The Plot Thickens

So my reading progress has crawled to a halt. And it’s all because of these darn books! They’re so engrossing that I can’t seem to find anything else that will hold my attention. Problem is, I’m doing the audio version. Which is great during my long commute times, but not so great when Little Beth Ellen is in the car or at night, because there’s no way I’m sleeping after listening to this. I’ve taken to doing sudoku before bed as no other books compare, but at the same time I’d like to get a good night’s sleep.

We’ve jumped 8 months past the events in The Cuckoo’s Calling. Robin is still our trusty secretary, and this time Cormoran Strike is put to the task to find an errant husband. Owen Quine is a slightly notorious author who has apparently “done a runner”. His wife thinks he’s run off to a writer’s retreat, but has been missing long enough that she’s getting concerned. Cormoran feels a connection to the shabby woman and makes a few inquires. This leads to some gruesome discoveries and a whole lot of convoluted messes all while taking part in the highly pretentious literary world of London.

It was stellar. It was gruesome and tricky, and like her first you thought through the list of possible suspects again and again and again. Robert Glenister, as the narrator, continues to do excellent work. If you’ve read them in book form, I highly recommend a listening reread. He’s a new favorite narrator for me, although I don’t know if I can have him narrate anything else. He’s so integral to the experience of these. I will say that this one is much more gruesome than the first in the series, but it was definitely readable for those with gentler stomachs (such as myself). It also wasn’t a jump in the night so much as ick mystery, which I highly prefer even though I was anxious for the characters throughout.

If you enjoy mysteries and haven’t read the Cormoran Strike novels I can’t recommend them highly enough. If you’ve read them in book form I can’t recommend the audio version highly enough. I instantly started in on book three, and am already anxious for when the next one will be released!