Stephen Kinghas announced he hasa new book coming out next year,Never Flinch, and with it, Holly Gibney is officially established as his counter to Randall Flagg.Never Flinchis being described as another in King’s crime stable, featuring two intertwined narratives that come together in the third act. In it, a madman sends a letter to the Buckeye City Police Department, threatening to kill 14 people in what he claims is an act of atonement. With that, Detective Izzy Jaynes turn to her old friend for help:private investigator Holly Gibney.
Holly Gibney is a well-known name to Stephen King’s readers, and, thanks to Justine Lupe portraying her in theMr. Mercedesadaptation, and Cynthia Erivo portrayingHolly Gibney inThe Outsiderminiseriesadaptation, she’s also a well-known face. Along with those two adaptations, the character’s first starring novel,Holly, is also in development as a TV show. It’sthe first time a Stephen King character will appear in adaptations of three different books, but it’s not the only thing that puts Holly Gibney in rarefied air in the Stephen King universe.
Holly Gibney Has Appeared In More Stephen King Books Than Any Other Character Outside The Dark Tower
Never Flinchwill bring the total number of Stephen King books Holly Gibney has appeared in to seven. She’s appeared in the Bill Hodges trilogy, two other novels, including her first as the main character, and the titular novella in the short story collectionIf It Bleeds. What started as a character meant merely to serve as support inMr. Mercedesand then exit the page has turned into a much larger role. For the past decade,Holly has been the most regularly recurring character in Stephen King’s work,and her appearances are adding up.
Never Flinch
July 14, 2025
The number of her appearances is also significant in thatit doesn’t happen often in Stephen King’s books.While the prolific author is well-known for having characters from one story appear in another, it’s usually only in a few books, or their appearance is merely a cameo. It’s not often that a major character in one book becomes a major character in another, such as whenFather Callahan from ‘Salem’s Lotshowed up inThe Dark Towerseriesto become a significant player in the last three books.
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It’s that same series in which characters have appeared more times than any other. Roland of Gilead appeared in all seven of the mainDark Towerbooks, as well as the prequelThe Wind Through the Keyhole, and the short story “The Little Sisters of Eluria.“The Dark Towerantagonist and Stephen King’s most prolific villain, Randall Flagg, has appeared in even more books,showing up in at least nine novels, multiple short stories, and, if fan theories are correct, has appeared in more works under different guises.Holly Gibney is the only character outside of Randall Flagg to appear in at least three largely unconnected works as a major character.
Holly Is Stephen King’s Mirror Inverse Of Randall Flagg
Flagg Is The Chaotic Evil To Holly’s Lawful Good
However, though she’s starting to rival Randall Flagg for most appearances,Holly Gibney is Flagg’s inverse.Whereas Randall Flagg, a.k.a. The Man in Black, a.k.a. The Walkin’ Dude, a.k.a. so many other nicknames, is a pure villain, King’s ultimate expression of evil, Holly is a force for good. Flagg exists on the page to seed fear and entice others to do malevolent deeds if he’s not already doing evil himself. He’s King’s version of Satan, the Devil, the incarnation of chaos and destruction and lies.
Holly’s purpose is to knit together the frayed lives and narratives that evil men unravel, setting her in symbolic opposition to Randall Flagg.
Holly, on the other hand, represents order and truth in the world ofStephen King. Her analytical mind doesn’t miss a beat, andher gift is getting to the bottom of things and putting them right.She has a knack for hunting down the perpetrators doing evil, whether wholly human killers like Brady Hartsfield fromMr. Mercedes, or more supernatural killers like the titular entity fromThe Outsider. Holly’s purpose is to knit together the frayed lives and narratives that evil men unravel, setting her in symbolic opposition to Randall Flagg. It’s not clear yet if the antagonist ofNever Flinchwill be more human or supernatural, but Holly will nonetheless put her prodigious powers to work helping those who don’t have anywhere else to turn.
Stephen King
Discover the latest news and filmography for Stephen King, known for The Dark Tower series, The Stand, IT, The Shining, Carrie, Cujo, Misery, the Bill Hodges trilogy, and more.
