Later

"Yes, he can see dead people. And they can’t lie to him, they have to tell him the truth. His mother knows about this. She’s a literary agent whose client is an author with a very successful book series. Before he’s finished the last book, he dies. So she brings his son to his place to find his spirit. The dead man tells the boy the plot of the new book. He tells his mother, and she writes the book, claims she’s found a finished manuscript she can publish, and saves her agency from going bankrupt. There’s also a killer, who dies before the last bomb he has planted has exploded. The boy finds this dead killer and makes him tell him where the bomb is. It’s quite scary, but this is not a horror book. It’s also very short, and very character-driven. It’s a great read. Maybe somewhat. But the main thing is that he is writing about what’s happening in the US at that moment. So each book is almost a testament to the time in which it was written. If you know American history, you could read any of his books and pinpoint it to the time—at least to the decade—when it was written. His style of writing has changed with the times. That is good and bad. Sometimes the books can feel dated, because reflect what happened in the 1970s, and so on. But it’s not always such a bad thing. In Holly , he wrote about Covid and about Trump, to a lot of people’s anger. So often the people he writes about are placed in the ‘now,’ when he writes a new book. They live in his time. I say to everyone: just try one book. He doesn’t just write horror. If you like Westerns, or sci-fi, or action, then you will find a book in those genres. Hopefully that will help new readers realise what a good writer he is, and later broaden out and read more of his books. There are a lot to choose from. But I envy those who haven’t read any of them, and have all of that ahead of them. I myself have to wait for the next book, and the next book, and the next."