(Cormoran Strike #3) Robert Galbraith (pen name for J.K. Rowling’s crime series) sets off at a lightning pace right at the beginning of this third instalment Career of Evil. In the first chapter we already learn that a serial killer has his sights set on Robin Ellacott as his next victim. Then in the next chapter a woman’s severed leg (crammed into a postal box) is delivered to Robin’s office where she works for Cormoran Strike, who is a private eye and Afghanistan war veteran. This tale does take a darker turn then the previous two. But there’s plenty of character development and humour as well.
Like the preceding two novels called The Cuckoo’s Calling (#1) and The Silkworm, (#2) Career of Evil is suspenseful and engaging. Cormoran and Robin continue to take matters into their own hands and at their own peril. I feel that the author is getting into her stride now in this series, and is feeling more comfortable and enjoying herself more. In fact she admitted as much in a recent interview, calling the Cormoran Strike series like “her own private playground.” I did like this one better than the first two, but that could simply be because of familiarity. It is quite widely agreed by reviewers that it is best not to skip to the latest instalment, but start from the beginning if you are new to the series.
In this one, we learn a bit more about Cormoran, Robin, and Matthew’s past and the tensions amongst these main characters deliciously continue. You know, we just want Cormoran and Robin to be able to confront their true feelings for each other, but there are all sorts of complicated reasons why they can’t, and so the tension. Like any (or dare I say all) literary series and/or TV series, tensions are the very thing that keep us coming back for more, so those tensions can’t possible be resolved yet, as much as we would like them to be. I found the ending, in this regard, to be quite cheeky and I wonder what the author meant by it and what she is going to do next! Can’t wait!
Joanne's Reading Blog 