The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbriath Book Review

The Ink Black Heart is the latest mystery novel from bestselling author Robert Galbraith. This review will provide readers with an in-depth look at the plot, characters, and writing style. It follows private detectives Robin Ellacott and Cormoran Strike as they investigate an online figure known as Anomie and attempt to uncover their true identity before it’s too late. Read on to find out whether this suspenseful thriller lives up to its hype!

Click me to go to my Review

Synopsis

When frantic, dishevelled Edie Ledwell appears in the office begging to speak to her, private detective Robin Ellacott doesn’t know quite what to make of the situation. The co-creator of a popular cartoon, The Ink Black Heart, Edie is being persecuted by a mysterious online figure who goes by the pseudonym of Anomie. Edie is desperate to uncover Anomie’s true identity.

Robin decides that the agency can’t help with this – and thinks nothing more of it until a few days later, when she reads the shocking news that Edie has been tasered and then murdered in Highgate Cemetery, the location of The Ink Black Heart.

Robin and her business partner Cormoran Strike become drawn into the quest to uncover Anomie’s true identity. But with a complex web of online aliases, business interests and family conflicts to navigate, Strike and Robin find themselves embroiled in a case that stretches their powers of deduction to the limits – and which threatens them in new and horrifying ways . . .

About The Author

Robert Galbraith’s Cormoran Strike series is classic contemporary crime fiction from a master story-teller, rich in plot, characterisation and detail. Galbraith’s debut into crime fiction garnered acclaim amongst critics and crime fans alike. The first three novels The Cuckoo’s Calling (2013), The Silkworm (2014) and Career of Evil (2015) all topped the national and international bestseller lists and have been adapted for television, produced by Brontë Film and Television. The fourth in the series, Lethal White (2018), is out now.

Robert Galbraith is a pseudonym of J.K. Rowling, bestselling author of the Harry Potter series and The Casual Vacancy, a novel for adults. After Harry Potter, the author chose crime fiction for her next books, a genre she has always loved as a reader. She wanted to write a contemporary whodunit, with a credible back story.

J.K. Rowling’s original intention for writing as Robert Galbraith was for the books to be judged on their own merit, and to establish Galbraith as a well-regarded name in crime in its own right.

Now Robert Galbraith’s true identity is widely known, J.K. Rowling continues to write the crime series under the Galbraith pseudonym to keep the distinction from her other writing and so people will know what to expect from a Cormoran Strike novel.

My Review

The Ink Black Heart follows private detective Robin Ellacott as she takes on a case that is unlike anything she has ever worked on before. After a frantic, dishevelled woman named Edie Ledwell appears in her office begging for help, Robin finds herself embroiled in a case that stretches her powers of deduction to the limits and threatens her in new ways. With the help of her partner Strike, Robin must race against time to uncover Anomie’s true identity before it’s too late.

The characters in this book are well-developed and multi-dimensional. Through their conversations and interactions with each other, we get a better understanding of their motivations and goals. Furthermore, each character has something unique that makes them stand out from the rest—from Robin’s intellect and wit to Strike’s no-nonsense attitude—which helps bring the narrative to life.

It was really refreshing to see Robin come into her own with her own case this time, whereas before she always felt like she was helping Strike. She has become what seems to be more of an equal partner in their firm which adds dimension. Additionally, the relationship between Robin and Strike is still ongoing. While they haven’t managed to get together, they do seem to have balanced out after their past difficulties and now don’t want to get into a relationship and ruin their brilliant working relationship…will it ever happen?

Galbraith’s writing style is captivating and engaging throughout the entire novel. He has crafted a story that keeps readers on the edge of their seats while also providing plenty of twists and turns along the way. The dialogue is vivid and realistic, making it easy for readers to connect with both major characters as well as minor ones. Additionally, Galbraith does an excellent job of conveying emotion through his words—the reader can really feel what each character is going through during various points in the story.

In addition, this book contains many text and online conversations which broke up the reading nicely and added to the book. However, this also made it difficult to read on the kindle (due to the formatting) and to understand on audio as there was a little too much to follow easily. Therefore I would recommend a physical copy of this book and perhaps some extra arm muscles to be able to hold this 1024-page tomb!

Like with the other books in the series, especially the longer ones I think we could have condensed some of the writing and made this easily 300+ pages less. While all this additional detail and subplots help the story it also makes it so long that it takes a long time to get through.

Overall, The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith is an exciting and gripping read from start to finish. It combines suspenseful plotlines with realistic characters that draw you into their world from page one onwards. If you’re looking for a thrilling mystery novel with plenty of twists and turns along the way then this book is definitely worth checking out! So grab your copy today – you won’t be disappointed!

My previous reviews of Robert Galbraith’s work

The Cuckoo’s Calling

The Silkworm

Career of Evil

Lethal White

Troubled Blood

Rated