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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
fast-paced
4.5 stars. At this point I'm mostly just reading for the sexual tension. But the mystery was good too, the conclusion satisfying and actually really creepy.
Points off though for the outrageous coincidence that lead to a major clue in the case. I cannot forgive it.
My hands hurt now.
Points off though for the outrageous coincidence that lead to a major clue in the case. I cannot forgive it.
My hands hurt now.
First the basics: this is a really entertaining mystery. A lot of people pointed out that it's long ("longer than Middlemarch") but it rattles by: there are lots of threads and smaller mysteries, all of which play into the central missing-person case. There's also a lot to it: it touches on domestic violence, forced marriage, intersectionality (there is a subplot about a black working-class woman and how she is treated by police and her colleagues), society's treatment of people with mental retardation, nationalism, and suicidal ideation. No doubt it could be made shorter, but you'd quickly start losing substance - the length doesn't come from waffle, as it's quite tightly written. And I found the ending rather moving.
So, the transphobia stuff. JK Rowling's essay on trans issues is a horrorshow of misunderstandings, exaggerations and flat-out untruths. As someone who admired her for many years, I've been saddened and angered by how badly she's been getting this wrong. And I'm not sure if I'll be buying any more of her books (this one was pre-ordered months ago).
That said, I don't think this book contains anything transphobic. That idea was ginned up by a review saying it was "about" a male serial killer who disguises himself as a woman to lure his victims, and the idea that this ties back to Rowling's stated fears about men entering women's toilets etc. The thing is, and without getting into spoilers: the cross-dressing is a very minor element in the story, inspired by the real-life case of Jerry Brudos. At no point does the book make any link to trans-related policy, or indeed touch on trans issues at all. There's no suggestion that the serial killer in the book is trans or anything like it: he's just a psychopath who uses trickery, including disguises.
Conceivably Rowling *meant* this to be a story that implicitly argues for restrictions on trans rights, limits to self-identification etc. But if that was her intent, she did a very bad job of carrying it out. I can just about imagine seeing the book through that lens, but when the book is so clearly about the other topics I mentioned, when it has pages and pages about, e.g. domestic violence, and nothing at all about trans people or trans politics, I think it's the wrong lens.
So, the transphobia stuff. JK Rowling's essay on trans issues is a horrorshow of misunderstandings, exaggerations and flat-out untruths. As someone who admired her for many years, I've been saddened and angered by how badly she's been getting this wrong. And I'm not sure if I'll be buying any more of her books (this one was pre-ordered months ago).
That said, I don't think this book contains anything transphobic. That idea was ginned up by a review saying it was "about" a male serial killer who disguises himself as a woman to lure his victims, and the idea that this ties back to Rowling's stated fears about men entering women's toilets etc. The thing is, and without getting into spoilers: the cross-dressing is a very minor element in the story, inspired by the real-life case of Jerry Brudos. At no point does the book make any link to trans-related policy, or indeed touch on trans issues at all. There's no suggestion that the serial killer in the book is trans or anything like it: he's just a psychopath who uses trickery, including disguises.
Conceivably Rowling *meant* this to be a story that implicitly argues for restrictions on trans rights, limits to self-identification etc. But if that was her intent, she did a very bad job of carrying it out. I can just about imagine seeing the book through that lens, but when the book is so clearly about the other topics I mentioned, when it has pages and pages about, e.g. domestic violence, and nothing at all about trans people or trans politics, I think it's the wrong lens.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
This book was so good! Just like the other ones I didn't see it coming!
A woman commissions Cormoran and Robin to find out what happened to her mother, a young doctor, who disappeared almost 40 years ago.
This is the fifth in the Strike series, and thoroughly enjoyable, much like all the others. I think it probably could have been a bit shorter, though I'm inclined to say that about any book this long.
I liked how the ending twisted back to Janice, the nurse, who I didn't suspect at all. I was afraid it would be Ricci, which I thought would have been a lackluster ending. But I was surprised and pleased.
Getting a bit sick of the will they or wont they between Robin and Strike, and I'm hoping in the next book we'll get some movement there.
This is the fifth in the Strike series, and thoroughly enjoyable, much like all the others. I think it probably could have been a bit shorter, though I'm inclined to say that about any book this long.
I liked how the ending twisted back to Janice, the nurse, who I didn't suspect at all. I was afraid it would be Ricci, which I thought would have been a lackluster ending. But I was surprised and pleased.
Getting a bit sick of the will they or wont they between Robin and Strike, and I'm hoping in the next book we'll get some movement there.
This is a 4 star read, but because it is TOO long (like 300 pages too long), I had to deduct some points. It was another solid mystery with Strike and Robin and also had some very sad parts.
Highlight of the book: Strike calling Robin his best mate
Highlight of the book: Strike calling Robin his best mate
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes