Never flinch by Stephen King

Multiple award winning American author Stephen King, author of more than seventy books, all of them international bestsellers, needs no introduction.  Known best for the mystery/horror genre, Never Flinch is King's latest publication (May 2025). 

Never Flinch presents with twin narratives or perhaps I would suggest triplet (or more) for not only does King intertwine the two main narratives: the story of Kate McKay, a "won't shut up" women's rights activist and her offsider Kate as they travel on a multi-state lecture tour followed by a stalker and that of a serial killer who is intent on "killing thirteen innocents and one guilty" to atone, in his eyes, for a juries' wrongful decision to convict an innocent man and his subsequent death. There is also the story of Detective Izzy Jaynes and her friend Holly Gibney. These narratives (which twist and turn concurrently) meet and culminate in a heartstopping conclusion. Keeping the reader across these twisting narratives is the feat of a seasoned writer indeed. A sense of immediacy pervades as the foci shifts from character to character always in the present tense. Each chapter is punctuated into numbered sections with each successive section turning to a different character and scenario which acts as an authorial technique to assist the reader to understand concurrent action akin to "...in the meantime..." King skilfully weaves past and present to build knowledge of the characters.

There is a large cast of characters in Never Flinch. Deftly, King manages to flesh them all out - complete with their personalities, actions, motivations and back stories. The characters all have a creative compulsion to some degree; they have obsessions. We see a study of damaged individuals and the harm that they do. We see their wrong-footed thoughts, the cracked filters through which they view the world. We see the traumatised psyche of the protagonists and while the tension builds and the game of cat and mouse evolves, King gets the reader thinking...who are these characters/ What might they do? While one character obsesses over a single victim, the other (who has a greater inner monologue) observes himself dispassionately as he clocks up victims. As a study in what leads villains to behave in this way, Never Flinch is sad, disturbing and upsetting. Horrific childhood abuse, grief and loss has led to the deteroriation of both characters into maladjusted killers. 

Breadcrumb clues are scattered, red herrings appear, there's a certain amount of withholding and gradual revelation and definitely a killer twist. The visceral violence and the random way that the serial killer selects his victims is chilling. The Buck-eye City Police Department's ace detective is always a step behind. The identity of this killer comes as a shock and surprise. The other killer is definitely socially withdrawn and known by a crazy religious sect to be so; the other functions within society - very well (at least in the workplace). Escalation of violence occurs as the plot picks up pace towards the climactic end. 

The tension holds throughout. All characters are subjected to a high level of stress, whether they are the hunted or the hunter. All characters need to hold their nerve - hence the title Never Flinch.

Never Flinch is dark and violent both psychologically and physically. As the Daily Mail  says, Stephen King is ..."One of the greatest storytellers...master at revealing the horrors that lurk beneath...ordinary life."

Themes: Revenge, Women's rights activists, Addiction, Serial killing, Religious vigilantism, Detectives, Grief and loss.

Wendy Jeffrey