This is the 8th book in Robert Galbraith's (aka J.K. Rowling) series about grizzled private detective Cormoran Strike, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan who lost his leg during the hostilities.....
.....and his pretty, strawberry blonde partner Robin Ellacott.
The book can be read as a standalone, but I'd strongly suggest starting with the first book in the series, The Cuckoo's Calling, and going on from there.
*****
Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott run the Strike and Ellacott Detective Agency, which is doing very well after solving several high profile cases. Currently, the agency's work includes surveilling several spouses suspected of cheating, and investigating a man accused of elder abuse. To handle all the business, the agency employs several subcontractors.
Strike recently added to the agency's roster of investigators by hiring Kim Cochran, a former Metropolitan police detective. Kim is attractive and sexy, and takes every opportunity to flirt with Strike and ignore Robin. This infuriates Robin and is yet another stumbling block to a romance between Robin and Strike.
Strike and Robin have been on the brink of a relationship for years, but something - or someone - always gets in the way.
Strike is now ready to tell Robin he's in love with her, but Robin is dating handsome CID officer Ryan Murphy, who wants them to move in together, and maybe even start a family.
The Strike-Robin-Ryan triangle is threaded throughout the book, and is fraught with missed opportunities and misunderstandings. Nuff said about that.
The detective agency takes on a difficult case when the body of a man is found in the basement vault of Ramsay Silver, a shop next door to a Freemasons' Temple. As might be expected, the store specializes in masonic silver and jewelry.
The murder victim in the Ramsay Silver vault is naked, badly beaten, unrecognizable, and mutilated, with both hands amputated. There's also a letter 'G' carved into him, which is a masonic hallmark.
The dead man called himself William Wright during his brief employment at Ramsay Silver, but the police say he's a convicted armed robber named Jason Knowles.
Is he though??
Decima Mullins, who works as a chef in her father's posh club Dino's - where lunch costs £400 per person - disagrees with the police. Decima wants Strike and Ellacott to PROVE the victim is her boyfriend Rupert Fleetwood.
Decima explains that Rupert is missing, and that he would NEVER take off and abandon her and their newborn baby. Decima insists the description of 'William Wright' - a man in his mid-twenties to mid-thirties, left-handed, five foot five or six - matches Rupert, as does the victim's blood group, A positive.
Strike and Robin take the case, which turns out to be MUCH MORE complicated - and dangerous - than they anticipate.
It turns out four missing men match the description of the murder victim 'William Wright'. The men are:
➤ Jason Knowles - the man identified as the victim by the CID. Strike is suspicious of the ID because the police detective leading the case is a Freemason, and he may have misidentified the dead man to draw suspicion away from his brethren.
➤ Rupert Fleetwood - According to Decima, Rupert used to work in the club Dino's with her, but went away because someone was after him. Rupert planned to take care of the problem, then return to Decima and the baby.
➤ Tyler Powell - Tyler's grandmother called the missing persons helpline, and said Tyler - who's an auto mechanic - got into trouble at home in the Midlands, then went down south for a new job. Tyler hasn't called home in some time, and appears to be missing.
➤ Niall Semple - Niall's wife Jade contacted the police, and said he was an ex-paratrooper with mental health problems. Niall had vanished from his house in Scotland and cut off all contact. Jade thinks the victim's description matches Niall.
Shortly after Strike and Robin begin working on the 'William Wright' case, they start getting threatening phone calls; Robin is repeatedly accosted by a ruffian; the agency is vandalized; and an MI5 agent warns Strike off. It's clear something is VERY SUSPICIOUS about the 'Wiilliam Wright' investigation.
Additional trouble accrues to the detective agency when a journalist with a grudge publishes a fake story about Strike harassing a sex worker during a case. To add to Strike's problems, a former hot fling called Bijou asks him to take a paternity test. Needless to say, Robin views all this with a jaded eye.
The story provides an interesting peek at private detective work. Strike and Robin travel all over Great Britain to interview people connected with the four missing men, and the agency's entire roster of operatives take turns surveilling and following people. This requires communication, and the investigators frequently phone, text, and email one another, and have periodic meetings to keep everyone up to date.
In addition to their jobs, Strike and Robin go on with their personal lives. Strike is mourning the recent death of his beloved Uncle Ted, makes plans to sell Ted's house, spends Christmas with his sister and nephews, and even speaks to his despised biological father - the rock musician Jonny Rokeby.
In her private life, Robin also visits with her family, which is growing by leaps and bounds. Two of Robin's sisters-in-laws have new babies, which is hard for Robin, because she recently suffered an (accidental) ectopic pregnancy. Worse yet, a sexual assault in college compromised Robin's fallopian tubes and she can never conceive naturally. Robin's doctor advises her to freeze her eggs, but Robin is conflicted about that as well.
As the story unfolds, Strike and Robin come across some of Britain's ugly underbelly: human trafficking; a dog-fighting ring; violent thugs; a pornographer; and more. With all this going on, it's not surprising the book is 900+ pages long.
By the end of the novel, various adulterers, thieves, and sinners have been exposed, the 'William Wright' mystery is solved, and people have been arrested.
The story is overcomplicated, but I enjoyed the book, and was pleased to spend time with some favorite characters. Recommended to mystery lovers and fans of the series.
FYI: The Cormoran Strike/Robin Ellacott novels have been adapted into a series for streaming services.
Rating: 4 stars
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