Career of Evil by Robert Galbriath Book Review

In Robert Galbraith’s latest novel, Career of Evil, readers are immediately thrust into a gripping mystery. A mysterious package is delivered to Robin Ellacott, but it’s no ordinary package. It contains a woman’s severed leg! Her boss, private detective Cormoran Strike, is less surprised but no less alarmed. There are four people from his past who he thinks could be responsible – and Strike knows that any one of them is capable of sustained and unspeakable brutality. This book provides readers with a thrilling mystery as well as an insightful story of a man and woman at a crossroads in their personal and professional lives.

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Synopsis

When a mysterious package is delivered to Robin Ellacott, she is horrified to discover that it contains a woman’s severed leg.

Her boss, private detective Cormoran Strike, is less surprised but no less alarmed. There are four people from his past who he thinks could be responsible – and Strike knows that any one of them is capable of sustained and unspeakable brutality.

With the police focusing on the one suspect Strike is increasingly sure is not the perpetrator, he and Robin take matters into their own hands, and delve into the dark and twisted worlds of the other three men. But as more horrendous acts occur, time is running out for the two of them…

A fiendishly clever mystery with unexpected twists around every corner, Career of Evil is also a gripping story of a man and a woman at a crossroads in their personal and professional lives. You will not be able to put this book down.

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 novel follows Cormoran Strike as he attempts to solve the mystery of who sent the severed leg. He quickly identifies four suspects from his past who could all be responsible for this heinous act. With the police focusing on one suspect, whom Strike doubts is actually the perpetrator, he takes matters into his own hands and dives deep into the dark worlds of these four men. As more acts of violence occur, time is running out for him to find out who is behind it all before it’s too late.

Unlike the first two books in the series, this book doesn’t focus on a case as such, it’s just the ‘real life’ of Cormoran and Robin trying to save their own skins. There is danger at every turn and while Cormoran tries to protect Robin, she is headstrong and doesn’t want to let him. There are places where Robin wants him to step up to help others in a difficult situation and he doesn’t seem interested which was disappointing but lets us know a little more about Robin and what drives her. However, I didn’t like this past of hers and that it relates to why she is still with Matthew. I totally understand why it’s that way, but I strongly dislike it.

This leads to a big trigger, the exploration of victimhood and what it means to be a victim in today’s world. Strike and Robin have very different views on life’s events and how things should be treated with Robin strongly wanting to resolve the issues with Alyssa and Brockbank and Strike being less bothered. Strike later shows that he thinks it is natural that the police would question Hazel’s boyfriend Ray so intensely because “most women’s rapists and killers were not strangers in masks who reached out of the dark space under the stairs. They were the father, the husband, the mother’s or the sister’s boyfriend …” which I think is an important distinction, though not relevant to all rapes and murders.

This novel also delves into the thoughts from the murderer’s perspective, which is unusual and refreshing in some ways. Galbraith does a great job of getting across his point in explaining how the murderer talks about women as objects who are better to him dead. This book has far more misogynistic images than any of the others in the series.

This novel also delves deep into the personal lives of both Robin Ellacott and Cormoran Strike. Through their interactions with each other as well as with other characters, we get a sense of their inner struggles related to both romantic relationships and career aspirations. It’s fascinating to watch how they grow in their understanding of themselves over the course of the novel while simultaneously trying to unravel this complex mystery—all while being pursued by an unknown murderer!

Career of Evil focuses more on surveillance rather than dialogue, which I thought I would enjoy more but I missed the dialogue-heavy emphasis from the last book in the series and hope that it returns in the next book. I enjoyed the ending and can’t wait to get to the next book, Lethal White to find out what happens next.

Overall, I enjoyed this third instalment. If you have a strong stomach and aren’t easily offended if you enjoy a mystery with lots of descriptions and great insights into human nature then look no further than Robert Galbraith’s Career of Evil. I don’t think you will be disappointed. If you are a little more squeamish and easily offended, then maybe give this one a miss.

My previous reviews of Robert Galbraith’s work

The Cuckoo’s Calling

The Silkworm

Rated