I'm all in for the Cormoran Strike series. The slow build and complex details build to satisfying resolutions and keep me hooked despite grisly crimes and details.
In the fifth installment of the mystery series by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling's pen name), grumpy Cormoran Strike is visiting his ill aunt when he's approached on the streets of Cornwall. A woman recognizes him and impulsively spills the story of her mother Margot Bamborough's mysterious disappearance--back in 1974.
Strike, Robin, and their quirky, imperfect, sometimes insufferable investigator employees have enough surveillance work to keep them busy, but Strike can't shake the story of Margot, her potential link to a famous serial killer, and all the ways the original investigation seems to have gone wrong.
But in taking on the first cold case of his career, Strike doesn't bargain for the current-day twists, dark turns, and the mortal danger he'll bring upon his team.
I listened to the audiobook version of this book, which runs 32 hours (!), but I plowed through at 1.75 speed, so, math: 18+ hours? It was nicely paced, and I liked having time to dig into the characters' evolution and the mystery's twists and turns.
Troubled Blood explores issues of identity, the strength of a person's nature as compared to experiences that may shape their behavior, and the power of assumptions.
As always in Cormoran Strike world, the details of the crime are often grisly and disturbing. I didn't anticipate the details of the denouement, and I enjoyed Robin's and Strike's smart discoveries as well as the hints at what's to come.
Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book?
I'm all in for this series. The slow build and complex details build to satisfying resolutions and keep me hooked.
For my reviews of books one through four, check out Review of the Cormoran Strike Series books 1-4.