I'm an avid reader of horror, and I truly believe King paved the way for a lot of contemporary horror authors. That being said, after a decade of avoiding King in favor of new, different, more diverse voices in the genre, coming back to a King novel felt like revisiting an old family member. A fond reunion with a beloved uncle. But just like seeing Uncle Steve over Thanksgiving, reading this novel was filled with moments where I couldn't stop myself from cringing, feeling some ick, and sighing deeply. But at least he didn't vote for Trump? The story delved into something that felt more like a crime procedural than a horror novel with frustratingly stupid people at the helm. It doesn't really get much better until the monster of the novel is at least mostly unmasked, and the paranormal aspects of the story are centered. These parts were fun, and felt more like classic King work. I liked the story well enough, and while the characters were mostly generic, they were easily relatable and that was enough to endear yourself to them. I didn't love the portrayal of Holly. She does seem to be an established character in the wider King Expanded Universe, so there's a lot I could be missing from her. I do tire of the gifted neurodivergent detective character trope though. It's the Adrian Monk curse, and I think Holly suffered from it in this one. Anyway, if people are into pulp, I'd recommend it. It was fast paced, an easy read, nothing to really digest. But I don't think I'll be thinking about it for much longer than this post.