Lethal White: A Cormoran Strike Novel

Ah, detective fiction! Is there anything better than curling up with a good whodunnit? It's been 3 years since Galbraith graced us with a new Strike novel (I hear he's been gallivanting around New York and Paris with various beasts over the past few years), and I could not be more satisfied with the newest installment. Out of the first 3 novels in the series, Silkworm was undoubtedly my favorite. I enjoyed Career of Evil, but it lacked the page-turning, sleep is for the weak, I haven't eaten in 12 hours quality that the first two did. Lethal White is now competing with Silkworm for the top spot. It is, however, my least favorite title thus far, and the cover does not match that of the rest of the books which makes my eye want to twitch. But you don't care which one is my favorite, so let's get to the story. I'll try to avoid revealing any real spoilers. We last left Strike and Robin at Robin's wedding to Matthew in Career of Evil. Lethal White takes place immediately after the events of the previous book. Following the prologue, we are quickly thrown into a new case with about 1,032 threads running through it. We dive into the personal lives of both Robin and Strike as the case develops, and the reader is thrust into 600+ pages of deceit, blackmail, and murder (or was it?). Despite it's length, the book is fast-paced and engaging. There is a veritable sea of red herrings (I'm pretty sure I saw a green herring in there as well). The novel concludes with a satisfactory denouement (I was only half right) and then essentially leaves us where we were before picking up the book in the first place, impatiently waiting for a new Strike novel with more questions than answers. Throughout the book, Strike is, well, Strike. He's a smart, somewhat boorish man with a decent heart and a lack of decorum. In Lethal White he's still drinking beer, smoking his cigarettes, and eating rubbish (despite being on a diet). So, yeah. He's delightful (no sarcasm). We do see his character develop more in this installment, but I'll spare you the spoilers. The real shining star is this book is Robin. Her journey and growth in this novel are inspiring. We really get to see what an astute, resourceful, and strong woman she has become. Galbraith's tackling of mental heath and the aftereffects of trauma are handled particularly well through Robin's character arc. So grab yourself a Doom Bar and curl up with Galbraith's Lethal White. If nothing else, you'll walk away with a better knowledge of the coloring of horses.

The long-awaited fourth installment of the Strike series has arrived at last! My greedy hands snatched it up and devoured the near-700 pages in a single weekend. Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott are off on another adventure - this one larger and grander than any of their previous tales. This one took about 250 pages to get going. My friends reading along with me had similar feedback. It's a tediously slow and complicated start and just about the opposite of a page turner. Towards page 300 things really get going and the story veers into movement. I really enjoyed it after that. Have some patience for this one if you feel the same. In the end, it was worth the investment and really paid off. In fact, it may be about my favorite book of the series. And even though the first third was pretty meh, I never mind just being in the company of these characters. And the plot itself is pretty complicated, so I suppose the intense set up was more than necessary. On a negative note, I'm not a fan of the Matthew/Robin side story that's been going on for, at this point, about 1500 pages and four entire novels (someone should have stopped that madness!!). I wish I understood the ultimate aim here or why we've had to sit through the longest, most boring breakup in novel history (or which feels like a break up anyway, and has since book one). I get it to an extent, what with Robin's history, but my patience has worn thin. Unfortunately I can't comment further without giving spoilers. But needless to say I was both satisfied and frustrated with some of the outcomes there. There were a few questions I had after I read it. Perhaps some plot holes, things that didn't quite add up to me. I tend to overthink stories and I'm guilty at trying to connect everything. When I was done, I was not satisfied with Billy's role in the story despite the neatly tied up closure we get. Not to be nit picky, but it's a huge part of the story. Discussion with my friends didn't help anything (they all agreed it was loosey goosey) but overall it didn't detract from the overall story. No spoilers of course, so you have to decide for yourself. On a positive note, this was one of the more exciting books in the series. Tons of undercover work, road trips, treks through the woods, lots of interviews and clues and research, all set against the backdrop of the 2012 London Olympics, which was mildly interesting but served well as a juxtaposition for social commentary. Most importantly, I felt like both Strike and Robin really glowed in this one. I felt like I got to know them both even better than before, with their character development really off the charts. The chemistry between these characters is brilliant, and they are at their best when they are looking out for one another. We meet some new friends, and revisit some old ones, and all is good fun. The mystery itself was complicated and challenging, but felt very real. You have tons and tons of twists and turns and surprises waiting for you in this one. Highly recommended! And can't wait for this one to make it to the series. I just love Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger.

Welcome return to the rich storytelling of a great writer! A fantastic series gets an exciting new edition, cementing not only the writer’s quality but ensuring excellent characters see a lifetime in print. The pacing of the mystery beautifully interweaves with deepening the personal lives of the two primary characters. The clues to the mystery spread effortlessly throughout the narrative, often pulling in pieces previously mentioned in casual conversation, giving the crucial impulse to break the case. Robin’s personal trials are a tough read: painful, forlorn, trapped in competing notions of the “best life.” You want to scream at the “obvious” solution to her problems, worried that you may treat your own difficulties as insurmountable, that your own solutions may be so easily identifiable to others. “…before she could be trapped, as she now saw it, by cowardice disguised as compassion.” The story is set in 2012, so the ease with which Strike completes his preliminary online research into the personal lives of persons of interest would not be possible today, what with the stricter online privacy laws in effect and people learning the dangers of putting so much of their lives on indestructible media. Oh, wait… Matthew. Go f*** yourself. Seriously. Great line: * “Life had taught him that a great and powerful love could be felt for the most apparently unworthy people, a circumstance that ought, after all, to give everybody consolation.” Note: does not apply to Matthew (see above).

Good read along with her other books.

An amazing new chapter in this book series. Galbraith/Rowling proves they are a great writer, as usual. The book balances well the mystery and the human story and they are both very compelling. The plot is well-crafted and the investigation gives us the opportunity to explore new social environments and to meet interesting characters. This book series is a great exploration of British society in the 21st Century. This time we explore the world of politics, in its ramifications from Tories to the Extreme Left. Galbraith/Rowling has a Dickens-like ability to create secondary characters that are both unique and representative of their society. The other great point of the book is the human life of our protagonists, Cormoran and Robin. While the book could be shorter if it were mystery alone, I am glad it is this long, since it allows me to spend time with them and see their inner life plays out. Just like the third book, this one is an important milestone in their evolution as character. I am looking forward to see them develop further and it is very unfortunate that we have to wait a couple of years before reading the next book in the series.

I love the Cormoron Strike books! All of them. I didn't think this one was quite as good as the first three, but it was still a great read and I am still already looking forward to the next one. I highly suggest you read them all, in order. There are continuing storylines that are better understood as the books progress, particularly the Strike and Robin relationship, which is yummy, if unrequited. (Believe me, I wouldn't read a romance novel if it was the last book on earth, but theirs is not a romance, rather it is a deep friendship with attraction and sexual tension. Haven't we all experienced that at some point?) I do hope that "Robert Galbraith" doesn't make Robin into an often/always injured heroine. I think she has been through quite enough physical harm for a few books worth. Speaking of Robin (spoiler alert!!! do not read further if you haven't read the book!) I enjoyed the Robin and Matthew split! Maybe "enjoyed" isn't the right term, but we all knew it was bound to happen and we all wanted it. Granted, these remarks might make it sound like this book is about relationships, but trust that is a good old-fashioned mystery (I am not even a big mystery fan, but I love this author!) with plenty of twist and turns. A couple of the twist might have been a bit of a letdown, honestly, as one mentally builds up considerably more lurid possibilities as the novel marches on. However, these particular twist were part of what made it such a great read and kept one's interest. I gave it four stars simply because I thought it was not quite as good as the prior Comoran Strike books. Can't even say why maybe it was the characters of this family that I found a bit boorish, but it's just the way I felt about it. I still enjoyed it very much and I still look forward to the next installment. I hope they continue to come of years and years.

I am reading the fifth Cormoran Strike book at this time and have really enjoyed the series by Robert Galbraith who is actually J K Rowling. I like this one the best. It is long, very involved and has the twists and turns in a good detective novel. This is not like a Harry Potter book in terms of language, plot and story line (adult reading). In all of her books there is an undercurrent of her views on certain subjects. One that is noticeable is violence against women and the difference in how women are often treated by men, unlike when it is man to man. I am not saying this in a negative way. It actually makes the book more interesting and realistic. The writing is excellent, the characters are solid and the story line is intriguing.

"Lethal White" opens with one of the most disastrous weddings in modern fiction. Without giving away the painful details, the chapter ends with Robin Ellacott married to her weaselly fiance, but reinstated as "salaried partner" to private detective Cormoran Strike. He fired her at the end of the previous Strike mystery because she ignored his explicit instructions, endangering her life and the success of their hunt for a serial killer. Unfortunately the rest of the 650-page book fails to maintain the interest and intensity of the opening. Cormoran and Robin are hired by a government minister and member of Parliament who thinks another MP is trying to blackmail him. Their investigation introduces numerous secondary characters, several sub-plots, and produces evidence of fraud and theft against the other MP. Then their client commits suicide and one of his children hires them to prove his death was actually murder. Mystery writers face a common problem. They have to provide enough clues to keep readers hooked on the narrative, while not giving away whodunit. In "Lethal White," J.K. Rowling goes overboard to conceal the real motives and culprits. She buries her readers in misdirection, red herrings, multiple suspects, peripheral characters, odd nicknames, meaningless details, ambiguous clues and unlikely motives. The effect on the reader is confusion. The narrative is so disorienting that I considered giving up on the book. I also considered creating a spreadsheet to keep track of the blizzard of details. I stuck with it mostly because of my interest in Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott. Through four books, Rowling has been carefully building a professional and personal relationship between these two. The attractive young woman and the burly, battered man seem ill-suited, but they share a common passion for solving mysteries and seeking justice. They seem destined to become a couple, but their previous relationships and their valuable professional collaboration have kept them at arm's length. "Lethal White" is a puzzling departure from Rowling's three previous Cormoran Strike books, "A Career of Evil," "The Silkworm" and "The Cuckoo's Calling." Each of those is a steady-paced, engrossing and digestible mystery filled with interesting characters and twists. I can recommend all three. And finally I found it irritating that Rowling began each chapter with a quote from "Rosmersholm," an 1886 play by Henrik Ibsen. I missed it completely if the quotes had any relevance to the story or characters in "Lethal White." If "Lethal White" was a standalone novel I'd give it only two stars for the unfocused narrative. But as the latest in a worthy series it gets three stars.