by rushed narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Love the holly books and was waiting patiently for this one to drop, im not going to criticise to harshly as I think I need to listen again but first impressions are it never really got going, there was no crescendo, or maybe I just missed it. I’ll give it another listen and maybe review again

Need to re listen to this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The narrator speaks far too fast. Shame, as her voice is good, but it makes (part of the dialogue) hard to understand. The slower speed option in the app is slowing it down too much, so doesn't really help. I like all Holly books, but this lets it down...

Great story as usual

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Then you’re in for a treat, a woman belting out the star spangled banner in full on USA mode is so jarring I had to skip. I know I’m likely in the minority - if I want to hear singing or music I will listen to music - if I want to listen to a story I will listen to a story.

Apart from that it’s an okay yarn. I would recommend.

Hate the music in his books?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The versatility of the author astounds me, I have read Stephen Kings books since the mid 70's and he never ceases to captivate and intrigue me as a reader...

Holly Gibney, such a complex character and so likeable

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Holly is back. Good story, pace & well written. No huge surprises. Narrator is good but for me the shouting into microphone is annoying. I read everything be SK & appreciate the changes of narrative while the novel ticks along. Please bring back Will Paton.

Usual well paced

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I just wish Will Patton was the narrator. A good listen but not amazing. It didn't really grab me like his other books

Holly

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews