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A review by mirandadarrow
The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
5.0
Cormoran Strike in The Silkworm, how do I love thee? Let me count the way (and offer my apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning for the use of her Sonnet # 43).
1. I liked this book even more than Cuckoo's Calling, the first novel in the series featuring detective Cormoran Strike. The characters and the mystery were even sharper this time around. I particularly liked that the "crowd" Cormoran and Robin had to infiltrate this time was the literary set - authors, editors, publishers and agents and their various hangers-on - potential murderers all of them.
2. I liked this book even more than most of the Harry Potter books (by the same author, of course), as I felt some huge patches of those books (even the final one) were just filling and building. There was no filler here. The pacing and the sequence of scenes all lead towards a dash to the ending in which Cormoran reveals the identity of the killer and the proof needed to sway the (once again non-believing) police. Simultaneously we also learned more information about the relationship of Robin and her fiance Matt, watched Cormoran deal with the very public marriage of his ex-fiance, and after teasing delays, finally address the work relationship between Robin and Cormoran, and whether she is a secretary or a junior detective.
3. I liked this book more than the other detective series that I've been reading lately, which includes recent series featuring Flavia de Luce and Jackson Brodie, as well as old stand-by Precious Ramotswe from the Ladies Number One Detective Agency series of books. While I've liked all of these series enough to have read multiple books from each, I haven't stalked a series of mysteries, tracking them all down and pacing around waiting for the next release, but I'm about to start. I'm already on the library wait list for number three, Career of Evil, and am about to start googling about future releases. I usually reserve this level of book-related lunacy for sci-fi series. Have I mentioned how I'm stalking this year's releases of Morning Star and The Last Star?
4. I love the characters. I love Cormoran. And Robin. But not them together, I don't think, but I do think Robin should ditch Matthew because he's a drip. But you kind of feel sorry for Matthew, but not really, because he could choose to not be a drip. And not at all sorry for Cormoran's ex-fiance, as she's nothing but sadness for him, texting him after 8 months of radio silence on the day before she marries someone else. Bitch, please. But Cormoran doesn't take the bait, because he's a man. A man with a cadre of interesting friends, ranging from a half-brother who can get him in to the most exclusive restaurants, to a best friend whose father drives a cab and whose wife is a lawyer, to a media contact who happens to have a sister in the publishing industry, and police detective whose life he saved, not to mention his sister (and the pesky three nephews whose ages he can't remember - does this make Cormoran Uncle Scrooge McDuck?), not to mention the fascinating client and her daughter . . . It's an interesting range of characters.
So there, you should read these books. Especially this one because the book universe was even more interesting than the model / rock star / old money universe explored in the first book in this series. Unless you have a really weak stomach, as there is a murder, you know, as it is a mystery. And as a result there is a scene that's a little brutal. If that's the deal-breaker for you, well, here's your warning.
A Five Star rating for me means that I'm literally walking around telling people to read it. I've already stopped a co-worker in a hallway today (who claims she's started it - causing me to yell at her to hurry up already). I'm meeting 6 other people from one of my book clubs for sushi tonight. Guess who's going to dominate the conversation with pre-book club lobbying for a future selection.
1. I liked this book even more than Cuckoo's Calling, the first novel in the series featuring detective Cormoran Strike. The characters and the mystery were even sharper this time around. I particularly liked that the "crowd" Cormoran and Robin had to infiltrate this time was the literary set - authors, editors, publishers and agents and their various hangers-on - potential murderers all of them.
2. I liked this book even more than most of the Harry Potter books (by the same author, of course), as I felt some huge patches of those books (even the final one) were just filling and building. There was no filler here. The pacing and the sequence of scenes all lead towards a dash to the ending in which Cormoran reveals the identity of the killer and the proof needed to sway the (once again non-believing) police. Simultaneously we also learned more information about the relationship of Robin and her fiance Matt, watched Cormoran deal with the very public marriage of his ex-fiance, and after teasing delays, finally address the work relationship between Robin and Cormoran, and whether she is a secretary or a junior detective.
3. I liked this book more than the other detective series that I've been reading lately, which includes recent series featuring Flavia de Luce and Jackson Brodie, as well as old stand-by Precious Ramotswe from the Ladies Number One Detective Agency series of books. While I've liked all of these series enough to have read multiple books from each, I haven't stalked a series of mysteries, tracking them all down and pacing around waiting for the next release, but I'm about to start. I'm already on the library wait list for number three, Career of Evil, and am about to start googling about future releases. I usually reserve this level of book-related lunacy for sci-fi series. Have I mentioned how I'm stalking this year's releases of Morning Star and The Last Star?
4. I love the characters. I love Cormoran. And Robin. But not them together, I don't think, but I do think Robin should ditch Matthew because he's a drip. But you kind of feel sorry for Matthew, but not really, because he could choose to not be a drip. And not at all sorry for Cormoran's ex-fiance, as she's nothing but sadness for him, texting him after 8 months of radio silence on the day before she marries someone else. Bitch, please. But Cormoran doesn't take the bait, because he's a man. A man with a cadre of interesting friends, ranging from a half-brother who can get him in to the most exclusive restaurants, to a best friend whose father drives a cab and whose wife is a lawyer, to a media contact who happens to have a sister in the publishing industry, and police detective whose life he saved, not to mention his sister (and the pesky three nephews whose ages he can't remember - does this make Cormoran Uncle Scrooge McDuck?), not to mention the fascinating client and her daughter . . . It's an interesting range of characters.
So there, you should read these books. Especially this one because the book universe was even more interesting than the model / rock star / old money universe explored in the first book in this series. Unless you have a really weak stomach, as there is a murder, you know, as it is a mystery. And as a result there is a scene that's a little brutal. If that's the deal-breaker for you, well, here's your warning.
A Five Star rating for me means that I'm literally walking around telling people to read it. I've already stopped a co-worker in a hallway today (who claims she's started it - causing me to yell at her to hurry up already). I'm meeting 6 other people from one of my book clubs for sushi tonight. Guess who's going to dominate the conversation with pre-book club lobbying for a future selection.