Holly Gibney is the protagonist of Holly, having appeared previously in the Bill Hodges trilogy, The Outsider, and If It Bleeds. Holly is an intelligent and eccentric middle-aged woman who is implied to have OCD. Holly is initially introduced as an anxious, insecure, and isolated person. She struggles with symptoms of OCD and lives under the boot of her domineering mother Charlotte. After joining Bill’s agency, Holly comes into her own and takes steps toward independence. In Holly, she copes well with the losses of her mother Charlotte and mentor Bill, as well as a world changed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Working alone at Finders Keepers, Holly applies her newfound self-sufficiency and resilience to the Bonnie Dahl case.

Holly is a dynamic character who undergoes significant personal growth both before and during the events of the novel. She refers to the past versions of herself which appear in King’s earlier works as abnormal and frail. In Holly, she is more self-assured and has a small network of loving, supportive friends. She gains final independence from her controlling mother through Charlotte’s death. Still, Holly suffers the emotional fallout of their toxic relationship, as well as lingering trauma from the bullying and ostracization she endured as a young girl.