Once again, JK Rowling hits it out of the park with this somewhat creepy, very suspenseful and fun murder mystery. Our detective, Cormoran Strike (introduced in the first book in this series, The Cuckoo’s Calling) is approached by the wife of an eccentric author because her husband, who is known to go missing for a few days at a time, has now been missing for about 10 days. This is problematic, mainly because their daughter, who has special needs, requires constant care and she is having trouble managing without her husband. Even while everyone surrounding the author feels as though his absence is routine, Strike is suspicious and in spite of himself cares what happens to the wife, even as odd as she is herself.
The detective and hero of the story, Strike, is a completely fallible and endearing character whose complicated past keeps him very real, even as he solves a very tangled web of a murder. His assistant, Robin, also becomes a more prominent character in this book and their relationship is quite tender even as it is innocent. As always, Rowling manages to write an intricate plot even as she develops wonderful characters. You can’t help caring deeply about what happens because they become your friends!
I can’t wait for the next one!
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