Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I thought this was the best of the series so far. I love the relationship between Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott. This book gives us a chance to learn more about the back stories of both. They are complex and interesting characters and that is a big draw for me. On the other hand, the secondary characters – Robin’s fiancé Matthew and Cormoran’s girlfriend Ellen – suffer by comparison and one fails to see the attraction. The level of violence in this series could be off-putting to some, but it didn’t bother me as much in this one as the previous two. The mystery of solving the identity of the serial-killer takes a back-seat to the relationship between our protagonists. Though slow in the action department, it kept me guessing. Where do the characters go from here? We’ll have to wait for the next book to find out.
Book description: 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 one of the suspects, Strike and Robin 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…