Tag Archives: Robert Galbraith

Cormoran Strike, Dungeons and Dragons, and Creepy ‘Eileen’

American Literature, British Literature

I’m utterly enthralled by Cormoran Strike, the private detective at the center of JK Rowling’s pseudonymous crime series. The third book, Career of Evil, finds Strike and his assistant Robin Ellacott the target of a psychopath with a penchant for dismemberment–and Robin seems to be his target. Rowling (as Robert Galbraith) understands that she can’t just deliver an intricately plotted crime story, she also has to take the characters further on their journey. At the end of the book, I was so heavily invested in…

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The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith

British Literature

Synopsis: In this book about Cormoran Strike, beleaguered amputee veteran turned private eye, an egotistical novelist has gone missing, and all signs point to a literary puzzle with potentially deadly consequences. Review: Listen, writing mysteries is harder than it seems. The best writers (Barbara Vine) conceal the works so deftly that you forget how necessary machinations and contrivance are to the genre. So don’t think I’m picking on The Silkworm just because I want to take JK Rowling down a peg (I don’t) when I…

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The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith

British Literature

Synopsis: When a childhood friend asks PI Cormoran Strike to investigate the suspicious-looking suicide of his supermodel sister, Strike battles personal demons in order to revive his career and prevent the killer from striking again. Review: I am really, really picky when it comes to crime novels. I don’t love the genre in its own right, and I’m not generally a fan of recurring detectives. However, I’m desperately hoping that JK Rowling is planning to write more murder mysteries featuring Cormoran Strike because I just…

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