[10] In July 2021, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, private investigator Holly Gibney mourns the death of her mother, with whom she had a complicated and strained relationship.

Throughout her investigation, she also learns of a boy named Peter Steinman, and Ellen Craslow, a janitor at the local college, who both disappeared under similar circumstances.

They would lock the prisoners in their basement, force them to eat raw liver and ultimately kill them and consume their remains, believing that human flesh would heal their many pains and ailments.

As the Harrises begin to experience more health problems (Emily with sciatica, and Rodney exhibiting early stages of Alzheimer's disease), they took Bonnie as their next victim.

Back in the present, Holly branches out her investigation to include Steinman and Craslow's disappearances, which leads her to find out about Cary Dressler.

[11] In a review in The New York Times, Flynn Berry commented that "when Holly appears on the page, you never have the sense of an author pulling her strings.

"[2] Writing in USA Today, Brian Truitt gave the novel three out of four stars and stated, "While it might fall short of top-tier King, Holly satisfies as a fitfully freaky thriller, a solid exploration of the title character as a soulful beacon of hope, and a reminder of how important it is to answer that call when it comes.

Kirkus also felt the novel failed to deliver the pleasures of a mystery novel, writing, "Waiting for the private investigator heroine to get to where the reader is at the beginning of the story feels interminable.

"[16] In September 2023, at Printers Row Lit Fest in Chicago, director and producer Jack Bender announced that he would be adapting Holly into a television series.