DebJpole Hello all,
“Why were you born when the snow was falling? You should have come to the cuckoo’s calling…”
How is it October already?! Time has gone so quickly and I’m feeling a bit nervous about finishing this Challenge 2020 as I still have a few books still left to read – eek!
“Nothing is an unmixed blessing.”
This next book is from the category ‘books set in different countries,’ this particular book is in Europe, more specifically it’s based in London, England. You may also recognise this and indeed the sequels which I will be reading after this challenge is done as from the tv series on BBC 1 called Strike.
“And the best plan is, as the popular saying was, to profit by the folly of others.”
We meet Cormoran Strike, a wounded war veteran, both mentally and physically with a private life in disarray. He has financial worries and has lost his structured life of the army… something his mother could never give him. We find him sleeping in his office where he has since become a private detective and has recently hired a ‘temporary’ assistant, Robin.
“Unhappy is he whose fame makes his misfortunes famous.”
When a young model named Lula, seemingly falls to her death from a balcony at the Mayfair hotel, the assumption from everyone – family, friends and medical examiners is that she committed suicide. Her brother, doesn’t seem to think this is the case and with his suspicions in mind, he contacts Strike to investigate.
“For in every ill-turn of fortune the most unhappy sort of unfortunate man is the one who has been happy.”
For Strike, this case offers him a lifeline in terms of finances but the deeper he delves into Lula’s world, he discovers she wasn’t as troubled as people may have deemed her to be. She had a wonderful modelling contract with clothes and bags galore. She had a boyfriend who cared about her despite his rugged appearance and history of drug usage. She had close friends who she could confide in. But when he looked into her family, he finds Lula was adopted – and that’s not all…she’s been looking for her biological father and siblings.
“No stranger to trouble myself, I am learning to care for the unhappy.”
This young models world becomes darker and what Strike doesn’t realise is the closer he gets to the truth, the closer he gets to endangering himself and those closest to Lula.
“Maybe one day it will be cheering even to remember these things.”
This is a compelling and engaging crime fiction novel where you feel you are there every step of the investigation. We get sneaky little glimpses into Strikes past as well as teases for what the future may hold for Robin and for Strike. It’s not an action packed, gruesome novel which has thrills on every page. This is more a steady paced investigation; where you can follow each clue and see where they lead. It’s a story that pulls you along rather than jumps out at you. I look forward to the sequels.
“The dead could only speak through the mouths of those left behind, and through the signs they left scattered behind them.”
Now in light of recent events I feel like I should address this as we all know, the author of this book, Robert Galbraith is really a pseudonym. The real author is JK Rowling. I know a lot of people who, since Rowling expressed her rather controversial views, have boycotted her work altogether. In my opinion, I can enjoy her work without supporting her views and that is exactly what I’m going to do. I have friends that are trans, that are gay and straight and I support everyone in the LGBTQ 🏳️🌈 community, in being who they are and expressing themselves. I don’t support Rowling’s views but I will continue to read her books and watch the Harry Potter films and the Strike tv series.
“Lucky is he who has been able to understand the causes of things.”
You can find this book on Amazon
Until next time,
Keep reading,
D x
