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The Silkworm: Two-Chapter Extract (2014)

by Robert Galbraith (Joanne Rowling)(Favorite Author)

4.15 of 5 Votes: 3

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Sphere

review 1: As with the last book written by Robert Galbraith aka JK Rowling, I found the Silkworm to be a completely engrossing and enjoyable read. It's a shame that Ms Rowling was unable to maintain her anonymity in the writing of this series because I'd hate to think of the Silkworm not being considered on its own merits,and drawing comparison to that other sucessful series she did. In the Silkworm, we are introduced to the world of publishing from the view point of Cormoran Strike and his girl Friday Robin when Strike it called on to locate missing author Owen Quine. Its an insular, cynical world that has seems to have little do with promoting storytelling and everything to do with maintaining the status quo among the literary intelligentsia. One wonders whether Strike's observati... moreons about Roper Chard and Liz Haskell is reflective of the author's own experiences attempting to break this glass ceiling. Certainly the way Quine's wife Leonora is dismissed because she is more focussed on the practical concerns of raising their handicapped daughter sems to imply this. In any case, when Quine's disappearance becomes murder, Strike is on the case and this is followed by the examination of the author's last book, which is a pretty disturbing bit of writing and possibly not for those who dislike grotesque sexual imagery. The story takes several twist and turns and the payoff is rather good. I did not see the final twist coming at all which is always the best part of a good murder mystery novel.In the background, it's also interesting to see the developing relationship between Robin and Strike, leading me to think that Robin may not be walking down the aisle in future if she wishes to stay the course to be an investigator. Thankfully, Charlotte's appearance are kept to a minimum because I really don't care for hysterical drama queens but thankfully, Robin offsets this and plays nicely off Strike. We're also introduced to Strike's brother Al who might replaces Robin view as the newcomer to Strike's world Certainly there's every possibility that Al might want to join big brother after the end of this case.Silkworm is a wonderful book and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves an engaging mystery and very down to earth characters. The ones who are bombastic and arrogant are caricatured in the way they deserve. Dare I say I might like this series more than that other one that Miss Rowling is supposed to have done to some success.
review 2: Audiobook Review4 StarsAlthough not as mind-boggling as The Cuckoo's Calling, and definitely not as humorous, Galbraith (Rowling) delivers a pounding detective story that doesn't let up till the very end. Owen Quine, a more or less failed novelist, goes missing and Cormoran Strike is called on to dredge up the ne'er do well. But instead of getting a well-paid missing persons case, Strike ends up as a character in a haughty and nefarious circle of the novelist's community. Strike finds Owen Quine, who doesn't fare very well. The book then turns into a murder mystery. The characters drawn by Galbraith are all so hateful that any one of them could have and should have been the killer. By the end of the book, I thought I had solved the crime -- that they ALL did it. Not true.I struggled with this a bit, in that the gore and perversity seemed to contaminate the eminence of any enjoyment from a tremendously well written story. I felt like I needed to take a shower at the end to remove the air of the story's slime. Galbraith missed a chance to incorporate a little humor in Strike's encounters and sordid daily life. It's part of his persona and would have added a counterbalance to the sleazy part of the story. Hence the 4 Star rating. less

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