Mystery Annotation

Career of Evil
by Robert Galbraith

Publication date: October 20, 2015

Number of Pages: 497

Series information: Cormoran Strike novels, #3

Geographical setting: London, surrounding area

Time period: contemporary

Subject headings: Private Investigators, man-woman relationships, England--London

Plot summary: When a severed leg is delivered to Robin Ellacott, her boss Cormoran Strike knows it’s a message directed to him.  During a career in the military police, in which he lost his own leg, Strike put away three men.  Each who had their life destroyed by that arrest, each dangerous, and each now released.  With the police chasing a red herring, Strike takes the investigation into his own hands with Robin joining him in the field, eager to become a detective into her own right.  But as her personal life begins to crumble and by throwing herself into work, is she setting herself in the stalker’s path?

Librarian's opinion: The mystery revolves around violence against women, which may be considered by some a tired trend in the thriller and mystery genres. The stalker’s chapters may be disturbing and the violence may be off-putting, but other readers may love the suspense. The biggest appeal for readers will most likely be found in the characters of Strike and Robin, as the author devotes many pages into giving them a realistic working and personal relationship.

Elements of the Book

Slow build-up

The pacing is deliberate and given the size of the book, that may not be acceptable to some readers.  Pages on pages may be devoted to exposition, either on the plot (clues and suspects) or on the character’s history.  However, there are chase and fight scenes to break up these sections, and no matter what, the characters are always moving towards the conclusion.  Suspense cooks the longer the investigation goes on, and with each new chapter from the stalker’s perspective as he hunts Robin.

Gritty tone

With chapters told from the stalker’s disturbing perspective, along with the subject matter of violence against women, it is a dark story.  The investigators often interact with criminals and are occasionally required to visit some seedy places.  The author’s choice of language, sometimes profane, also adds to this gritty world.

Cerebral

Clues are gathered through conversation and observation.  Characters then discuss these clues and their implications, or else mull them over in their minds.  The mystery is solved with these careful methods and logic, rather than by force and action like in a thriller.  Readers and characters know what has happened and why, they must solve only the who.

Character personalities

A large draw of this book are the main characters.  Cormoran Strike is a veteran who’s devoted himself to solving crimes, largely in response to all that he witnessed in his childhood.  Robin Ellacott comes across as the everyday, normal woman who craves a bit more excitement to her life.  In this volume, however we learn of her past and what trials she has gone through, why she is so interesting in criminal justice.  The interaction between these two, with the simmering romantic subtext, draws the reader in and makes them feel invested in their relationship.

Violence

While sex is talked about, and not always in a healthy way, it is violence that stands out in this book.  The main characters receive severed limbs in the mail and learn about crime scenes.  But the reader becomes acquainted with the crime scenes must more intimately through chapters set in the point-of-view of the villain.  There are fist fights between characters that may also set the reader on the edge of their chair.  Abuse and neglect are also discussed, along with the motivations and consequences of all these forms of violence.

Similar Reads

• Left for Dead by J.A. Jance--If you enjoyed the female perspective of Robin, you may enjoy this book.  Ali Reynolds helps Jose Reyes, a sheriff she owes a professional debt to, in investigating a Mexican drug cartel that is spreading across the border.  Although the setting is in Arizona, it deals heavily with Mexican social issues, which may give the reader a taste of a unique locale.
• Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson--Also set in Europe, the beginning volume of the Millennium series also heavily features man-woman relationships.  Investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist is joined by Lisbeth Salander in a classic "closed island" mystery, where they work to solve a decades-old murder case.  These are also series characters, as are Robin and Strike.
• The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith--The first Comoran Strike novel.  If the reader begins with and enjoys Career of Evil, the natural suggestion would be to point them in this direction.  The elements persist throughout the series, and they can see how this unlikely duo first came about.