Career of Evil - (Cormoran Strike Novel) by Robert Galbraith (Paperback)

About the Book

"When a mysterious package is delivered to Robin Ellacott, she is horrified to discover that it contains a woman's severed leg. Her boss, private detective Cormoran Strike, is less surprised but no less alarmed. There are four people from his past who he thinks could be responsible--and Strike knows that any one of them is capable of sustained and unspeakable brutality"--

Book Synopsis

A disturbing package leads Detective Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin Ellacott to investigate four dangerous murder suspects in this "magnetic" British mystery (Michiko Kakutani, New York Times) that inspired the acclaimed HBO Max series C.B. Strike. When Robin Ellacott opens an unexpected delivery, she is horrified to discover that it contains a woman's severed leg. Her boss, private detective Cormoran Strike, is less surprised but just as alarmed. He suspects that four people from his past could be responsible -- and any one of them is capable of sustained and unspeakable brutality. With the police focusing on the one suspect Strike has essentially ruled out, he and Robin take matters into their own hands and delve into the dark and twisted worlds of the other three men. But as more horrendous acts occur, time is running out for the two of them . . . Career of Evil is the third in J. K. Rowling's highly acclaimed series featuring private detective Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin Ellacott. A fiendishly clever mystery with unexpected twists around every corner, Career of Evil is also a gripping story of a man and a woman at a crossroads in their personal and professional lives.

Review Quotes

"Career of Evil is the third--and best--novel in the engaging Cormoran Strike private detective series. . . . [Galbraith has] invented a serial killer for the ages, one who chills us from the book's grim but riveting opening. . . . This perfectly paced mystery is packed with surprises, all of which play out with flawless crime-fiction logic."--Jocelyn McClurg, USA Today (4/4 stars)

"A deliriously clever plot"--Christobel Kent, Guardian [UK]

"A refreshing change to the genre . . . Every bit as impressive as [The Cuckoo's Calling] . . . Let's hope the sardonic Cormoran Strike is here to stay."--Barry Forshaw, Independent [UK]

"An entertaining novel . . . The denouement is violent, unexpected and satisfying."--Marcel Berlins, The Times [UK]

"As readable and exciting as ever . . . Fans of the intrepid duo are in for some shocks."--Jake Kerridge, Telegraph [UK]

"Bloody good . . . The author's trademark plotting has lost none of its propulsive readability."--Daneet Steffens, Boston Globe

"Gripping . . . A step forward for the series . . . An absorbing book, pulpy, fast and satisfying."--Charles Finch, New York Times Book Review

"Hugely entertaining . . . This gifted storyteller has taken full command of the new turf. . . . Career of Evil succeeds powerfully on its own terms."--Lloyd Sachs, Chicago Tribune

"Satisfying . . . Strike and Robin are as powerful a fictional pairing as any in recent memory. . . . Galbraith demonstrates a breezy command of the intricacies of both the central mystery and of the form itself."--Robert Wiersema, Toronto Star

"Sparklingly witty [and] unexpectedly moving"--Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times

"Strike and Robin are just as magnetic as ever." --Michiko Kakutani, New York Times

"Another triumph . . . Its darkness is mitigated by its sparkling protagonists."--Kim Hubbard, People

"Pure pleasure. . . . That's what makes these novels so good: They are clever, tightly plotted mysteries with all of the most pleasurable elements of the genre (good guy, bad guy, clues, twists, murder!), but with stunning emotional and moral shading."--Annalisa Quinn, NPR

About the Author

Robert Galbraith is a pseudonym for J.K. Rowling, bestselling author of the Harry Potter series and The Casual Vacancy. Career of Evil is the third book in the highly acclaimed Cormoran Strike crime fiction series. The Cuckoo's Calling was published in 2013 and The Silkworm in 2014.