Book bingo book reviews
And here's the second of my book review posts for this year. I'm still reading the great big academic thing (for anyone who's interested, it's about homosexuality in ancient Greece, so admittedly a bit of a niche interest, but I'm enjoying it, it's just heavy going in places), but in between I've polished off the other two Strike novels from Robert Galbraith, with quite good timing since I'm now seeing adverts for the next TV adaptation coming soon.
So, reviews!
The Silkworm, by Robert Galbraith (book two in the Cormoran Strike series).
I'm not actually claiming a bingo square for this, as I'd already used up the 'TV tie in' square for 'The Cuckoos Calling', and felt that the third book, 'Career of Evil', was a far better fill for the 'crime/mystery' square. Of the three Strike books, I definitely thought this one was the weakest. It might make more sense on a second reading, but for me there were too many characters to keep track of how they all related to each other, and by the end of the book I was still a little baffled as to exactly why or how the murderer had actually done it! Which I have to admit is not a ringing endorsement for a crime novel. :-(
Career of Evil, by Robert Galbraith (book three in the Cormoran Strike series). Fills the 'Crime/Mystery' square.
*This* was a much better read than The Silkworm. The plot was generally more satisfying, the story was more exciting, and the relationship developments between all the main characters really laid the groundwork for more books in the series (which I hear there will be, JK just hasn't finished them yet!). We found out far more about the two main characters' backgrounds, and how that has shaped them both into the people they are now, and arguably this also brings Strike and Robin closer together. In the previous two books, while they have been investigating a murder, there was never really any sense of serious peril for either Strike or Robin, but this book changes all that by bringing a very real threat to their office, and the tension and sense of menace is well paced throughout the book.
No spoilers, especially as it's about to air on TV soon, but I do hope the new TV adaptation lives up to the book.
Now I just need JK to finish book four! Write faster, dammit!
lj book bingo card 2018