The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith

"A clear picture of the killer was emerging out of the mass of disconnected evidence, and the image was stark and terrifying: a case of obsession, of violent rage, of a calculating, brilliant but profoundly disturbed mind."
                                -from the novel

I read The Cuckoo's Calling a few years ago and I think I liked it. I certainly knew Robert Galbraith was the pen name of J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series which I loved. When I recently noticed Career of Evil on the Hot Picks table at the library and realized it was another in the series, I picked it up and took it home. I enjoyed it but soon realized it was the third in the series and I had been completely unaware of the second, The Silkworm.

I think The Silkworm would have been a page-turner if I had had time to do more sustained reading. I was researching and planning lessons for an adult class this month so I had little time for pleasure reading. I will rate it a 4.

The Silkworm again features Cormoran Strike, a detective who wears a prosthetic leg as a result of an IED encountered in Afghanistan. In this novel he takes on a search for the missing author of Bombyx Mori, Owen Quine. When Quine is found brutally murdered, the list of suspects is long and centered in the publishing world where Quine had angered many by his representations of them in his novel. As it turns out Quine was slain in a manner described in Bombyx Mori. The chief suspect of law enforcement is Leonora Quine, the wife who hired Strike to find her husband, and whom Strike believes is innocent. Added to this interesting plot is the romantic tension between Strike and his assistant, Robin, who happens to be engaged.

Rowling, aka Galbraith, is an excellent writer. She knows how to weave a plot and the vocabulary is challenging. The Cormoran Strike series takes place in London and I enjoy the British jargon and references to landmarks since I visited there last spring. My followers know I like quotes but in this novel the author begins each chapter with an unfamiliar quote, leaving me confused as to why they were there. A couple referred to silkworms but as to the others, I have no clue.

I wondered for some time about the title Bombyx Mori. Upon further reading one discovers that  it translates silkworm.

I recommend reading this series in order. If you like detective stories, you will probably find them more "meaty" than most!