The Silkworm - Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)

The second book in a series can often be where a series trips up.  The first book has the excitement of introducing something new, and later books have the complexity built up from those previous works.  Second books often come across as stepping stones; things to get past so as to reach the more exciting bits.  This is, however, entirely not the case with Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling)

If you haven’t read The Cuckoo’s Calling, the first book in this series, then I wouldn’t be put off from reading this review or indeed the book though I would recommend it.  While the events of the previous book are heavily alluded to in The Silkworm, you would not be spoiling the previous book by beginning in media res.

The Silkworm takes place a few months after the events in The Cuckoo’s Calling and business is booming for Cormoran Strike.  His success in cracking the Lula Landry case has found him a raft of rich clients who mainly seem eager to prove that their spouse is banging the secretary/neighbour.  All this is, however, making him feel a little unfulfilled so when the wife of a rather mad author comes in to say that her husband is missing, he jumps at the case.

The missing man is a Owen Quine, an eccentric writer who just before his disappearance had written a novel that basically insulted everyone he knew including his wife, mistress, agent, editor, and former friends.  Any one of them could have a motive, but the police are pretty darn sure it was the wife – Strike disagrees.

Much like The Cuckoo’s Calling, this story is a pretty old-fashioned detective story set in modern London.  Unlike the previous work though, which was set in the flashing lights of glamourous models and stately homes, this book is set in literary circles – around writers, booksellers and publishers.  Now call me biased, but that is my kind of book.

Set around a fast-paced and deeply intricate plot, it continues the story of Batman Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin.  Strike is continuing his policy of attempting to ignore the shambles of his personal life, though at least he is no longer living in his office, but is still being dragged back by his past to aspects that he’d rather leave locked away.  Robin is still feeling held back by the two men in her life: the boss that seemingly does not recognise her potential and a fiancée who cannot recognise the importance that her work life holds for her.  While I was worried that these sub-plots would detract from the main narrative, they actually hold up well, though I am worried that his may wear thin if it continues for several more books!

My main criticism of The Cuckoo’s Calling was that, while it was very enjoyable, it did not have that sprinkling of star dust that transforms a book from being a ‘good read’ to being a ‘great read’.  I feel that this book is a step up.  While it is in many ways a very similar book, it  develops the characters in interesting ways and the plot itself is more fulfilling.  Much like in the 'Harry Potter' books, Rowling dangles clues in front of you, pulling you from one side to the other.  The answer is right in front of you, but you do not see it until the end.  Mystery stories should always end with the reader feeling that the answer was staring them straight in the face – and it does in The Silkworm.

An improvement on her previous foray into the world of crime then, let’s hope her third continues in the same bent.

8/10

Favourite Quotes

“Forever encased in the amber of a writer's prose.”

“writers are a savage breed, Mr. Strike. If you want life-long friendship and selfless camaraderie, join the army and learn to kill. If you want a lifetime of temporary alliances with peers who will glory in your every failure, write novels.”

“Memories like shrapnel, forever embedded, infected by what had come later…words of love and undying devotion, times of sublime happiness, lies upon lies upon lies…his attention kept sliding away from the stories he was reading.”