Fans of Stephen King will be over the moon about this new offering, out this month. If it Bleeds is a collection of four uniquely wonderful stories, including a stand-alone sequel to the No. 1 bestseller The Outsider.
The title comes from the old media saying: ‘If it bleeds, it leads’ and that is the title of not only the collection but the stand-alone sequel to The Outsider. Alongside are three more wonderful long stories that will thrill and keep you up till all hours until you reach the last page!
While Mr Harrigan, The Life of Chuck and The Rat are not to be missed – dedicated fans have likened these to King’s wonderful short stories from the 80’s – the main event is If it Bleeds. This is private detective Holly Gibney’s first solo outing, however fans will know her from The Outsider and Bill Hodges trilogy of books. The story picks up after the events of The Outsider and answers the question: was the creature in the first book a one off or are there others…?
Holly is working on a missing dog case when she sees a news report on a recent bombing at Albert Macready Middle School. What catches her eye is not the event itself but the reporter on the scene and that’s all I can reveal …
If you’re not a regular King reader, then binging during isolation may have lead you to The Outsider TV series – I recently watched this and it made me want to revisit some of the older Stephen King titles. It also gave me some context for If it Bleeds, however, it can be read as a stand-alone. Either way, you’ll definitely want to go back over some of the previous Holly/Bill stories so that you can fully enjoy the creepiness.
While enjoying all four stories, my favourite was actually Mr Harrigan’s Phone. Many have referred to this story as one that harks back to Stephen King’s stories from the 80s and I agree this definitely takes me back. His short stories really shine.
In the author notes King explains that as a boy he saw a movie with his friend at the local cinema about a man that was so frightened of being buried alive that he wanted a phone in his crypt. This idea resonated in his head – the thought of a phone ringing in the place of the dead. Years later when a friend died, he called his mobile phone to hear his voice and instead of reassuring him it gave him the creeps.
This collection allows you to dip in and out and has a little something for everyone, intriguing and challenging while also exploring ideas around youth and ageing. If you haven’t ventured into Stephen King territory before this could be the perfect opportunity.
There are also fascinating author notes that provide some insight into how Stephen King comes up with these highly imaginative ideas. I’ll be taking a trip down memory lane with some of my old Stephen King favourites this weekend.
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