Fall is approaching, which means it’s time for another Stephen King novel — and just like clockwork, the Bangor legend’s latest, “Holly,” will be ready to be devoured by readers on Sept. 5.
“Holly” is the latest book in King’s expanding series of crime novels to feature Holly Gibney, the whip-smart, idiosyncratic private detective who first appeared in the 2014 novel “Mr. Mercedes” as a supporting character. After four books in which she shared the spotlight, “Holly” is the character’s debut as a solo detective and first as a main character.
In the book, Holly — running the Finders Keepers detective agency alone while her partner, Pete, is ill — receives a call from a desperate mother whose daughter is missing. The case soon leads her to a pair of sinister octogenarians who are keeping secrets in their orderly Midwestern home.
According to King, Holly Gibney is one of his all-time favorite characters. He told Entertainment Weekly that he quickly came to love her as soon as he created her.
“I could never let Holly Gibney go,” he said. “She was supposed to be a walk-on character in ‘Mr. Mercedes’ and she just kind of stole the book and stole my heart. ‘Holly’ is all her.”
Though King novels and story collections have come out at all different times of the year, about two-thirds of all his books have come out in either September, October or November. Whether that’s merely a coincidence, a factor of King’s renowned diligence in sticking to a daily writing schedule, or intentional since fall is the “spooky” season, we’ll probably never know.
As for King-related movies and TV shows, there’s nothing specific on the horizon. Work began on “Welcome to Derry,” an original series about the fictional town from “It” that’s based on the real-life Bangor, though work has since stopped due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. A completed movie adaptation of “Salem’s Lot” has apparently been shelved indefinitely by Warner Brothers, and the status of a movie adaption of the novella “The Life of Chuck” is also up in the air.
“Holly” is available on Sept. 5 wherever books are sold.
