Murderers Anonymous
Although Stephen King has written books that could be classified as thrillers in the past, it’s hard to pick one with more intricate interweaving of fast-paced events featuring numerous characters in different locations than you’ll find in the climactic section of Never Flinch. With plenty of foreshadowing to prime the pump, King begins the drive toward an impressive series of confrontations at the book’s midpoint. It’s a whodunit, replete with red herrings and misdirection, and even after the true identity of the killer is revealed, King keeps the tension level high as he juggles several independent but interlinked plotlines and roars to a gripping finale.
Never Flinch starts out in a manner reminiscent of Mr. Mercedes: a man sends a letter to the police about some murders. There are differences, though. In the earlier novel, the killer had already committed his crime, and his letter was addressed to a retired police detective. In this case, the man who signs off as Bill Wilson sends his letter to the Buckeye City police department, announcing his intention to kill fourteen people (thirteen innocent and one guilty). Detective Izzy Jaynes’ lieutenant asks whether she thinks it’s a credible threat. Izzy is non-committal, opting to consult Holly Gibney first.
It’s not Holly’s case, though. She offers her opinion and insights, then returns to tracking down stolen jewels on behalf of an insurance company. However, Holly can’t let it go. She starts investigating on her own, captivated by the puzzle. She’s convinced the letter has to do with Alan Duffrey, a convicted sex offender who was framed and was later murdered by a fellow prison inmate.
We already know that this is, in fact, the letter-writer’s motivation. Bill Wilson is a pseudonym adopted by the killer (referencing the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous), who is a recovering alcoholic who frequently attends meetings. We also know that the would-be killer calls himself Trig, although his actual identity remains concealed until late in the novel.
We follow Trig as he follows up on his promise, killing random strangers as surrogates for the jurors in Duffrey’s botched trial. He isn’t a master criminal, always aware that he could be caught at any moment. He’s bold, rash and careless, more lucky than clever. He’s driven, in part, by the internal voice of his brutal father, the source of the expression “never flinch,” in which his father cajoled his son to never back down. Don’t wimp out, in other words.
In a parallel plot, political activist and author Kate McKay is on a speaking tour across America, preaching to the choir for the most part about violence against women and how women’s rights are being abrogated by mostly male legislators. She’s an effective speaker, attractive and charismatic, so her shows are a hot ticket. They usually draw protestors and right-to-life advocates, but that faction is vastly outnumbered by people who support the right to choose what happens to their own bodies and other hot-button issues.
However, someone has put Kate in the crosshairs, determined to end her crusade. The first attack injures her loyal and efficient assistant, Corrie Anderson, and a follow-up attack makes it necessary for Kate to acquire a bodyguard. Local (male) police protection hasn’t worked out well for her, and it isn’t a good look for her image as a strong and fiercely independent woman. Corrie searches for a woman who fits the bill and comes up with Holly Gibney.
Holly, who is in her late 50s or perhaps even her 60s, is an unlikely bodyguard. She’s petite and somewhat frail-looking. Although she’s never done this kind of work before, she thinks of it as an interesting challenge and a potentially lucrative gig. In preparation, she reads a book called Essentials for Bodyguards (this reminded me of the fictional book Principals of Private Detection used in the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency novels), packs her bags — including Bill Hodges’ pistol — and joins Kate and Corrie on the road.
McKay isn’t an easy-going client. She resents needing security and bristles at Holly’s instructions. She’s driven, an idealogue who rarely apologizes for her caustic behavior. Even when Holly’s interventions and precautions prove to be astute — arguably life-saving — she still has to battle for every inch of ground. While Holly may respect McKay’s opinions and courage, she discovers that she doesn’t like the woman very much.
A serial killer and a homicidal stalker seem like quite enough for one book, but there are other major subplots as well, although not as many as King originally intended. When he first talked about the book (working title: We Think Not), one of his inspirations was a dognapping involving Lady Gaga. While Jerome Robinson does find a missing dog, it is only mentioned in passing, and Jerome’s main role in the novel is as a research assistant, trying to identify the killer via Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and digging into the radical fundamentalist churches that might have spawned McKay’s stalker. He’s supposed to be working on a private eye novel, but he’s hit a wall, so he’s happy for the distraction.
His sister, Barbara, though, has exciting news. After winning tickets (by being caller 19!) to see soul/gospel sensation Sista Bessie on her comeback tour at the Mingo Auditorium, Barbara gets a phone call from the celebrated singer (inspired, according to King, by Mavis Staples). Turns out, she’s a fan of Barbara’s poetry and invites her to attend one of her rehearsal sessions so Barbara can sign her book.
The two women becoming friends and Barbara gets a chance to sing backup during the forthcoming concert as well as having Sista Bessie (real name: Betty Brady) set one of her poems to music. She’s on cloud nine. The idea of performing before a live audience, terrifying thought it may be, seems like the fulfillment of a wish she never realized she had. (It made me wonder if the members of the Rock Bottom Remainders had a similar response to playing music for a crowd.)
To round out the activities taking place in Buckeye City (this is the first time King has given the place a name) is a softball game, a charity grudge match between the local police and fire departments, scheduled for the same time as McKay’s appearance at the Mingo. Izzy has been dragooned into pitching for the Guns team (their opponents are the Hoses) after their regular pitcher is injured in a bar fight. The fact that the game is to be played with a serial killer operating in the city is a source of some contention, but tens of thousands of dollars earmarked for charity are at stake, as well as some high-profile public appearances for city officials, so no one is willing to cancel. It means, though, that Izzy is forced to attend practice sessions instead of following up on the investigation, which has been taken over by state police in any case.
Another secondary plot element is the concept of “eBayers,” a term used to describe the autograph seekers who aren’t interested in getting a souvenir for themselves but rather want to increase the value of some item they intend to sell online. King is probably very familiar with this aggressive type of “collector.” They complicate Holly’s job by causing chaos and preventing McKay from making a clean getaway from hotels and lecture venues, making her more vulnerable to attack from her stalker.
One of the novel’s overarching themes is addiction. Trig is a frequent attendee of AA and NA meetings and his internal dialogue often addresses his addictive personality. Numerous scenes take place at meetings, and AA philosophy is frequently quoted. Trig thinks his killing spree is a way of making amends for something, but he begins to wonder if murder can also be addictive.
Holly is a kind of addict, too, compelled to investigate mysteries even when not being paid to do so. She isn’t in it for the fame or credit, both of which she willingly passes on to others — she just needs to find answers. She isn’t a super-detective, like Holmes or Poirot, and she isn’t infallible. Her deductions aren’t always correct, and she tends to flagellate herself over her mistakes and refuses to take credit or kudos for her successes. Her self-esteem is so low that sometimes when she actually does see the big picture, she doesn’t trust herself enough to pass that insight on to the authorities. She flinches.
King has spoken in the past about his dislike of plotted novels (such as Rose Madder) and, although he has expressed his fondness for the carefully crafted whodunits of Agatha Christie, he said (in a letter that forms the introduction to King Noir) that wasn’t something he thought he could or wanted to do.
He must have changed his mind. Before he read an excerpt from Never Flinch in late April, he said “I wanted to try to write something different that meant that I had to have a plot and, ah god, the amount of trouble that writers get into when they actually try to write a plotted novel, I can’t even begin to tell you. I usually avoid it but this time I didn’t.”
King was wearing this shirt when he read from Never Flinch.
Never Flinch (which was going to be called Always Holly at one point, which is a line in the novel) turned out to be a problematic book for King. In interviews while he was working on it he sometimes alluded to the fact that it wasn’t going well. In a KingCast interview, King revealed his wife’s reaction to the first draft. “This really isn’t very good,” she said to him. “It’s derivative and it feels like it’s straining to make various connections within the story.”
That was hard news to take. There was a third plot strand that had to do with drugs,” he said in a recent interview, “and Tabby felt a lot of that stuff was pretty tired and hackneyed.” As a result, he told Robin Furth (to whom the novel is dedicated), “I’m thinking about trashing this book because this whole thing goes all through it and weaves in and out of the other two stories.” But Furth had a solution: she suggested that he concentrate on Trig. King agreed and rewrote the book from scratch, incorporating some of the material from the original draft.
King has a lot characters to keep tabs on and to get into position. Several people have pieces of the puzzle but no one knows what the complete picture looks like. A couple of rather convenient coincidences help bring everyone together at the end, but the book is full of surprises and breath-taking action.
Easter eggs: Naturally, there are several references to Holly’s past cases, including Brady Hartsfield (Mr. Mercedes), Morris Bellamy (Finders Keepers), Terry Maitland (The Outsider), Chet Ondowsky (If it Bleeds), and the Harrises (Holly). And of course, there is a plethora of nineteens, which are featured on alarm codes, hotel and hospital room numbers, and hockey jerseys. Cujo gets a shoutout, although the reference is to goalie Curtis Joseph. And because Holly is small and can fade into the background, she is described as having “a talent for being slightly dim,” which has been said of another major character in King’s work.
Signed copies of Stephen King: A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life, and Influences are still available from Village Books in The Woodlands. Be sure to specify if you’d like a dedication and/or inscription on the order form. A new edition, Stephen King: His Life, Work, and Influences (Young Readers’ Edition), came out last September, which you can also order from Village Books.
Keep an eye out on the Lividian Publications patreon for news of another King-related chapbook..
