BOOK REVIEW: CAREER OF EVIL BY ROBERT GALBRAITH

Title: Career of Evil
Author: Robert Galbraith
Genre: Mystery

Published on: October 20, 2015 by Mulholland Books

When a mysterious package is delivered to Robin Ellacott, she is horrified to discover that it contains a woman's severed leg.

Her boss, private detective Cormoran Strike, is less surprised but no less alarmed. There are four people from his past who he thinks could be responsible--and Strike knows that any one of them is capable of sustained and unspeakable brutality.

With the police focusing on the one suspect Strike is increasingly sure is not the perpetrator, he and Robin take matters into their own hands, and delve into the dark and twisted worlds of the other three men. But as more horrendous acts occur, time is running out for the two of them...

Career of Evil is the third in the highly acclaimed series featuring private detective Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin Ellacott. A fiendishly clever mystery with unexpected twists around every corner, it is also a gripping story of a man and a woman at a crossroads in their personal and professional lives.

After reading The Cuckoo’s Calling, I thought it was good enough that I bought the next two books right away. This one is the third entry. Yeah, Cormoran Strike is a trilogy now. I wonder if Career of Evil will be the last book. The characters are really good, but I’m still not a huge fan. Robin Ellacott is the exception. I’d totally read a series about her. She's one of those supporting characters that pretty much steals the show.

Career of Evil sees protagonist Cormoran Strike through his biggest case yet. After solving two murders, he’s become quite a celebrated private eye in London. Strike’s office has been getting steady business. It must be said that Robin Ellacott is in great part responsible for this success. She’s become more than a simple assistant since she began working for Strike. Robin was quite useful in the previous case, where her excellent driving skills made a big difference. It helps that Robin loves her job. Whether she's investigating or assisting an investigator, she enjoys it.

BOOK REVIEW: THE SILKWORM BY ROBERT GALBRAITH

Title: The Silkworm
Author: Robert Galbraith
Genre: Mystery

Published on: June 24, 2014 by Mulholland Books

Private investigator Cormoran Strike returns in a new mystery from Robert Galbraith, author of the #1 international bestseller The Cuckoo's Calling.

When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, Mrs. Quine just thinks her husband has gone off by himself for a few days—as he has done before—and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home.

But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine's disappearance than his wife realizes. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were to be published, it would ruin lives—meaning that there are a lot of people who might want him silenced.

When Quine is found brutally murdered under bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any Strike has encountered before...

Galbraith’s Cormoran Strike mystery series continues in this second installment. The eponymous private investigator returns along with his sharp-witted assistant, Robin Ellacott. These books take place in modern-day London, England. Strike’s business is booming after solving a high-profile case in The Cuckoo’s Calling. He was almost broke, so the increase in clients is a big help.

Strike’s next huge case begins when a woman shows up at his office. She’s Leonora Quine, the wife of an eccentric novelist, Owen Quine. According to her, he’s been missing for ten days. Leonora mentions that Quine likes going missing every now and then. This time it’s been too long, so Leonora wants Strike to find out if something happened to Quine. Strike is at first reluctant to take the case. It’s not just trivial; Leonora expects Quine’s agent to pay Strike’s fee.

BOOK REVIEW: THE CUCKOO'S CALLING BY ROBERT GALBRAITH

Title: The Cuckoo's Calling

Author: Robert Galbraith

Genre: Mystery

Published on: September 22, 2015 by Mulholland Books (first published April 18, 2013)

When a troubled supermodel falls to her death from the balcony of her London home, it is assumed that she has committed suicide. However, her brother has his doubts and calls in private detective Cormoran Strike to investigate.

Strike is a war veteran--wounded both physically and psychologically--and his private life is in disarray. The case gives him a financial lifeline, but it comes at a personal cost: the more he delves into the young model's world, the darker things get and the closer he comes to terrible danger.

As a huge fan of both the Harry Potter series and of mystery/thriller novels, I was looking forward to reading this book. I was piqued when I heard J.K. Rowling started writing mysteries under the name Robert Galbraith. It took me longer than I wished to read it. My reading list is miles long and time just kept on passing. Anyway, I’ve finally got to the Cormoran Strike series. Was it worth the wait? Read on.

The Cuckoo’s Calling introduces private investigator Cormoran Strike. He’s about as interesting as his name is (by which I mean “a lot”). It sounds a bit like a military rank instead of a name. Cormoran Strike. The story is set in London. It opens with the death of supermodel Lula Landry. The event shocks everyone in the city. The Metropolitan Police conduct a thorough investigation. Lula’s death ends up being ruled a suicide.