by Robert Galbraith
Once again J.K. Rowling, writing as Robert Galbraith, takes a look at the world of celebrity in her latest Cormoran Strike novel, The Silkworm. This time she's out to expose the publishing industry, something she knows a thing or two about.
After the successful resolution of the murder of model Lula Landry, Cormoran Strike has almost more cases than he can handle. These cases are nothing like the high profile Landry case, but he's now able to pay off his debts and actually move into a real apartment instead of sleeping in his office. This also means that he's able to keep his new assistant Robin Ellacott despite her fiancé Matthew's misgivings. Matthew still hasn't quite forgiven her for not taking that higher paying human resources job. But Robin is intent on working with Strike no matter what either man in her life thinks.
While Strike is in the midst of dealing with yet another disgruntled spouse, in walks Leonora Quine. A somewhat frumpy looking, middle aged woman who needs help finding her missing husband. Despite her inability to pay him, Strike decides to help her. This is not the first time her husband Owen, a nominally famous author, has gone missing.
As Strike begins his search, he's discovering the seamy side of the publishing industry. The back stabbing, gamesmanship and ruined friendships. Owen Quine was desperate to be famous for his writing so he sets out to write a book betraying everyone he knows from his publisher, to his editor and even to his long-suffering wife. But did he go too far? Strike thinks that Quine might have when he discovers Quine's murdered body posed exactly as described as a body in his manuscript. Now Strike has to determine who knew about Quine's manuscript and when they knew about it.
With the help of his eager assistant Robin, Strike finds the killer in this great new addition to the series. As I wrote in my review of The Cuckoo's Calling, the first in the series, this mystery is once again above average, but nothing outstanding. What sets this series apart are the characters that Rowling has created. As with her Harry Potter series, I think that she is at her best when developing a world and its inhabitants over the long haul. And since it's just been announced that Rowling plans on writing even more books in this series than she did for Harry Potter, this should make all of her fans very happy!
To request The Silkworm click here.
To request The Cuckoo's Calling click here.
--Post by Tracy
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