Cultural Dessert

‘Career of Evil’ by Robert Galbraith

10 November 2016

I’ve just finished reading ‘Career of Evil’ – the third Cormoran Strike detective novel by J K Rowling (writing as Robert Galbraith) – as an unabridged audio book, narrated by Robert Glenister. Fans of 'The Cuckoo's Calling' (reviewed here in May 2014) and ‘The Silkworm’ (reviewed here in August 2014) will enjoy this return to the world of Cormoran and Robin, now on the trail of a serial killer with a passion for dismemberment. As with the previous books, J K Rowling seems to be determined to root the story in a very realistic contemporary setting, throwing in an often unnecessary level of detail. This makes the occasional inaccuracy particularly jarring. At one point Strike and Robin have breakfast in the dining room of a Travelodge – which never have dining rooms: there really wasn’t any need to be so specific about the particular hotel chain. And I’m beginning to suspect that the recurring inaccurate references to televised football matches that it would have been impossible to watch (in all three novels) are actually a deliberate running joke! But I can forgive these niggles because Rowling has created some compelling characters and you really care what happens to them. I was also amused to see an example of my third rule of detective fiction in action, though I can’t tell you what that is without spoiling the plot – ask me after you’ve finished the book.

Labels: Books

posted by Robin Simpson @ 5:33 pm