Troubled Blood: Cormoran Strike, Book 5

This book is fantastic (speaking as someone who has actually read the book, unlike some 'reviewers' on the internet who just want to sabotage ratings and slate the author - thank you, Amazon, for not being like a certain highstreet bookstore who lets people add libellous posts about the author and who have absolutely no intention of reading the book but just want to vent their anger).This book is a fantastic addition to the series, with another great mystery to solve and one which further develops the relationship between Strike and Robin. It is gripping and full of twists and turns.It's heavy and there are almost 1,000 pages but that just makes it value for money! Cannot wait for the next book in the series.Don't just follow the hateful rhetoric online blindly, read the book yourself and you will see that the torrent of abuse levelled at Rowling in respect of this novel is entirely unfounded.

JK Rowling writing under the name of Robert Galbraith gives us another great novel with Cormoran Strike. Of course I know that some will think this is perhaps too long, and we can already see people on here reviewing this before they have even read it. Here then we see Robin going through a rather acrimonious divorce with Matthew, with the wondering still if Cormoran and Robin will get it on. For their detective agency, things though are looking up, with bringing in new detectives to help them solve a number of cases on their books. As this book opens we see Cormoran down in St Mawes, Cornwall as his aunt is dying from aggressive cancer. Down in the local pub so he is approached by a woman, and a new case is started for the agency. On the 11th October 1974 this woman’s mum, a GP, suddenly disappeared, and has never been seen again.The first major cold case for the agency, although this is the main plot if you like behind this tale, it is not the only thing that is covered by this book. We see other cases being solved the family dynamics surrounding Cormoran, his father and his aunt, and something that I am going through at the moment, the deterioration of a close family member, who really you are just waiting to die (something which made me end up taking longer to read this book than I would have). This of course will resonate with a number of people, as will the issues of growing old, general physical sickness, and mental health problems. So, we are given a fully fleshed out story here that takes in many issues, but at the heart is of course the nearly forty year old mystery of what happened to a certain female doctor. Cormoran is given a year to try and solve this case by the client, but things are not that simple, or looking that good. Some of the people who they would like to interview have deceased, the original chief detective on the case was suffering with mental impairment, and when he was eventually replaced, so everything had to gone over from the beginning. With gangsters still around when the disappearance occurred, having to rely on people’s memories from years in the past, and a serial killer operating in the area at the time, so something that is difficult in itself seems to be near nigh impossible.The mystery plotting is very good, although with careful reading you may be able to solve it, and although I expect a number of people will start mentioning Agatha Christie, I would say really in a few places this made me think of some of Margery Allingham’s novels. Of course with a serial killer mentioned in this tale, and the current showing of the Nilsen drama on TV people will be looking for parallels, although the killer in this story is more depraved, and did more than just murder, and only preyed on women.What stands out here of course is the characterisation, and the fully thought out scenes, and you will find some great people here, although a number are really quite loathsome. This book does make you think of family, and also whether there is real evil in the world, or just madness. With the original detective on the case, we see his own notes that he kept on the mystery, and thus get an insight into him, and the way he started using astrology to try and save the case, with extracts (including pictures) which shows how wrong he was, but also at the same time how near he was to really solving the case. An intriguing read this is a book that is hard to put down and makes for one of those reads where you can just curl up and read to your heart’s content.

Read this much awaited book on my kindle over 2 days and was not disappointed. Feeling bereft now that I have finished reading the book. There is no doubt that Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling) is one very talented author. The characters of the two protagonists sprang to life for me through the brilliant writing. I shared their humour and laughed out loud with them. I felt their happiness and smiled for them. I felt their pain and sorrow and cried with and for them. The book had me gripped right from the start to the point that I did little else but read over the two days.As well as the brilliant story lines, equally captivating for me is the development of the relationship between Strike and Robin. I recommend reading the books in sequence (Book1 The Cuckoo's Calling, Book2 The Silkworm, Book3 Career of Evil, Book4 Lethal White and Book5 Troubled Blood). Robin started as a temporary assistant but Strike soon realises that he functions better with her working alongside him. Strike also admitted to himself that he does not dare put a name to the feelings he has for Robin.I just wished that I understood all of the Edmund Spenser quotes at the beginning of each chapter. I think that I may have to do a bit of research to enlighten myself.Sincerely hope the situation surrounding Covid-19 will be under control soon so they can adapt this book for TV Series 5. Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger who starred as the two protagonists in Series 1 to 4 have been really outstanding. What screen chemistry and how endearing are they. They are the two who I imagined when I was reading ‘Troubled Blood’. So fingers crossed that they get casted again.While I wait for Book 6 to be available (please let that be soon), I am going to re-read Books 1 to 5 - no doubt avidly again because I am so invested in the two principal characters.

I have ordered the book and on audible to take me through many hours of walking. I will update when i have completed. The book looks and feels awesome!!!I have completed the book and it is the best one by far. The plot was intricate and captivating - I did not expect the murderer to be who it was. The relationship between Strike and robin matures in this book (No, they do not get together, but wasn't brought to the forefront as inn lethal white). The relationship lasted through turbulent time and evolved through personal struggle and the need to find answers. Robin finally manages to shake off the 'temp' role and is finally recognised for the work she puts in the agency as a partner. I can't wait for the next one and I hope the dramatised version has more than 4 episodes to do due justice to it.