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Friday, July 17, 2015

The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith

The Silkworm is the 2nd book in the Cormoran Strike mystery series, written by Robert Galbraith aka J. K. Rowling.  I listened to this book on audio and it is wonderfully narrated by Robert Glennister.  Really, really good narration.  I feel that this is another series that might be best experienced in audio format.

After the events of the first book, The Cuckoo's Calling, Cormoran Strike is a famous man.  Well, he was already a bit famous, being the son of an aging rock star and also a war hero, but the previous case was the tipping point for insuring that his private detection business would be a success.  He has enough work to keep his assistant, Robin, busy on the phones and the computer, and himself busy as well.  Mostly divorce cases, but one morning he has a visit from a novelist's wife.  Leonora Quine, wife of author Owen Quine, tells Cormoran that her husband is missing.  She wants Strike to find him and tell him to come home.  Now Mr. Quine has made a habit of going off for a few days, leaving his wife and daughter alone.  Usually, he's accompanied by another woman and he spends some time in a pricey hotel and then returns.  After Strike asks Mrs. Quine why she doesn't go to the police, she says that the police won't believe her and she knows that Strike will succeed.

Strike starts the process of trying to locate the author and it quickly becomes apparent that there is more to the story.  Quine has recently finished a book, yet to be published, that has several members of the book industry up in arms.  It's a very, very odd book (and when I say odd, I mean odd!!!).  It depicts certain individuals in very horrible ways and pretty much reveals a bunch of secrets that Quine's colleagues in the industry would love to keep quiet.  And then our hero, Strike, discovers the author's body, killed in a most grotesque manner.  It's up to Strike and Robin to put all the clues together and save the day.

I really like the characters of Cormoran Strike and his assistant, Robin Ellacott.  We get to see more of Robin's life in this book and also her ambitions for her own career in investigation.  We also find that she has a few hidden talents.  Strike, who is a very shrewd detective, shows himself to be adept at navigating the publishing world and people that populate it.  Everyone seems to expect him to be some kind of Neanderthal, but they don't know that before he joined the Army, he was at Oxford.  The solution was not totally unexpected for me, but I had hopped from place to place in my guesses.  The book is a bit lengthy and probably could have been 100 pages shorter, but as I was listening to it, I didn't mind.  A lot of conversation though and not terribly much action, except when Strike is injuring his knee again.

I'm looking forward to the next book in the series, Career of Evil, which will be published in the fall.  If you liked the first book, you'd probably like this one as well.  If not, well, you might want to pass on The Silkworm.  I also understand that the BBC will be adapting these books for TV.  I hope that we get a chance to see them here in the US.

26 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed both of these books. They are so different from the Harry Potter series, and I admit that I was a little hesitant about what to expect, but both books provided great characters and intriguing plots. Television adaptations? I'm game!

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    1. I know - I'm excited about a TV adaptation too. Hope they might do a good one and that we might get to see it here.

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  2. I didn't care for her first adult book so dismissed this series and now I regret it. I need to go back and catch up.

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    1. Kathy, I think this is very different from that first adult book - or so I've heard. I didn't read it.

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    2. It's nothing like The Casual Vacancy at all :) I liked both, but for very different reasons.

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    3. Well there you go. Thanks for telling us, Bridget!

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  3. Glad you're enjoying the series. Book one is patiently sitting in my e-reader.

    Have a great weekend and thanks for visiting my Friday post.

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    1. Yes, I have the same situation with so many books, Catherine. One day - and they all patiently wait.

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  4. Have to learn to enjoy audio books, with out falling asleep!!!!!! -grin-

    Ever hear of this happening to other people? It happens to both my husband and I.

    But then, one needs to be "doing" something else, while listening... Not sitting in one's comfy chair. Oh well....

    Tessa

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    1. Tessa, I think I would fall asleep too if I listened while sitting in comfy chair. LOL

      For me, it more when I'm driving or folding clothes or walking or unloading the dishwasher. :-)

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  5. I haven't had the courage to try this series yet - one day! But I agree that Robert Glenister is a great narrator - I've listened to him do a couple of Sebastian Fitzek books, and while the books themselves are just OK, his narration really adds to them.

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    1. I really like his voice tones. I'll have to look for more books with this narrator. :-)

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  6. This looks like a great series, and I'm glad to know that the audiobook is worth listening to as well.

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    1. Of course you do! Ha! Didn't Debora tell us this one was better than the first? I'm not sure I liked this one a lot more because there were some odd things, but I definitely liked the character development a lot.

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  8. I enjoyed this one but thought the first one was better. I am looking forward to another in the series though.

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    1. I had a book club friend who has read both and she said just the opposite. I'm looking forward to the new on in the fall as well.

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  9. I'll try reading the first book some day (of course you knew I'll say that, lol). Glad you're enjoying this series, and that you'll get the chance to watch the TV series considering how much you like them. :)

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    1. You'd probably like them, Melody. And, yes, I'll look forward to TV adaptation. Now, to think about who might play Strike. Hmmm......

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  10. I still have to read the first one. Someday.

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  11. I liked the first one, but found it to be a bit wordy. I have this one on hold at the library in audio format.

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    1. Yes, and this one is a little wordy too. I kind of wish she would trim them a bit in that regard, but I keep remembering how long the last few Harry Potter books were.

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  12. I liked this one too, but I also thought it couldve been edited shorter. I liked the characters though. I will look for her next mystery. Here are some of thoughts on Silkworm at http://www.thecuecard.com/?s=silkworm

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    1. Yes, that was my thought too. But then I remembered the length of the HP books. I'll take a look at your post.

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Thanks for stopping by! I am so happy to hear your thoughts and will respond as soon as I can. Happy Reading!