Barbara M. reviewed on 3/26/2019 + 152 more book reviews

I got this book from the library after someone had recommended it. It's 600+ pages. It's well written. I was about halfway through when I happened to look at the inside back cover of the dust jacket and saw that Robert Galbraith is a pen name for J. K. Rowling, the Harry Potter author (I've never read any of those books). The story quickly grabbed me when a man who was possibly mentally ill approached Strike, a private detective and the central character, about a possible child murder years earlier.

The author never seems to give much of a physical description of Strike other than he's a big bear of a guy and he's got an artificial leg. He also doesn't have much of a personality other than he can be gruff. He doesn't seem to care about getting along with anyone. Yet, it seems like so many women who cross his path become enamored with him. Strike had a 16-year relationship with a gal from the upper class. They finally split a couple years earlier, she married, and is now pregnant with twins. She turns up a couple times in the book although I don't know why--her appearances aren't relevant to the murder and blackmail cases Strike is investigating. Strike and his partner/assistant Robin also have feelings for one another but don't acknowledge them. Some women who cross paths with Strike during his investigations also find him attractive. It seems unrealistic that a guy who has no charm and apparently is not handsome (if he was, I would think the author would have pointed out how good looking he was) can attract so many women.

The book was about 100 pages too long. I started getting annoyed as the resolution to the cases seemed to be dragging on and on. Strike is an unlikeable character (he had been with his current girlfriend for about a year and basically used her although he justified his behavior by saying he had told her upfront that he wanted a no-strings relationship). The ending is a disappointment--the murder of the child had a surprising twist. I also had a hard time keeping track of all the clues and discoveries as well as some of the characters.

I may read 1-2 of the earlier books in the series to see if I like them any better. If not, I will move on.

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