Never Flinch

The storylines here don't really gel at all, it feels like two novellas awkwardly pushed together, a feeling only intensified by the cheap and easy way one of them is resolved. There are dangling characters and motivations, hints at setups that don't go anywhere....King's afterword suggests this one was a difficult experience for him, and sadly you can see that on the page. Even in his late period he can still write a good book (I really liked Billy Summers), but this isn't one of them. I wouldn't mind at all if Holly had a rest for a couple of books now.

Pros:

- I like the messages/themeing

- I like the pacing

- The writing is still good...so Stephen King

- I liked Don/Trig as a villain

- This is the book where I felt connected with Holly the most

Cons:

- Some characters were heavily underdeveloped

- The questions asked and mysteries given were solved way too easily

- Trigs character felt underutilized, at least, his motivation for becoming a serial killer

- The cross dressing phsycho trope

- The ending was mid