This is my third Cormoran Strike novel.I had read 'The Cuckoo's Calling' and 'The Silkworm' and developed a fondness for Strike,for his brooding and taciturn nature and also the ability to take the bull by the horns every single time.This time around the story starts a bit differently.
It begins with a severed leg being sent to his secretary Robin accompanied by the lyrics of a rock group called the Blue Oyster Cult.The lyrics are as weird as the crime is grisly.This immediately leads to wide spread media coverage and causes Strike to lose any business which would come his way.They soon come to know that the killer is targeting Strike through Robin because Blue Oyster Cult is related to Strikes past.Having made more than a few enemies in his murky past,Strike immediately zeroes down to four possible suspects.Jeff Whittaker,his sadistic stepfather,who was acquitted of murdering Strike's mother.Noel Brockbank,a pedophile,who sexually assaulted his stepdaughter and managed to still run free despite Strikes efforts,Donald Laing,a sociopath who violently assaulted his wife and was sentenced to prison based on Strikes evidence and a gangster Malley,known for cutting off an enemy's penis.
Being unhappy with the way the case is being handled by the police,Strike and Robin take matters into their own hands.However the killer is brutal and relentless and time is running out.
My Views:
This story started with a bang,just the way I like it.Each chapter begins with a weird and sinister quote from the 'thinking mans' heavy metal band(whatever that means) 'Blue Oyster Cult'.The serial killer,a necrophiliac,is an absolute psychopath with a fetish for sliced up body parts.He actually keeps them as trophies.The Strike-Robin magnetic appeal is as strong as ever.In fact the subtle undercurrents made up for a good read.
However as I proceeded further ,the story went all over the place.There were too many things going on sometimes,prostitution,drug abuse,pedophilia and the psycho killer was side-tracked.Too many mundane details thrown here and there which distracted me a bit from the main plot.
However its easy to hang in there and see where it is going.The killer made it interesting.Horrible but interesting.Lots of gruesome scenes when it comes to him though,involving maiming and mutilation.You have been warned.And there are chapters from his point of view as well,which are just too creepy and terrible.Takes us inside the mind of a fetishistic necrophiliac seeking revenge.
This story was Robin's to a major extent and we get to know the tough woman that she is.We are also given a glimpse into her traumatic past,which was briefly mentioned in the previous two books.The Strike-Robin chemistry was awesome as always and I wanted Mathew out of the way.He was pathetic as usual.There were some new interesting characters thrown in as well.
I pulled an all-nighter for this one,got a bit distracted in between but persisted till the end.And no I couldnt figure out who the killer was this time around.(the previous two books I had managed fairly well)This book is definitely more macabre than the previous two.How they get about identifying 'him' is very interesting.
Read it for Cormoran and Robin,they certainly seem like old friends to me now.The ending was pretty awesome.Cant wait to see how the next one begins!
I rate it a 4 out of 5.
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