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If you’ve read my reviews in the last few months, you know I’ve been working my way through Robert Galbraith’s Cormoran Strike detective series. Robert Galbraith is a pseudonym that J.K. Rowling (of Harry Potter fame) uses to publish modern day thrilling mysteries, all without even a hint of magic.
And yet Rowling herself is a magical writer. I’ve made no secret of my love for Harry Potter and while Cormoran Strike is a very different character, Rowling’s gift for storytelling is just as engaging in this series.
To recap: Cormoran Strike is a private detective in London, struggling to keep his agency afloat. He’s a war vet who lost half his leg in Afghanistan. He’s the estranged son of a famous rockstar and a super groupie. In the first book, he hires a temp named Robin Ellacot who turns out to be an invaluable employee, interested herself in investigative work. Strike and Ellacot make an excellent team and after two high profile cases, have slowly started to turn the agency around.
The third book, “Career of Evil,” throws serious challenges their way. The book starts when Robin receives the severed leg of a woman in the mail. Strike believes this gruesome delivery was aimed at him and that there are four people from his past who could be responsible. The police focus on one suspect who seems to be the most likely culprit, but Strike is convinced that one of the other three is involved.
Each suspect has a history of extreme violence and reason to go after Strike. As his clients are driven away by the focus on the agency, Strike and Robin have time to dive into the twisted worlds of their suspects. And yet, time is their enemy as more victims fall to the killer. Ellacot is next on his list.
Unfortunately, Ellacot is distracted with personal issues; her engagement to the awful Matthew is unraveling due to his dislike for her job and Strike. Over the course of the series, Ellacot has evolved beyond being Strike’s gal Friday into being his true partner. Is there a spark between them? Neither will readily admit to it, but there’s certainly something there.
Rowling started this series on such a high note one couldn’t help but wonder if each book could top the next. Luckily, this one wasn’t a disappointment. It’s not my favorite of the three, but it was still very engaging and tense.
Strike and Ellacot’s relationship evolves in interesting and unexpected ways. Rowling revisits their separate pasts, giving us new clues about both characters.
“Career of Evil” is ambitious. Tackling three possible suspects in depth makes for a somewhat choppy storyline. It’s hard at times to keep each possible killer straight as they learn new things about each one. They travel a lot in this book, up and down the English countryside, through London and to Scotland. Rowling deliberately does not allow Strike to rule anyone out until toward the end, obviously to keep the reader guessing, but on the downside, it makes for a confusing plot at times.
In a change from the other books, Rowling sprinkles in chapters told from the unnamed killer’s perspective. Mostly, these serve to keep the reader guessing as to who it could be, but it also allows her to dive into the head of a creepy and deranged killer in a very effective way.
I devoured the previous two installments, but found this one much slower. I still was taken in by the story, but wasn’t as obsessed with getting to the end as I had been with the other two. Still, it was a worthy addition to the Cormoran Strike files and makes me excited to read the next one whenever it is released.
If you’re new to Rowling, or the series, come for the page turning mysteries but stay for the developing relationship between cynical Strike and charming Ellacot, which makes each installment worth reading.
