To celebrate the release
of Stephen King’s crime thriller NEVER FLINCH in paperback, Hodder and
Stoughton have kindly offered readers of Shots Magazine three copies in a
competition.
But first, we wrote last
year on the release of NEVER FLINCH –
Though the undisputed master of the horror genre, after
this latest release perhaps Stephen King will be anointed the king of crime
fiction. Never Flinch features the return of Private Investigator Holly Gibney,
tasked to bodyguard the controversial feminist speaker Kate McKay. It seems
McKay is being stalked by a deranged brother [and sister] duo from a radical
religious sect intent on disrupting her promotional book tour.
Add to the mix a serial killer referred to as Bill Wilson
[aka ‘Trig’] whose intention is to '…..kill thirteen innocents and
one guilty…’ in retribution for the murder of an innocent man [wrongly
incarcerated] in the Ohio state penitentiary.
Read the full review HERE
In order to win one of
three copies of NEVER FLINCH in paperback name three previous works [Novella,
Novel, or Story Appearance] by Stephen King that also feature the character of
Holly Gibney - with your postal address to >
shotseditor@yahoo.co.uk by midnight
on Tuesday 30th of June 2026 – three winning entries will be picked
at random and full terms and conditions of entry are noted at the bottom of
this article.
GOOD LUCK!
And Hodder and Stoughton in
conjunction with Stephen King present a short extract from NEVER FLINCH
>
It’s April now. In the Second Mistake on the Lake, the last of the snow is finally melting.
Izzy
Jaynes gives a one-knuckle courtesy knock on her lieutenant’s door and goes in
without waiting. Lewis Warwick is tilted back in his chair, one foot resting on
the corner of his desk, hands loosely clasped on his midsection. He looks like
he’s meditating or dreaming awake. For all Izzy knows, he is. At the sight of
her he straightens and puts his foot back on the floor where it belongs.
‘Isabelle Jaynes, ace
detective. Welcome to my lair.’
‘At your service.’
She
doesn’t envy him his office, because she’s aware of all the bureaucratic
bullshit that comes with it, accompanied by a salary bump so small it might be
called ceremonial. She’s happy enough with her humble cubicle downstairs, where
she works with seven other detectives, including her current partner, Tom Atta.
It’s Warwick’s chair that Izzy lusts after. With its high, spine- soothing back
and reclining feature, it’s meditation- ready.
‘What can I do for you, Lewis?’
He
takes a business envelope from his desk and hands it to her. ‘You can give me an opinion on this. No strings attached. Feel free
to touch the envelope, everybody from the postman to Evelyn downstairs and who
knows who else has had their paws on it, but the note should maybe be
fingerprinted. Partly depending on what you say.’
The
envelope is addressed in capital block letters to DETECTIVE LOUIS WARWICK at 19
COURT PLAZA. Below the city, state, and zip, in even larger capitals:
CONFIDENTIAL!
‘What I say? You’re the boss, boss.’
‘I’m not passing the buck, it’s my baby, but I respect your judgement.’
The
end of the envelope has been torn open. There’s no return address. She
carefully unfolds the single sheet of paper inside, holding it by the edges.
The message has been printed, almost certainly on a computer.
To: Lieutenant Louis Warwick
From:
Bill Wilson
Cc: Chief Alice Patmore
I think there should be a
corollary to the Blackstone Rule. I believe the INNOCENT should be punished for
the needless DEATH of an innocent. Should those who caused that death be put to
death themselves? I think not, because then they would be gone and the
suffering for what they did would be at an end. This is true even if they acted
with the best will in the world. They need to think about what they did. They
need to ‘Rue the Day.’ Does that make sense to you? It does to me, and that is
enough.
I
will kill 13 innocents and 1 guilty. Those who caused the innocent to die will
therefore suffer.
This is an act of ATONEMENT.
Bill Wilson
NEVER
FLINCH by STEPHEN KING - EXTRACT FOR SHOTS MAGAZINE
Chapter 1 (p.5 – p.6 in Never Flinch paperback)
TEXT © 2025 – 2026 Stephen King and Hodder and Stoughton
More information available HERE
Terms and conditions for the NEVER FLINCH competition
# Closing date for
entries is midnight 30.06.2026
# All correct entries
will be entered into a prize draw and will be picked at random on 01.07.2026
# Entry is restricted to UK
and Ireland.
# The winners will be
notified by email within 3 days of the promotion closing date and are required
to accept their prize by email or phone call within 7 days of notification.
# In the event of
non-acceptance within the specified period, the promoter reserves the right to
reallocate the prize to the next randomly drawn correct and valid entry.
# No responsibility can
be accepted for lost or misplaced entries
# The prizes are
non-transferable and there is no cash alternative
# Only one entry per
person
# Incorrect or illegible
answers or entries received after the entry date will not be entered into the
prize draw
# The judge’s decision is
final and no correspondence will be entered into.
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