Never Flinch
Added 2025-05-28 17:18:16 +0000 UTCIn our latest book episode, exclusive to the Barrens, the Losers reunite with Holly Gibney for another slice of true crime in Never Flinch, now available in stores. Spoilers within, so please read before you stream. You've been warned.
Comments
King explicitly name drops Joseph in the same piece of dialogue in which he mentions Cujo.
Dave Ritchie
2025-06-23 01:42:29 +0000 UTCCujo was indeed the nickname of the former NHL goalie, Curtis Joseph. If I am remembering correctly, his mask was painted with a nod to Cujo, the King character.
A.J. Serrano
2025-06-20 23:01:33 +0000 UTCThis novel was just hot garbage. He can't help himself anymore. Holly Gibney is one of his worst characters, and it's the one he's latched on to the hardest. His more recent novels are just a vehicle to trash the far right, and put his Twitter comments in print. Don't get me wrong, the far right deserve this, and are pure evil given human form. But its so bald and blatant that it can barely be considered fiction, let alone an act of writing beyond CNN headlines. The novels greatest point of praise is that Holly is the least present in it, compared to other works she is featured in. The gang makes a great point of pointing out how many plot lines could, and should have, been cut from this book. Sista Bessie is just completely pointless, besides showing that Barbara Robinson is the greatest and most talented person to have ever lived. I swear she will become the first Queen of the Earth, globally elected by 99.99 of population in the next novel.
Luke Sharp
2025-06-20 18:00:25 +0000 UTCNever Flinch > Holly
Adam Dietz
2025-06-07 20:42:06 +0000 UTCRe: frustration with Holly’s detective skills and her being better than the actual police - he’s trying to do a Sherlock Holmes thing. He even says that one of the cops is Det Lastrad to Holly’s Holmes. As a fan of the genre in general, this aspect did not bother me so much. I’ve been trying to read the original Holmes stories and find many of the “this is the only logical conclusion” deductions to be preposterous. If you want to have a fun episode of the pod trying out an Agatha Christie type novel to compare, recommend Magpie Murders because it plays a lot with classic whodunit tropes & plots. Also: 1. Have to admit I love the new Holmes tv show, lots of fun. The “Georgia peach” character who doesn’t learn how to have a consistent accent until halfway through the season cracks me up. Would make sense if that character was a contract they needed to fill. 2. Can’t stand Reacher. As a woman/feminist, one of the things I love about King’s crime books is that overall, I get to enjoy the genre without enduring the toxic masculinity and obnoxious “romance” sub plots of most crime books, where male protagonist is somehow able to get with every. single. woman. he finds attractive, irregardless of his age (even Connely’s Bosch suffers from this). Add in how refreshing Holly’s openly neurodivergent character aspects are, and I will happily endure the king-trying-to-be-hip cringe moments in exchange.
Claire Lyn
2025-06-03 20:24:50 +0000 UTC
