By Robert Galbraith (pseudonym for J.K. Rowling)
Published: April 30, 2013
Read: Feburary 2014
Format: Hardcover
Rating: C+
“The dead could only speak through the mouths of those left behind, and through the signs they left scattered behind them.”
Cormoran Strike is a down-and-out private investigator in London who lives in his office. The gruff former military man has just broken up with his long-term fiance and is in desperate need of some business. In walks John Bristow, a well-to-do lawyer who is convinced that his supermodel sister, Lula Landry, was murdered, despite much of the evidence pointing to a suicide.
Against his instincts Strike accepts the case and finds himself emerged in a world filled with "multimillionaire beauties, rock-star boyfriends and desperate designers." He may be a bit over his head in the first case that has involved more than surveillance, but thankfully he has Robin, the woman who is supposed to be his temporary secretary but takes on much more.
The mystery behind the death of Lula Landry was fascinating, but quite frankly, I found much of the book to be a bore. The first half dragged on, with far too many descriptions. We were told about almost every step Strike took, which was annoying to me. Here's an example:
“The country was lumbering towards election day. Strike turned in early on Sunday and watched the day's gaffes, counterclaims and promises being tabulated on his portable TV. There was an air of joylessness in every news report he watched. The national debt was so huge that it was difficult to comprehend. Cuts were coming, whoever won; deep, painful cuts; and sometimes, with their weasel words, the party leaders reminded Strike of the surgeons who had told him cautiously that he might experience a degree of discomfort; they who would never personally feel the pain that was about to be inflicted.”
This entire paragraph is pretty much irrelevant to the story. It felt like Rowling was trying to just get in as much description as possible and prove that she can write stories other than Harry Potter. I liked the characters and I wanted to know about them, but I think she took it too far. Reading felt like a chore for the first half of the book, which is not how it should be.
Thankfully the story started to pick up after a little more than halfway through. Strike started interviewing more celebrities and interesting characters and as he got closer to solving the mystery the suspense grew. I'm not sure if the writing was better in the second half or if I was just more motivated as I got closer to the end. Either way, I enjoyed the second half much more.
The ending was definitely a surprise to me. However, it didn't make a whole lot of sense and I wish Rowling had explained it more. At the risk of spoiling anything I will leave it at that. I guess I was just hoping for more of an explanation. It's been announced that this will be a series. At this point I'm not sure if I'll read the next book or not. I think it will depend on the case Strike is trying to solve. As long as it sounds intriguing I'll probably pick it up.
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