This weeks Platform Book Club review comes from member Frankie Cummings.
Okay, so, I know J.K Rowling is cancelled after all of the hurtful things she said on Twitter last year. However, this series of books (where she wrote under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith) were a birthday present from my dad, who knows I was a HUGE fan of the Harry Potter books as a kid (and an adult). So, I had to give them a chance, and I’ll admit, I’m on the most recent book (number five) and can hardly put it down!
The setup for this book sounds like a pretty standard crime novel: Famous model Lula Landry died months ago, and the police ruled it as suicide… but her family aren’t convinced. They hire detective Cormoran Strike to investigate her death, in a case that will make or break his career. Amongst this, he navigates tricky personal relationships, and struggles through financial hardship.
Trust me when I tell you that Robert Galbraith is no J.K. Rowling. With the number of swearwords, and mature themes explored, all I can say is that is definitely not a Harry Potter book.
Definitely worth a read! I was hooked… and as someone who always manages to guess the ending (I have ruined a lot of movies for my boyfriend) I was completely taken by surprise. The plot is revealed so cleverly that I was gripped through the whole book.
Some of the interviews, and dialogue can get a little repetitive, but overall, this, and each of the rest of the Strike novels, provides an interesting crime plot whilst also getting you invested in the characters, showing glimpses of their personal lives in a way distinctive from the typical crime centred books.
By Frankie Cummings
Feature image: annadoesdesign