Author: Robert Galbraith (pseudonym for J.K. Rowling)
Genre: Crime / Thriller
Originally Published: 2014
Page Count: 455
Published by: Sphere
Date Read: 1st July - 4th July 2014
I was incredibly dubious going into this series initially. JK Rowling has filled my childhood with so many fantastic and beautiful stories that I hold incredibly dear to my heart. I don't want to sound clichéd, but she did. Last year I read 'The Cuckoo's Calling' after discovering with the world that Robert Galbraith didn't write it, Joanne Rowling wrote it under a pseudonym. I really enjoyed 'The Cuckoo's Calling', but 'The Silkworm' was something else.
I had no idea on the plot when picking this up, it was an instant-buy, I wanted it, I needed it. I bought the hardback and started reading. Without going into too much detail the novel takes place after the first book, in the winter of 2010, when the wife of famous writer Owen Quaine hires Cormoran Strike (our hero from book one) to find her husband as he's disappeared. The novel subsequently takes a sinister turn and everyone's a suspect due to Quaine's unpublished manuscript for his new book being incredibly critical and rude about the people around him.
The prose of this book was beautiful. Rowling (or Galbraith - I'll stick with Rowling) has this beautiful way of describing the simplest of things. While she uses some clumsy and rather pedantic descriptions of things, her writing on the setting paints such a beautiful picture. Rowling almost romanticises London, her descriptions are what a reader craves. I already have a romanticised view of the hustle and bustle of the big smoke, and Rowling, not shying away from describing London's grittier side, continues to entice me to England's capital.
Her characters grow enormously within this book. Not literally of course. Strike and Robin's relationship, especially, continues to blossom. I adore their relationship, it's maybe a cliché but they work so well together and the continued dynamic with Matthew, Robin's fiancé, makes things a lot more interesting. Robin is as likeable as ever, but she'll never surpass Strike. Strike has such a history that we haven't scratched the surface of, from his failed relationships and further back to his army days. I assume there's a lot more characters from his past who will crop up in future installments.
The mystery itself was fascinating. Set within the publishing world, any reader is enthused. The only thing I really have negative to say is that the mystery is never really outstanding or innovative, it's again, like its predecessor, rather clichéd with the tropes of all crime fiction added. The use of the mcguffin to drive the plot was excellent and did hold my attention.
As far as solving it goes, I don't know whether it's a bad thing that her novels are rather predictable. The writing and relationships are so fantastic that you don't really mind that you've put the pieces together. Tension is still sustained and there's always that doubt in your mind that maybe you are wrong and you've missed something.
Whatever Cormoran and Robin get up to next, to use a clichéd phrase, I'll be there with bells on. Fantastic novel. 5 stars.
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