Status
Available
Series
Genres
Publication
London : Sphere, 2014.
Description
When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, Mrs. Quine just thinks her husband has gone off by himself for a few days--as he has done before--and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home. But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine's disappearance than his wife realizes. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were to be published, it would ruin lives--meaning that there are a lot of people who might want him silenced. When Quine is found brutally murdered under bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any Strike has encountered before.… (more)
Media reviews
In the case of “The Silkworm,” it’s clear that two narrow genres of literature have been the source of inspiration: the old-fashioned detective story with its careful parsing of evidence; and the Jacobean play, renowned for its biting satire and dark fascination with betrayal and revenge,
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death and cruelty and corruption. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member brenzi
I understand Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling) is planning on seven books for the Cormoran Strike series. I already know I will stick around for all seven and probably hope for more of this extremely entertaining series. But this is only Book 2 so I don’t want to get ahead of myself.
Strike has
But the reason I love this series is what also goes on outside of the case:
First, Strike’s relationship with his Gal Friday, Robin Ellacott. She’s waged a battle to have more responsibility and more training in the basics of detective work in spite of her troublesome fiancé, Matthew, who is jealous of Strike and doesn’t understand why Robin would pass on a job in HR that would have paid her much more handsomely than what she makes working for Strike. He can’t understand her drive for a job that she loves. And doesn’t she make the perfect mate for Strike, anyway? Will there ever be fireworks between them?
Second, Strike’s heartbreaking ongoing should I or shouldn’t I back and forth feelings about his lover of sixteen years, Charlotte, who is getting ready to marry someone who can provide all the upper class extras that she seems to need. Self-absorbed and narcissistic, Strike is much better off without her, but does he realize it?
Third, Strike’s tremendous challenges due to the loss of his leg by a roadside IED in Afghanistan. He has a prosthesis but he continues to have a “dodgy knee” that presents all kinds of challenges for him. He’s in a great amount of pain and applying the prosthesis to a red and swollen knee makes it even more painful. This forces him to rely more and more on Robin.
Fourth, Galbraith’s decision to reveal the publishing industry, warts and all, and she leaves not a stone unturned, including the self-published novelists, greedy agents, and narcissistic writers. They all appear to be drunk much of the time. I now know more about the publishing industry than I thought possible.
The beauty of it all is that Galbraith is such a terrific storyteller. Pages flew by and before I knew it I was at the satisfying end and contemplating the full year I’ll have to wait for the next volume. Highly recommended.
Strike has
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been cashing in on his notoriety from his successful solution to the Lula Landry case in the last book, where he solved a crime in spite of the police bungling of the case. Unfortunately, that leaves him persona non grata with Scotland Yard, so when he needs their help now, he’s out of luck. He does have one ace in the hole, an officer whose life Strike saved while they both served in Afghanistan, but even he gives him short shrift when his opinion on the case differs from Strike’s. While juggling cases of unfaithful husbands and surveillance, Strike is contacted by the wife of novelist Owen Quine, who has gone missing. She would like him to find her husband, who has made a habit of disappearing for days at a time. He had a blow-out argument with his agent when she told him his latest book was not publishable and he took off in a storm of anger. The resolution of this case is what makes up most of the plot, even though Strike has other ongoing cases. Strike ends up looking for a maniacal killer and the description of the ghastly scene couldn’t be more repulsive.But the reason I love this series is what also goes on outside of the case:
First, Strike’s relationship with his Gal Friday, Robin Ellacott. She’s waged a battle to have more responsibility and more training in the basics of detective work in spite of her troublesome fiancé, Matthew, who is jealous of Strike and doesn’t understand why Robin would pass on a job in HR that would have paid her much more handsomely than what she makes working for Strike. He can’t understand her drive for a job that she loves. And doesn’t she make the perfect mate for Strike, anyway? Will there ever be fireworks between them?
Second, Strike’s heartbreaking ongoing should I or shouldn’t I back and forth feelings about his lover of sixteen years, Charlotte, who is getting ready to marry someone who can provide all the upper class extras that she seems to need. Self-absorbed and narcissistic, Strike is much better off without her, but does he realize it?
Third, Strike’s tremendous challenges due to the loss of his leg by a roadside IED in Afghanistan. He has a prosthesis but he continues to have a “dodgy knee” that presents all kinds of challenges for him. He’s in a great amount of pain and applying the prosthesis to a red and swollen knee makes it even more painful. This forces him to rely more and more on Robin.
Fourth, Galbraith’s decision to reveal the publishing industry, warts and all, and she leaves not a stone unturned, including the self-published novelists, greedy agents, and narcissistic writers. They all appear to be drunk much of the time. I now know more about the publishing industry than I thought possible.
The beauty of it all is that Galbraith is such a terrific storyteller. Pages flew by and before I knew it I was at the satisfying end and contemplating the full year I’ll have to wait for the next volume. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member nbmars
This is J.K. Rowling’s second pseudonymous book in a crime series featuring London private investigator Cormoran Strike and his dewy-eyed eager assistant Robin Ellacott.
Strike is an ex-military policeman who lost a foot in Afghanistan, and is now just turning 36 in this story that begins eight
Strike craves anonymity, much as he had in the army’s Special Investigation Branch, where your background and parentage didn’t matter as much as how well you did your job. But he is one of the illegitimate children of the rock star Jonny Rokeby, and when people find this out they tend to form an opinion of Strike as “no more than a famous singer’s zygote, the incidental evidence of a celebrity’s unfaithful fumble.” Strike has actually only met his biological father once, but he does know his half-siblings, and one of them, Al, helps Strike out in his latest case. In the process, Strike is amazed to discover that Al, Jonny Rokeby’s legitimate son and living a much more charmed life than Strike ever had, is envious of Strike, who has a purposefulness and usefulness that Al never has felt.
This case involves the murder of novelist Owen Quine. Strike had been hired by Owen’s wife Leonora to find Owen after he went missing. Strike does locate Quine, but what he finds is his body, in a very horrifying scene that not so coincidentally replicates a murder from Quine’s last as yet unpublished book, “Bombyx Mori,” Latin for “The Silkworm.” The silkworm, Quine once said, was a metaphor for the writer “who has to go through agonies to get at the good stuff….” Leonora immediately comes under suspicion but Strike is convinced she is innocent, and proceeds, with the help of the intrepid Robin, to prove it.
Discussion: Rowling’s writing is impressive as usual. As the story begins, for example, Strike heads out in the cold for an early morning meeting, and observes
"A huddle of couriers in fluorescent jackets cupped mugs of tea in their gloved hands beneath a stone griffin standing sentient on the corner of the market building.”
What a nicely-done sentence. The couriers aren’t huddling; they are “a huddle of couriers.” The image of the cold is boosted by the fact that they clasp their tea mugs with “gloved hands.” And the alliterative “stone griffin standing sentient” adds a subtle rhythmic appeal to the description.
Strike then proceeds on to the Smithfield Cafe, “a cupboard-sized cache of warmth and greasy food.” Again the alliteration cleverly draws attention to the aptness of her phrasing, as we can picture exactly just what sort of place would have both warmth and greasy food.
Rowling pays obeisance to the common tropes of the genre - from noir elements, to Strike’s careful methodical examination of the facts, to having Strike bring all the suspects together in a Christie-like manner to facilitate the unmasking of the killer. But she does not employ the spare prose of the noir writer, exploring the philosophical issues raised by the murder and the suspects as well as just taking us through the solving of the crime.
The object of Strike’s investigation being a novelist affords many opportunities for commentary on the writing and publishing business, which I found a bit distracting. It’s hard to tell whether these are “meta” observations of J.K. Rowling or if they should be considered simply as revelatory of the personalities under suspicion. I was much more taken by the many astute observations made about the nature of love and relationships. One of the authors under investigation, Michael Fancourt, muses to Strike:
"We don’t love each other; we love the idea we have of each other. Very few humans understand this or can bear to contemplate it.”
Later she has Strike rehearsing his relationship with his abusive former fiancée Charlotte, wondering if it fits the parameters of Fancourt's paradigm:
"Perhaps he had created a Charlotte in her own image who had never existed outside his own besotted mind, but what of it? He had loved the real Charlotte too, the woman who had stripped herself bare in front of him, demanding whether he could still love her if she did this, if she confessed to this, if she treated him like this….”
We can believe that Strike loved Charlotte for herself. Her cruel behavior to him serves to illuminate Strike’s steadfastness. In fact, many of the characters act as daubs from a pallet to fill in the portrait of Strike. Strike’s willingness to take on the impoverished Leonora Quine as a client, for example, places into relief his character as a champion of the downtrodden, as well as his disgust and impatience with his usual client pool of “the mistrustful, endlessly betrayed rich.”
Fancourt had also expressed to Strike his belief that men are primarily driven by the need/desire for sex; if a man tells himself a particular woman is “more fascinating, more attuned to my needs and desires, than another,” he is just revealing that he is ‘a complex, highly evolved and imaginative creature who feels compelled to justify a choice made on the crudest grounds.'”
Later in the story, Strike seems to substantiate Fancourt’s theory when he thinks about his sister asking him why he stayed with Charlotte:
"'Why do you put up with it? Why? Just because she’s beautiful?
And he had answered: ‘It helps.’
She had expected him to say ‘no,’ of course. Though they spent so much time trying to make themselves beautiful, you were not supposed to admit to women that beauty mattered.”
What an excellent observation.
Evaluation: J.K. Rowling is a masterful storyteller no matter what name she uses. I very much look forward to more installments of this crime series.
Strike is an ex-military policeman who lost a foot in Afghanistan, and is now just turning 36 in this story that begins eight
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months after the conclusion of the first book in the series, Cuckoo’s Calling.Strike craves anonymity, much as he had in the army’s Special Investigation Branch, where your background and parentage didn’t matter as much as how well you did your job. But he is one of the illegitimate children of the rock star Jonny Rokeby, and when people find this out they tend to form an opinion of Strike as “no more than a famous singer’s zygote, the incidental evidence of a celebrity’s unfaithful fumble.” Strike has actually only met his biological father once, but he does know his half-siblings, and one of them, Al, helps Strike out in his latest case. In the process, Strike is amazed to discover that Al, Jonny Rokeby’s legitimate son and living a much more charmed life than Strike ever had, is envious of Strike, who has a purposefulness and usefulness that Al never has felt.
This case involves the murder of novelist Owen Quine. Strike had been hired by Owen’s wife Leonora to find Owen after he went missing. Strike does locate Quine, but what he finds is his body, in a very horrifying scene that not so coincidentally replicates a murder from Quine’s last as yet unpublished book, “Bombyx Mori,” Latin for “The Silkworm.” The silkworm, Quine once said, was a metaphor for the writer “who has to go through agonies to get at the good stuff….” Leonora immediately comes under suspicion but Strike is convinced she is innocent, and proceeds, with the help of the intrepid Robin, to prove it.
Discussion: Rowling’s writing is impressive as usual. As the story begins, for example, Strike heads out in the cold for an early morning meeting, and observes
"A huddle of couriers in fluorescent jackets cupped mugs of tea in their gloved hands beneath a stone griffin standing sentient on the corner of the market building.”
What a nicely-done sentence. The couriers aren’t huddling; they are “a huddle of couriers.” The image of the cold is boosted by the fact that they clasp their tea mugs with “gloved hands.” And the alliterative “stone griffin standing sentient” adds a subtle rhythmic appeal to the description.
Strike then proceeds on to the Smithfield Cafe, “a cupboard-sized cache of warmth and greasy food.” Again the alliteration cleverly draws attention to the aptness of her phrasing, as we can picture exactly just what sort of place would have both warmth and greasy food.
Rowling pays obeisance to the common tropes of the genre - from noir elements, to Strike’s careful methodical examination of the facts, to having Strike bring all the suspects together in a Christie-like manner to facilitate the unmasking of the killer. But she does not employ the spare prose of the noir writer, exploring the philosophical issues raised by the murder and the suspects as well as just taking us through the solving of the crime.
The object of Strike’s investigation being a novelist affords many opportunities for commentary on the writing and publishing business, which I found a bit distracting. It’s hard to tell whether these are “meta” observations of J.K. Rowling or if they should be considered simply as revelatory of the personalities under suspicion. I was much more taken by the many astute observations made about the nature of love and relationships. One of the authors under investigation, Michael Fancourt, muses to Strike:
"We don’t love each other; we love the idea we have of each other. Very few humans understand this or can bear to contemplate it.”
Later she has Strike rehearsing his relationship with his abusive former fiancée Charlotte, wondering if it fits the parameters of Fancourt's paradigm:
"Perhaps he had created a Charlotte in her own image who had never existed outside his own besotted mind, but what of it? He had loved the real Charlotte too, the woman who had stripped herself bare in front of him, demanding whether he could still love her if she did this, if she confessed to this, if she treated him like this….”
We can believe that Strike loved Charlotte for herself. Her cruel behavior to him serves to illuminate Strike’s steadfastness. In fact, many of the characters act as daubs from a pallet to fill in the portrait of Strike. Strike’s willingness to take on the impoverished Leonora Quine as a client, for example, places into relief his character as a champion of the downtrodden, as well as his disgust and impatience with his usual client pool of “the mistrustful, endlessly betrayed rich.”
Fancourt had also expressed to Strike his belief that men are primarily driven by the need/desire for sex; if a man tells himself a particular woman is “more fascinating, more attuned to my needs and desires, than another,” he is just revealing that he is ‘a complex, highly evolved and imaginative creature who feels compelled to justify a choice made on the crudest grounds.'”
Later in the story, Strike seems to substantiate Fancourt’s theory when he thinks about his sister asking him why he stayed with Charlotte:
"'Why do you put up with it? Why? Just because she’s beautiful?
And he had answered: ‘It helps.’
She had expected him to say ‘no,’ of course. Though they spent so much time trying to make themselves beautiful, you were not supposed to admit to women that beauty mattered.”
What an excellent observation.
Evaluation: J.K. Rowling is a masterful storyteller no matter what name she uses. I very much look forward to more installments of this crime series.
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LibraryThing member lauralkeet
The second Cormoran Strike novel is just as good as the first book (The Cuckoo's Calling). In The Silkworm, Strike, a private detective, is hired by a woman to investigate her husband's disappearance. He's been known to run off before, but this time he is found dead, the victim of a gruesome
The Silkworm has some stylistic similarities to its predecessor: interesting and varied characters, fast pace, and Strike's "aha moment" that is subsequently revealed to the reader, piece by piece. Strike's character is further developed, but his assistant Robin really takes shape in this book. Robin's relationship with her fiance Matthew is explored in more depth, and she takes on a larger role in Strike's investigations. By the end of The Silkworm, they're not quite equals, but they are a force to be reckoned with and I am very glad the author plans to publish several more books in this series.
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murder. The dead man is Owen Quine, a well-known author who was on the verge of releasing a controversial new novel. The novel attacks pretty much everyone Owen has ever known, leading his associates in the literary world to think he had come unhinged, possibly even suicidal. As Strike conducts his investigation, we meet all of these characters and potential motives abound, which kept me guessing throughout. As we get closer to finding the killer the pace accelerates, and the last 100 pages or so are best read in one sitting.The Silkworm has some stylistic similarities to its predecessor: interesting and varied characters, fast pace, and Strike's "aha moment" that is subsequently revealed to the reader, piece by piece. Strike's character is further developed, but his assistant Robin really takes shape in this book. Robin's relationship with her fiance Matthew is explored in more depth, and she takes on a larger role in Strike's investigations. By the end of The Silkworm, they're not quite equals, but they are a force to be reckoned with and I am very glad the author plans to publish several more books in this series.
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LibraryThing member TadAD
I enjoyed it slightly more than the first in the series. The characters solidified a bit more and the mystery was fine. Rowling backed off on telling us that Strike had figured out something a bit, which was welcome.
A decent, solid mystery for me with interesting series characters. Worth reading if
A decent, solid mystery for me with interesting series characters. Worth reading if
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you enjoy the genre. Show Less
LibraryThing member The_reading_swimmer
I liked this one a lot better than the Cuckoo's Calling. I appreciated that it had more depth in the plot and the characters are developing more. I still felt the book dragging at a few points and started getting a bit repetitive. Perhaps 50-100 fewer pages wouldn't have hurt the storyline and
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would have left me wanting more, not less. Show Less
LibraryThing member ElspethW
I'm done with this series. I'm so done I don't feel like writing a review so here are the notes I took while reading:
-Thought it would be less sexist after the whole "I have a hot new secretary and oh look she's actually good at being a detective" thing wore off but it actually got worse
-All the
-"Most women would have expected flowers." "I'm not most women." "I know."
-Disabled character used as prop
-Masturbatory plot about writers and publishing that wouldn't get nearly as much press as it does in the book
-Rich beautiful women constantly turning into desperate idiots and throwing themselves at MC despite him being described as not handsome or rich
-MC uses a woman who really likes him to get access to witnesses, sleeps with her, then ghosts her
-"Pubelike hair"
-hysterical trans character, MC keeps referring to her as pre op and assuming she wants an operation, blames her hysteria on all the hormones she must be taking, threatens her with prison rape "You wouldn't like prison. Especially pre-operation."
This book was just gross. It doubled down on all the sexism of the first book and threw in some transphobia and ableism. Oh and the mystery was dumb.
-Thought it would be less sexist after the whole "I have a hot new secretary and oh look she's actually good at being a detective" thing wore off but it actually got worse
-All the
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men, except the main character, except actually including him, are assholes and the women just put up with them-"Most women would have expected flowers." "I'm not most women." "I know."
-Disabled character used as prop
-Masturbatory plot about writers and publishing that wouldn't get nearly as much press as it does in the book
-Rich beautiful women constantly turning into desperate idiots and throwing themselves at MC despite him being described as not handsome or rich
-MC uses a woman who really likes him to get access to witnesses, sleeps with her, then ghosts her
-"Pubelike hair"
-hysterical trans character, MC keeps referring to her as pre op and assuming she wants an operation, blames her hysteria on all the hormones she must be taking, threatens her with prison rape "You wouldn't like prison. Especially pre-operation."
This book was just gross. It doubled down on all the sexism of the first book and threw in some transphobia and ableism. Oh and the mystery was dumb.
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LibraryThing member Romonko
Cormoran Strike is back, and better than ever. I don't remember the last time when I've gotten hooked immediately on a PI series, but I sure am with this one. J.K. Rowling proves that it doesn't matter what genre or what name a gifted writer uses, a bestseller can be created. I loved the first book
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in the series, and I had thought that Ms. Rowling (Robert Galbraith) was going to have to pull many rabbits out of many hats to top it, and to keep up the momentum in this series. Well, as you can see by rating, she has definitely managed to do it with this book. In this book we get an inside look at the book publishing industry (something that Ms. Rowling knows a little bit about for sure). Cormoran stumbles on a particularly gruesome crime scene when he is trying to find his new client's missing husband. The book is set in November and December in London. Cormoran's missing person investigation is hindered by brutal weather and a knee that is giving him lots of pain. For those who haven't read the books, Cormoran is an ex-soldier who fought in the British army. He lost his right leg below the knee when the vehicle he was in was hit by an IED. The genius of this book is not only the storyline, and non-stop tension, but the character portrayals of the main character and the many strong and realistic supporting characters. The book moves along at a breakneck pace until the final surprising and shocking ending, but while we enjoy the tension and the story, we also learn more about Cormoran and his past life, as well the personal lives of the other main characters in the book. Cormoran's young temp office worker turned trusty sidekick named Robin, is a particularly wonderful creation. She is bright, beautiful and intuitive, and she adds a feminine perspective to the story. She manages to keep Cormoran on an even keel as he very much needs because once he is on the hunt for a killer, he loses sight of everything else in his life. I can tell you that I hope that there will be a third book in this wonderful series. I can hardly wait to read more. Show Less
LibraryThing member laytonwoman3rd
The second of J. K. Rowling's Cormoran Strike detective novels written under the pseudonym, Robert Galbraith. It's a page-turner. A deftly plotted murder has Strike and his new assistant, Robin, trying to figure out WTH, when a well-known author pulls a vanishing act just before publication of a
Reviewed July 2015
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new novel that will savage a good many of his colleagues and acquaintances. It's not the first time Owen Quine has turned up missing, but this time his wife thinks he's been gone a little too long, and she's worried about running out of money, since he managed all the accounts, so she contacts Strike to find him and tell him to come home. Only, it turns out Quine has been grotesquely murdered, in a manner described in his as-yet-unpublished manuscript, and WHO could have pulled that off? Neatly composed, and with clues you really can see if you're paying attention. Lots of fun. Go Jo. More of these, please.Reviewed July 2015
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LibraryThing member baggman
Sorry, R. K. Rowlings writing as Robert Glabrith, I just wasn't any more taken with this highly acclaimed series featuring Cormoran Strike and his determined young assistant Robin Ellacott than I was with that little dweeb of yours, Harry Potter. I didn't think that it was a compulsively readable
Rowlings expends a whole lot of words to contrive a mystery that wasn't all that mysterious. There is a horrendous murder; the bumbling police investigate and arrest the wrong person; the protagonist, using his incredibly honed powers of observation and examination of the spoken word, shows the police the error of their ways. End of mystery. All of this while suppressing his obvious infatuation with the attractive female assistant. Sherlock Holmes and The Hound of Baskervilles it was not.
All of the above having been said, I didn't think that Silkworm was a bad book, it just wasn't all that good and didn't have me rushing through my errands to find time to finish off another chapter. It was, perhaps, one hundred pages too long, which seems to be common among successful authors that probably have editorial control. The characters . . . were kinda stereo-type. The investigator that never misses a clue, even after downing four or five pints of ale. The inept police official leading the formal investigation. The attractive assistant who wants to become a detective. Really? How many people have you come across that want to become a private detective? Reminds me a 3rd grader who wants to grow up to be an astronaut, or fireman.
R. K. Rowlings, you became a billionaire by writing adolescent and young adult books. You really don't have to prove that absent Harry Potter, you still coulda been a contender. It's like Winston Churchill saying that he wanted to be remembered for his painting.
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crime novel with twists at every turn. In fact, after finishing the first one hundred pages, I had considered giving up and putting Silkworm back at the bottom of my read list until I had the strength to try it again. Rowlings expends a whole lot of words to contrive a mystery that wasn't all that mysterious. There is a horrendous murder; the bumbling police investigate and arrest the wrong person; the protagonist, using his incredibly honed powers of observation and examination of the spoken word, shows the police the error of their ways. End of mystery. All of this while suppressing his obvious infatuation with the attractive female assistant. Sherlock Holmes and The Hound of Baskervilles it was not.
All of the above having been said, I didn't think that Silkworm was a bad book, it just wasn't all that good and didn't have me rushing through my errands to find time to finish off another chapter. It was, perhaps, one hundred pages too long, which seems to be common among successful authors that probably have editorial control. The characters . . . were kinda stereo-type. The investigator that never misses a clue, even after downing four or five pints of ale. The inept police official leading the formal investigation. The attractive assistant who wants to become a detective. Really? How many people have you come across that want to become a private detective? Reminds me a 3rd grader who wants to grow up to be an astronaut, or fireman.
R. K. Rowlings, you became a billionaire by writing adolescent and young adult books. You really don't have to prove that absent Harry Potter, you still coulda been a contender. It's like Winston Churchill saying that he wanted to be remembered for his painting.
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LibraryThing member Lukerik
Is it as good as The Cuckoo's Calling? Of course not, nothing is, but it's still a superb novel. Believable characters and an interesting plot. The pacing is just superb. It never bogs down. Seriously, just look at the bit where Robin goes to the funeral. In the hands of every other author you'd
In the first book a lot of the characters were reminiscent of real famous Brits, never close enough to be libellous. I don't know enough about publishing to judge if that is going on here but I hope it is. I did notice that two of the characters are called Kathryn Kent and Pippa Midgley and I wondered if this was a very cheeky (and perverse) reference to the Middleton sisters.
And the whole thing just feels real. I've spent some time in London and she really captures the size and variety of the place.
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get a family scene interlude but here you have character and plot development rolled into one.In the first book a lot of the characters were reminiscent of real famous Brits, never close enough to be libellous. I don't know enough about publishing to judge if that is going on here but I hope it is. I did notice that two of the characters are called Kathryn Kent and Pippa Midgley and I wondered if this was a very cheeky (and perverse) reference to the Middleton sisters.
And the whole thing just feels real. I've spent some time in London and she really captures the size and variety of the place.
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LibraryThing member pierthinker
This is the second crime thriller from J. K. Rowling writing as Robert Galbraith and featuring the private investigator Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin Ellacourt.
LibraryThing member jkgrage
No matter what name she's writing under, J.K. Rowling is an amazing story teller. The Silkworm challenges your mind, keeps you thinking, grosses you out and touches your heart. Already waiting for another book in this series.
LibraryThing member lrobe190
When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, Mrs. Quine just thinks her husband has gone off by himself for a few days--as he has done before--and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home. But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear
(summary from ISBN 0316206873)
Galbraith is a pseudonym for J. K. Rowling. This is the second book in her Cormoran Strike series. Strike is a damaged man, physically and emotionally. Partly because of his wartime experiences, he is an outstanding investigator, often interfering with investigations of local law enforcement. Galbraith writes in great detail about the investigation and resolution. The book is not a fast-read, but a suspenseful one and hard to put down!
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that there is more to Quine's disappearance than his wife realizes. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were to be published, it would ruin lives--meaning that there are a lot of people who might want him silenced. When Quine is found brutally murdered under bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any Strike has encountered before.(summary from ISBN 0316206873)
Galbraith is a pseudonym for J. K. Rowling. This is the second book in her Cormoran Strike series. Strike is a damaged man, physically and emotionally. Partly because of his wartime experiences, he is an outstanding investigator, often interfering with investigations of local law enforcement. Galbraith writes in great detail about the investigation and resolution. The book is not a fast-read, but a suspenseful one and hard to put down!
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LibraryThing member amaraki
All in all, a good read. Pluses include: a terrific plot; the two main characters who were well developed and very interesting; the excellent & precise vocabulary; inclusion of some ethical dimensions. The negatives: unnecessarily long --I got my money's worth of reading -- so that the story got
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bogged down about 3/4 through with all those interviews that went every which way, but ultimately the clever and unexpected ending was a reward to my patience. Show Less
LibraryThing member Eyejaybee
I never really felt at home with this book. I certainly enjoyed its predecessor, and 'The Casual Vacancy' which J K Rowling published under her own name. I found this one slow to start, and actually felt rather relieved when I managed to finish it.
As with 'The Cuckoo Calling' the protagonist is
Sadly I felt that Galbraith-Rowling had lost her way a bit with this book. While I found its predecesor gripping, I found that I had no interest in the denouement of this story, and it did become a bit of a burden. Still, I am glad I finished it, but I shall be less eager in future to venture into Rowlingland.
As with 'The Cuckoo Calling' the protagonist is
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amputee, near-celebrity war veteran Cormoran Strike who is still trying to make his way as a private detective, ably assisted by Robin, his much put-upon PA who is eager to get away from the office and make a constructive contribution to Strike's cases. Strike is retained by Leonora Quine to find her missing husband, failed novelist Owen, who had disappeared ten days earlier. As Strike delves more deeply it emerges that Quine's latest novel is a potentially libellous attack on a number of prominent figures within the publishing industry, including Quine's own publishing house. Passions are running high and everyone who has read the manuscript seems to have it in for Quine.Sadly I felt that Galbraith-Rowling had lost her way a bit with this book. While I found its predecesor gripping, I found that I had no interest in the denouement of this story, and it did become a bit of a burden. Still, I am glad I finished it, but I shall be less eager in future to venture into Rowlingland.
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LibraryThing member Doondeck
Rowling knows how to tell a story. Despite being an entirely different genre, her skills displayed in Harry Potter are evident here. Really interesting characters, especially Strike and Robin.
LibraryThing member beckyhaase
THE SILKWORM by Robert Galbraith (J K Rowling)
This second outing for Rowling writing as Robert Galbraith continues the story of Cormoran Strike, an intrepid detective and war hero, and his assistant Robin.
This story is much darker than THE CUCKOO’S CALLING and filled with cruelty and foulness. A
Strike’s physical infirmity becomes a defining part of the story and Robin is forced to step up in ways that make her fiancé unhappy. That portion of the book offers insight into each of the main characters and will allow Rowling to continue the series with continued conflict between Robin, her fiancé and Strike.
A well written, engaging mystery that drags just a bit in the middle when much time is spent defining the characters.
4 of 5 stars
This second outing for Rowling writing as Robert Galbraith continues the story of Cormoran Strike, an intrepid detective and war hero, and his assistant Robin.
This story is much darker than THE CUCKOO’S CALLING and filled with cruelty and foulness. A
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failed and failing writer is murdered in a heinous way. Strike and Robin combine to discover who among the many literary folk did the murder and why. The many characters are introduced and their stories filled out nicely. Each of the characters has a possible motive and you will be kept guessing until the final pages. Rowling writes with clarity as she fleshes out each possible murderer. The plot is intricate and you will need to pay attention if you are to solve the mystery before Strike and Robin. Strike’s physical infirmity becomes a defining part of the story and Robin is forced to step up in ways that make her fiancé unhappy. That portion of the book offers insight into each of the main characters and will allow Rowling to continue the series with continued conflict between Robin, her fiancé and Strike.
A well written, engaging mystery that drags just a bit in the middle when much time is spent defining the characters.
4 of 5 stars
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LibraryThing member ecataldi
I know, I know. I'm a horrible JK Rowling fan, this book has been out for nearly three weeks and I'm just now getting around to reading. I'm awful! I loved the first Comoran Strike novel and I'm glad to say I loved the newest addition as well! For readers that haven't read the first book, don't be
This mystery was fast paced and had me guessing the entire time. I had no idea how it was all going to possibly come together. This mystery follows the disappearance of a b-list author. His wife contacts Detective Strike to find him after he's been gone for ten days thinking that he's off on some writer's retreat or worse with a mistress. Strike soon finds out however, that things are much, much worse.
For fans of JK Rowlings, mysteries, and anything set in London.
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alarmed. As with any good mystery series they all serve well as stand alones and don't have to be read in order. This mystery was fast paced and had me guessing the entire time. I had no idea how it was all going to possibly come together. This mystery follows the disappearance of a b-list author. His wife contacts Detective Strike to find him after he's been gone for ten days thinking that he's off on some writer's retreat or worse with a mistress. Strike soon finds out however, that things are much, much worse.
For fans of JK Rowlings, mysteries, and anything set in London.
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LibraryThing member bookappeal
The second book in the Cormoran Strike series begins with the wife of a not-well-liked author asking Strike to find her missing husband. Strike, with help from his assistant, Robin, relies largely on interviewing anyone who may know anything about Owen Quine who had recently written an odd and
Locating the missing man launches a gruesome murder investigation.
Galbraith uses a wide range of vivid vocabulary to write compelling descriptions and dialog, providing a picturesque view of life in London, from the slums to the gentleman's clubs. The writing style is so enjoyable that the reader may not notice how incrementally the story moves forward. With an abundance of characters and details (not necessarily red herrings but certainly distractions), forget about trying to figure out "who done it" and just enjoy the ride.
Cormoran is an interesting character - capable but also vulnerable, due to a war injury and lack of funds. Robin's character enjoys well-deserved time in the spotlight, though one might wish she had more moxie. A hint of attraction between Robin and Strike lingers but it's potentially professional admiration more than sexual heat and Galbraith keeps it to a minimum.
This entry in the series brings out more of Cormoran's useful acquaintances - an amusing friend who loves a challenge and a half-brother eager for a bit of independence and adventure. Robin's skills are made more apparent and she's finally given something more stimulating to do than effective internet searches and retrieving coffee and sandwiches.
Not a page-turner and containing some gruesome detail, some mystery readers will undoubted abandon this book. Mystery readers with a little patience, tolerance for disturbing images, and a love of London will enjoy.
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disturbing book in which he lambasted many of his writing and publishing colleagues. Locating the missing man launches a gruesome murder investigation.
Galbraith uses a wide range of vivid vocabulary to write compelling descriptions and dialog, providing a picturesque view of life in London, from the slums to the gentleman's clubs. The writing style is so enjoyable that the reader may not notice how incrementally the story moves forward. With an abundance of characters and details (not necessarily red herrings but certainly distractions), forget about trying to figure out "who done it" and just enjoy the ride.
Cormoran is an interesting character - capable but also vulnerable, due to a war injury and lack of funds. Robin's character enjoys well-deserved time in the spotlight, though one might wish she had more moxie. A hint of attraction between Robin and Strike lingers but it's potentially professional admiration more than sexual heat and Galbraith keeps it to a minimum.
This entry in the series brings out more of Cormoran's useful acquaintances - an amusing friend who loves a challenge and a half-brother eager for a bit of independence and adventure. Robin's skills are made more apparent and she's finally given something more stimulating to do than effective internet searches and retrieving coffee and sandwiches.
Not a page-turner and containing some gruesome detail, some mystery readers will undoubted abandon this book. Mystery readers with a little patience, tolerance for disturbing images, and a love of London will enjoy.
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LibraryThing member 06nwingert
The Silkworm is the second book in the Cormoran Strike series written by Robert Galbraith (a.k.a. J. K. Rowling). Rowling's ability to write a mystery and weave clues is evident in the Harry Potter series, but in the Cormoran Strike series, Rowling (alias Galbraith) flexes her muscle even more.
Author Owen Quine goes missing and his wife, Lenora, hires Strike to find him. Strike finds him-- dead, in a sadistic manner, as if the killer was a rookie in the BDSM fetish. Strike and his assistant, Robin Ellacott, discover that Owen had been planning on releasing a book bordering on slander, libel and defamation. This book, Bombyx Mori (Latin for silkworm) was a BDSM horror fantasy in which all of Quine's associates were implicated. Between the gruesome manner of his death and the vitriol in his book, that someone wanted Quine dead. Strike and Robin set out to find the killer before it's too late.
I loved the character development. Robin challenges Strike for more training and responsibilities, while challenging her fiance, Matthew, that she is doing the right thing. Strike, too, develops; he is left with the burden of fame after he solved the Lula Landry case (see The Cuckoos Calling) and is questioning his past after his ex-wife gets re-married.
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In fact, The Silkworm is better than its predecessor, The Cuckoos Calling. Author Owen Quine goes missing and his wife, Lenora, hires Strike to find him. Strike finds him-- dead, in a sadistic manner, as if the killer was a rookie in the BDSM fetish. Strike and his assistant, Robin Ellacott, discover that Owen had been planning on releasing a book bordering on slander, libel and defamation. This book, Bombyx Mori (Latin for silkworm) was a BDSM horror fantasy in which all of Quine's associates were implicated. Between the gruesome manner of his death and the vitriol in his book, that someone wanted Quine dead. Strike and Robin set out to find the killer before it's too late.
I loved the character development. Robin challenges Strike for more training and responsibilities, while challenging her fiance, Matthew, that she is doing the right thing. Strike, too, develops; he is left with the burden of fame after he solved the Lula Landry case (see The Cuckoos Calling) and is questioning his past after his ex-wife gets re-married.
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LibraryThing member arielfl
If it's by J.K. I am going to read it. I'm not a huge fan of the detective genre except for those by Agatha Christie but I liked the first book in the series enough to give the second one a go.
Riding off the high of having solved the Lula Landry murder in the first book, Cormoran Strike is hired
The mystery was okay for me. There were times I was flat out bored and other times I had trouble keeping track of who was who in the literary world. They were all a bunch of unlikable people and I didn't really care who back stabbed who. While reading I found that I was far more wrapped up in the personal lives of Cormoran and Robin. I cared more about the death of Robin's finance's mother and whether she was going to catch the train to the funeral and how the marriage of Cormoran's ex Charlotte was ripping him up than the who was sleeping with who in the literary circle. I love the character of Robin most. She knows just how to handle any situation including the jealous feelings Cormoran arises in her fiance. I will pick up the next book in the series just to see where the relationship between Cormran and Robin is going. Harry Potter will always rule my heart though. Reading the small article J.K. wrote as Rita Skeeter updating the H.P. characters lives invoked such feelings of happiness in me that this series has yet to provide.
Riding off the high of having solved the Lula Landry murder in the first book, Cormoran Strike is hired
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by a woman whose author husband has gone missing. Right before he disappeared he wrote a poison pen novel in which he thinly disguised his associates and painted unflattering portraits of them. Cormoran and Robin have to get to the bottom of who in the novel wanted to do away with it's author.The mystery was okay for me. There were times I was flat out bored and other times I had trouble keeping track of who was who in the literary world. They were all a bunch of unlikable people and I didn't really care who back stabbed who. While reading I found that I was far more wrapped up in the personal lives of Cormoran and Robin. I cared more about the death of Robin's finance's mother and whether she was going to catch the train to the funeral and how the marriage of Cormoran's ex Charlotte was ripping him up than the who was sleeping with who in the literary circle. I love the character of Robin most. She knows just how to handle any situation including the jealous feelings Cormoran arises in her fiance. I will pick up the next book in the series just to see where the relationship between Cormran and Robin is going. Harry Potter will always rule my heart though. Reading the small article J.K. wrote as Rita Skeeter updating the H.P. characters lives invoked such feelings of happiness in me that this series has yet to provide.
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LibraryThing member WhitmelB
I read this because it was supposed to be J.J. Rowlings revenge on the literary community for outing her as Robert Gailbraith author of The Cuckoo's Calling. It certainly reflects Rowlings skills as a writer but I found it morbid and would not recommend it to anyone who was not interested in the
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deparavity of humanity. Show Less
LibraryThing member librarian1204
So good. Such fun to read with a cast of characters that will make readers return for the next book. The mystery, in this book, appeared to have a simple answer but kept turning corners. It almost seemed to me that some of the characters in the projected book, the eponymous Silkworm ( Bombyx Mori),
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had a "Harry Potter" aura about them. Details of the publishing world, a snowy London in the grip of winter weather, all round out a great second addition to a series that I hope keeps going. Show Less
LibraryThing member sogamonk
Another crime solved by Cormoran Strike. Well developed and written.Kept me reading page after page. Can not wait to see what happens between Strike and Robin.Oh well, we have 5 books to go.!
LibraryThing member Smiler69
When author Owen Quine goes missing for longer than his usual temper tantrums normally last, his wife hires Cormoran Strike to find him. Quine is not a popular figure and generally disliked, so the cast of possible suspect is potentially large, though when his body is eventually found in what
Whereas I had trouble with the first book's inspiration being taken directly from the supermarket tabloid headlines, I thought I might take to this story about the publishing world more readily, but the crime and the contents of Quine's book itself, which are discussed at length throughout were so grotesque that I was rather turned off. On the plus side, I really enjoy the character of Cormoran Strike, a man with an interesting past and a complicated family situation, as well as his sidekick Robin who's been hired on as a secretary but has always dreamed of being a PI. And though Strike, through sheer blundering ignorance, and her fiancé Matthew, through sheer pigheaded egoism both seem to be against her realizing her dreams, she is nonetheless instrumental in solving the cases. For these two characters alone, I'll keep reading.
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appears to be an elaborately set ritualistic scene taken right out from his latest manuscript, the list of possible suspects is narrowed down to just those who have read the MS. Trouble is, a lot of people have read it, though they weren't supposed to, as the book has become the topic du jour, with Quine parodying everybody in the book world he's ever known and doing a very nasty job of it too. Whereas I had trouble with the first book's inspiration being taken directly from the supermarket tabloid headlines, I thought I might take to this story about the publishing world more readily, but the crime and the contents of Quine's book itself, which are discussed at length throughout were so grotesque that I was rather turned off. On the plus side, I really enjoy the character of Cormoran Strike, a man with an interesting past and a complicated family situation, as well as his sidekick Robin who's been hired on as a secretary but has always dreamed of being a PI. And though Strike, through sheer blundering ignorance, and her fiancé Matthew, through sheer pigheaded egoism both seem to be against her realizing her dreams, she is nonetheless instrumental in solving the cases. For these two characters alone, I'll keep reading.
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Awards
Dublin Literary Award (Longlist — 2016)
Audie Award (Finalist — Mystery — 2015)
Crime Writers' Association Awards (Shortlist — 2015)
British Book Award (Shortlist — 2014)
Crimefest Awards (2015)
Shamus Award (Shortlist — 2015)
NPR: Books We Love (2014)
Los Angeles Public Library Best of the Year (Fiction — 2014)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Adults (Selection — Fiction — 2014)
RUSA CODES Listen List (Selection — 2015)