The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

We are back again with Robin Ellacott and Cormoran Strike. This time a cartoon creator and her business partner are stabbed in a cemetery, with the cartoon creator dying. Strike and Robin are asked to find the identity of an online troll named Anomie who may or may not be responsible for the death. Charlotte is also back needing a favor and Strike has to help for his own business survival.

On the personal side, the two are once again wrestling with their complex relationship and navigating being partners of the detective agency.

The Good – This again, is a completely different case than what we have read before. Rowling takes us into the world of online trolls and gaming this time. Strike dives back into dating, but not a lot of details, so nothing too objectionable there. The relationship between the two seems a bit more strained in this one. At the same time, when they have bonding moments, it seems deeper. Robin also stretches herself as a detective and has some brilliant undercover moments.

I loved the way she laid out the online chats and private chats. As a gamer, it literally made it feel how it feels when drama is going on in a game. You have the group chat, then you have people direct messaging you in game, and you may even have Discord messages you are dealing with. This is all happening at the same time. It was really clever the way she did it so you felt the slight chaotic feeling that comes with the multiple chats coming at you.

The Bad – For me, the bad is that I saw the show before reading the book. I knew who did it, but reading the book I wanted to see if it was something you could figure out. I am not sure you can. I like the idea that I might puzzle out the killer in a book, but I honestly don’t think Rowling writes that way. I will see with her next book, as there is no show for it yet so I don’t have the answer while reading.

The Ugly – These books are not a ringing endorsement for marriage, or monogomy, or family, or anything of the sort. It is a bit sad and depressing. I feel like the way Rowling pounds on about it that both characters may head toward wanting that life in the future, but for now its just kind of sad.