When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, she just thinks he has gone off by himself for a few days- as he has done before- and she wants Strike to find him bring him home.
But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine's disappearance than his wife realises. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were published it would ruin lives- so there are a lot of people who might want to silence him.
And when Quine is found brutally murdered in bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any he has encountered before...
I've put this novel off for so long, wait! Not because I didn't want to read it, oh no. I didn't want to just yet because I had a feeling it would be a while until the third installment would be released and yes, it's going to be a while for the next book but oh my I am so glad I read The Silkworm on holiday. Just like the first book in the series, The Cuckoo's Calling I was hooked from the first couple of pages.
Throughout this novel like many crime novels the finger is pointed at the wrong person as to who committed the murder of Owen Quine. We learn he wasn't a likeable person and deceives many people, friends, family and strangers.
The biggest clue as to who murdered Quine is far closest to home than we first realise and once this clue is found the plot unravels and within the last few chapters everything comes together and we're mind-blown by the outcome.
I've missed my favourite detective (pardon me Sherlock) Cormoran Strike, if anything I feel as if I have a crush developing. I know! He's described as a man with "pube hair" which sounds utterly gross but he has something about him that is definitely attractive- perhaps its the mystery surrounding himself! We don't know everything about Cormoran and his past, but we do know that his ex-fiance Charlotte is engaged to be married and it seems that Cormoran hasn't quite got over it yet.
Despite this his beautiful assistant Robin has stuck around and more enthusiastic than ever, even if her relationship with Matthew is on the line. Again I'm desperate for something to happen between herself and Cormoran, although I wouldn't want it to suddenly become all about them. I just love their relationship and how to some degree it's a "forbidden love", perhaps this is just my opinion. So I'm indecisive as to whether I really want their relationship to develop in such a way- goddamit Robert Galbraith you're frazzling my brain!
I find it hard to write a review for a crime book as I never want to give anything away! But just know this, Robert/J.K, has such a brilliant way of writing. There's the dry humour which suits the laid back character of Strike, a puzzling plot of a "whodunnit" and the remarkable way in which all the clues are put together by Strike as to how he comes to the conclusion of who the killer is. It blows my mind every time!
