Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith

Publisher: Sphere Books

First Publication: 2015

Series: Cormoran Strike Book #3

Previous Book: Silkworm

Next Book: Lethal White

Book Summary: Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith

Cormoran Strike is back, with his assistant Robin Ellacott, in a mystery based around soldiers returning from war.

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.

With the police focusing on the one suspect Strike is increasingly sure is not the perpetrator, 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 the series featuring private detective Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin Ellacott. A mystery and also a story of a man and a woman at a crossroads in their personal and professional lives.

Book Review: Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith

Career of Evil is the third novel in Robert Galbraith’s acclaimed Cormoran Strike crime series. Published in 2015, it continues the gritty adventures of private detectives Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott as they track a mysterious killer targeting women from Strike’s past.

The novel’s ingenious structure presents three interwoven mysteries – the whodunit serial killer hunt, the deepening personal lives of the leads, and an intriguing new profession-based subplot. At over 500 pages, Career of Evil is a lengthy yet compulsively readable thriller that expands the series’ scope. It avoids the stale repetition that often plagues third installments through skilled character development and a complex narrative.

The story opens on an unsettling note as Robin receives a gruesome package at the office – a severed female leg. CCTV footage reveals an ominous deliveryman left the box, but his identity is concealed. DNA tests link the leg to an unidentified murder victim.

This grisly courier kickstarts a cat-and-mouse game with Strike and Robin. More body parts arrive, each connected to gory “presents” Strike received after solving famous cases. A sinister serial killer is clearly targeting Strike through these horrid trophies and taunting messages.

Strike launches an urgent investigation to identify the victims, uncover the deliveryman’s identity and discern why he’s fixated on Strike. But progress is stymied when the police scorn Strike’s expertise and seize control of the case. Shut out officially, Strike relies on Robin’s help to quietly pursue his own leads.

Their dangerous adversary remains disturbingly anonymous until almost halfway through the book, letting the paranoia and mystery build slowly. By structuring the novel this way, Robert Galbraith departs from a standard whodunit focused on puzzle-solving. Instead we get an intimate cat-and-mouse game where Strike almost plays chess with the killer.

The investigation scenes crackle with tension as Strike and Robin race around London identifying dismembered bodies while fearing they could be next. The disembodied violence adds a visceral unease to the proceedings. Strike’s grim backstory handling military police cases plausibly explains why such a twisted killer would become obsessed with him.

Yet even amidst the gory carnage, Robert Galbraith finds moments of levity and humor through Strike and Robin’s quick banter. Robin continues to develop as an appealing co-lead who chafes against gender limitations. We admire her quick mind, compassion and courage in the face of danger. Their rapport sustains the story’s warmth against the macabre backdrop.

But fittingly for a third installment, digging into Strike’s past and psyche occupies equal time. We learn troubling details of Strike’s family history involving abuse, mental illness and disfigurement. The insights into what shaped his personality add poignancy. Robert Galbraith doesn’t shy away from portraying the uglier, damaged facets of Strike’s character. Yet he remains captivating in his flawed humanity.

Robin similarly experiences more nuanced development. She’s planning her wedding to longtime fiancé Matthew despite lingering doubts. Their tense scenes studying martial arts and shooting guns crackle with an intriguing frisson. Meanwhile, Robin’s once-solid relationship shows cracks as the danger heightens.

These personal subplots don’t detract from the thriller. Instead, they elevate and differentiate Career from a generic crime novel dependent only on its killer plot. We invest in Strike and Robin as actual people confronting genuine life struggles beyond just solving mysteries.

Galbraith’s vivid prose transports readers to London’s gritty streets, pubs and plazas where Strike chases leads. The looming murderer takes on an almost mythical bogeyman aura as the bodies and taunts keep coming. The lavish wedding planning provides a breezy counterpoint exploring Robin’s conflicts about her future with Matt.

The climax builds to a satisfying yet surprising confrontation where Strike finally faces his demonic nemesis. Robert Galbraith offers clever twists en route to the resolution. The murderer’s identity and motives avoid cliches or implausible leaps. And the ramifications leave lasting impacts on the core characters moving forward.

With Career of Evil, Robert Galbraith demonstrates her remarkable gifts for crafting propulsive yet nuanced genre fiction. The thriller plot satisfies, conjuring dread punctuated with Hitchcockian suspense sequences. But equally compelling is the thoughtful character development that elevates Strike, Robin and their cohorts into fully-realized people.

By exploring their past and inner lives more deeply, Robert Galbraith breathes extra vitality into her leads. We feel their visceral fear as the bodies mount. We also empathize with their romantic and familial struggles. The novel succeeds as both taut suspense thriller and insightful psychological drama.

The evolution of Strike and Robin’s relationship remains a central draw. Neither overly rushes into romance despite simmering attraction. They retain a warm, jocular rapport throughout harrowing ordeals. Their power balance shifts subtly as Robin continues assuming more agency and responsibility. She’s clearly Strike’s full partner now, not just his assistant.

Career of Evil keeps franchise fatigue at bay by broadening the scope beyond a standard murder mystery. The killer provides high stakes while the leads’ personal lives add meaning. Flashing back to Strike’s army service roots his haunted nature in a traumatic past. Robin similarly contends with doubts about marrying Matt even as she cares for him.

By now readers feel so invested in Strike and Robin that merely accompanying them through ups and downs is compelling, regardless of the mystery plot. Yet the serial killer story still delivers chilling twists while resonating thematically with the protagonists’ inner turmoil. It carries weight without overwhelming the nuanced character portraits that form the books’ backbone.

Galbraith also continues honing her crime writing craft. The measured pacing builds suspense but avoids dragging. The police politics, GPU database mining, and suspect interrogations feel thoroughly researched. The lurid killer taps into primal fears like the most chilling legends. Yet the story foundation remains plausibly grounded in Strike and Robin’s daily reality.

In conclusion, Career of Evil represents a high point for Galbraith’s Cormoran Strike novels thus far. It retains the gritty mood, taut mystery and sleuthing procedures fans expect. But the masterful character development and depth push the series in bold new directions. By lingering longer on Strike and Robin’s histories, anxieties and motivations, the story gains layers absent from generic thrillers. The novel satisfies as both literary fiction revealing timeless human truth and addictive genre page-turner full of shocking twists. Rarely do such disparate elements merge so seamlessly. But Career of Evil pulls off the synthesis beautifully, proving Rowling equally skilled at both popular storytelling and nuanced observation. Her fans will surely be eager to see what darkness awaits Strike and Robin in the next installment.