LETHAL WHITE (Cormoran Strike #4) by Robert Galbraith
18th September 2018, Sphere (Little Brown UK)
“I seen a kid killed…He strangled it, up by the horse.”
When Billy, a troubled young man, comes to private eye Cormoran Strike’s office to ask for his help investigating a crime he thinks he witnessed as a child, Strike is left deeply unsettled. While Billy is obviously mentally distressed, and cannot remember many concrete details, there is something sincere about him and his story. But before Strike can question him further, Billy bolts from his office in a panic.
Trying to get to the bottom of Billy’s story, Strike and Robin Ellacott—once his assistant, now a partner in the agency—set off on a twisting trail that leads them through the backstreets of London, into a secretive inner sanctum within Parliament, and to a beautiful but sinister manor house deep in the countryside.
And during this labyrinthine investigation, Strike’s own life is far from straightforward: his newfound fame as a private eye means he can no longer operate behind the scenes as he once did. Plus, his relationship with his former assistant is more fraught than it ever has been—Robin is now invaluable to Strike in the business, but their personal relationship is much, much trickier than that.
When I saw the size of the book I was put off picking it up! I had to have it back to the library and I wondered if I would manage to get through it in time, but it was such a fast paced brilliant read that I found I flicked through the pages quicker than I thought possible and having it finished was not an issue.
The prologue starts exactly where CAREER OF EVIL ended. With Robin’s wedding and Strike turning up during the ceremony. Then we jump forward a year and Cormoran is doing so well with the agency, they are having to take on more investigators. As his fame grows Strike is still fighting all his inner demons, his feelings with Robin, his leg and stump causing him pain and women who want more than he is willing to give. Robin is fighting her demons too, her feelings for Strike and a marriage that she does not want to be in.
As well as the personal drama there is of course a case Strike and Robin are investigating. This book is written in two parts, the first is about a government minster who enlists their help when he is being blackmailed and the second part is about his murder and who may have done it.
As with the three previous books I struggled to guess who the culprit was. I did manage to guess a couple of the shocks but that didn’t spoil the story for me. I still had to keep reading to find out how all the links are connected because as with the previous three you know there is going to be a great climax. I found myself so engrossed in this story that everything happening around me blended into the background. Robert manages to write characters so well that they really feel real when reading about them. you become so impatient to know how things turn out for them.
I found this book a brilliant addition to the Strike series and it was very well written and really got me gripped. Can’t wait to see what Robert comes up with next and where our characters go.
You can buy LETHAL WHITE (Cormoran Strike #4) from the following booksellers (and obviously many more! Support your local booksellers where you can!)
Amazon (UK) | Amazon (US) | Amazon (AU)
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