Stephen King reunites his readers with Holly Gibney, a quirky and interesting private investigator. Holly is hired to locate Bonnie Dahl, a young lady who disappeared on a desolate stretch of road while riding her bicycle. The bike was found with a note that suggests Bonnie either committed suicide or left town, but Bonnie’s mother and friends don’t believe that.

As Holly investigates, she finds Bonnie isn’t the first person who has vanished from that area. Every few years, someone else goes missing. The victims, though, are quite different from each other. Since serial killers tend to hunt the same type of person, that doesn’t make sense.

This isn’t a mystery to the reader, though, since King early on points to the perpetrators, elderly professors Rodney and Emily Harris. He even explains why.

Rather, this is a story where the reader knows the growing danger facing Holly and her friends, but can’t stop them moving forward.