Eccentric private detective Cormoran Strike returns in this second book of the series; an author’s wife hires Strike to track down her husband who has form for taking days away from his family, however when Strike discovers his body in what is staged as a ritualistic killing things are complicated when the method of his demise has been written in his own pre-published controversial book. With many suspects and much bad blood between them Strike must unravel who the killer is before the Met press charges against his innocent client.
This is a well written and researched crime thriller, which although not as thrilling as the first one, still was interesting in the themes it included of publishing and writers, but what reading this second book reinforced to me was that I personally don’t find Cormoran Strike an alluring literary character, for some reason I am immune to his charm and not even the hidden depths of his assistant Robin and her tumultuous relationship with her fiance could keep my interest up. I can’t fault the plot or the writing and this is far from the worst crime thriller book I have read this year but I am just not taken with Cormoran Strike.
However, if you enjoyed reading Cormoran Strike in the first one, this one will prove just as entertaining.
Links To Book:
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Goodreads
Ajoobacats Blog 
Both of Rowling’s mystery novels are perfectly fine,i really like the main character too!And since I have never read Harry Potter and I have half read “A casual vacancy” this is the only work from her I have read a liked!
LikeLike
I thought Harry Potter was ok and I enjoyed Casual Vacancy but Strike just doesn’t appeal to me. The story was ok though.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank god you arent one of those that think Harry was God’s gift to humanity!
LikeLike
I have yet to read a character that I can hold in such high regard.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is very good actually,characters are like humans very flawed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The best ones are definitely flawed. I read thrillers because I love the possibility the events of the book may just happen and that can only be sold through well thought out realistic characters, or I might as well stick to comics.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yep,I totally agree with you,I love a well crafted character.
LikeLiked by 1 person
When I read Cormoran Strike I’m comparing him to, for example, DI Kim Stone from Silent Scream and Evil Games both by Angela Marsons, rather than Harry Potter. Kim is a much more interesting read in my opinion.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t believe an author can purposely make his character charming, any more than he can make himself charming without coming off as a smarmy little phony.
It’s not so easy to create characters that feel real.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Agree, although there are a lot of charmers out there I’m sure and JK Rowling aka Robert Galbraith is probably a very nice person, but there are a lot crime/detective books out there and I can’t like them all and although technically I can’t fault the novel, I just prefer other literary detectives.
LikeLike
I need to read this one. I’ve read the first book Cuckoo’s Calling over a year ago and I’m curious how this new one would fare. Thanks for the review 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Being a book lover and reviewer this second one might appeal to you more as the victim is an author and the story is set in the literary world.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I totally agree with you. Not sure I can summon up the energy to embark on the third book of the series which is coming out very soon – I just don’t “ship it” either, as my daughter would say – and I rather want to!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’d rather read The Lost Girls (DI Kim Stone Book 3) by Angela Marsons out next month. Her first two in the series held my attention infinitely better.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Okay so I have to add my two cents worth about Harry Potter. My favorite characters were Ron & Snape; they were always striving to be someone, to be recognized and admired. Ron wasn’t Harry and he was never going to be, but he had something so charming about him. Snape was never going to be James Potter and he was flawed from the beginning. Loved his flaws and his loyalty.
And that leads me to Cormoran Strike .. clearly well written, but something’s missing and I think, for me personally, it is a lack of appeal as far as a character goes. I’m excited to read this second book because anything in the literary world is too good to pass on.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Third one is out soon too.
LikeLike
I’ve got to look out for it..
LikeLike
A shame that this thriller wasn’t as wonderful as the first book in the series was, but ti does sound like it was still a fairly decent read nonetheless.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I wouldn’t want to discourage anyone from reading it but I surprisingly do not click with Cormoran Strike.
LikeLiked by 1 person