Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith

Career of Evil is Robert Galbraith’s (aka J.K. Rowling) third mystery featuring private detective Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin Ellacott.  The plot develops around an unknown enemy of Strike seeking revenge by murdering young women with the intent of implicating Strike.

Strike’s PI business is going well after the notoriety he received from solving two very public cases.  So well that Robin’s role is expanded to include investigative duties as well as administrative ones.  Robin is elated both at by her expanded duties and by Strike’s confidence in her abilities.  She is so engrossed in her work that preparation for her approaching marriage to Matthew seems less of a priority. Then a mysterious package arrives at the office addressed to Robin.  It contains a woman’s severed leg and suddenly everything changes.

Strike calls the police and is relieved when they assign Detective Wardle to investigate.  Strike’s success in twice solving active cases of the London police, has put him at odds with many of the police inspectors.  Wardle, on the other hand, was not offended by Strike’s superior sleuthing.  Strike searches his memory and offers four possible suspects that may have reason to seek revenge on Strike and are capable of such unspeakable brutality.  One is connected to a London crime syndicate, two were adversaries of Strike during his stint as special investigator in the army and one was a rocker and former live in lover of his mother, a super-groupie who had died of a drug overdose when Strike was a child.  Wardle is most interested in the crime syndicate suspect so Strike begins searching the whereabouts of the other three.  Afterall, he knows his business will suffer from this type of publicity, so the sooner he finds the perpetrator the better.

But searching his gloomy past is emotionally painful for Strike.  Each one of the suspects has done despicable acts to women and children and tracking them brings back depressing memories.  We also learn that Robin was raped at university during her first year and dropped out to recover.  Much of her interest in criminology and detective work stems from that incident.  Her fiancé, Matthew’s behavior was somewhat supportive but was at times demeaning during her recovery.  This whole ordeal makes Robin respect Strike more and Matthew less which results in more conflict between Robin and Matthew.

As Strike closes in, the psychopath murders two more women and attacks Robin.  Robin’s self-defense training saves her life but Strike bands her from the investigation for her own safety.  But Robin can’t remain uninvolved and her initiative leaves her vulnerable.  Meanwhile Strike lays a trap in hopes of catching the villain in the act.

I’m impressed with Rowling’s mastery of this genre.  The characters are sufficiently flawed to be vulnerable and likeable.  The plot is complex enough to keep you guessing and simple enough to follow and the pacing keeps you engaged to the end.  I’m sure we will see more of detectives Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacot.