Troubled Blood (A Cormoran Strike Novel, 5)
Troubled Blood (A Cormoran Strike Novel, 5) book cover

Troubled Blood (A Cormoran Strike Novel, 5)

Hardcover – Large Print, September 15, 2020

Price
$22.99
Format
Hardcover
Pages
1504
Publisher
Mulholland Books
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0316498982
Dimensions
6.55 x 2.95 x 9.7 inches
Weight
4.22 pounds

Description

A Wall Street Journal Best Book of 2020“Cormoran Strike, the detective hero of an enjoyable series of books by Robert Galbraith (a pen name for J.K. Rowling), has his most complex adventure yet in Troubled Blood . This hefty volume is stuffed with intrigue, surprise, action, violence, social comedy and romance: “value for money,” as the British say…. Our pseudonymous author sorts everything out by the end with the skill of a world-class storyteller.”― Tom Nolan, The Wall Street Journal “Troubled Blood’s” central mystery is a strong one, and watching it unfold over the course of a protracted investigation is one of the novel’s great pleasures...Rowling’s greatest novelistic gifts are her ability to spin wild, intricate plots (witness the astrological elements of this latest book), and to create colorful, highly individual characters who come instantly alive on the page."― Bill Sheehan, Washington Post "A scrupulous plotter and master of misdirection, Galbraith keeps the pages turning."― Clare Clark, The Guardian Praise for LETHAL WHITE"Rowling's wizardry as a writer is on fulsome display in Lethal White ( 3.5/4 stars), a behemoth of a novel that flies by in a flash. This is a crime series deeply rooted in the real world, where brutality and ugliness are leavened by the oh-so-human flaws and virtues of Galbraith's irresistible hero and heroine."― USA Today "At times you might feel as you did when reading the Harry Potter books, particularly later in the series, when they got longer and looser. You love the plot, and you love being in the company of the characters, and you admire the author's voice and insights and ingenuity, and you relish the chance to relax into a book without feeling rushed or puzzled or shortchanged.... Long live the fertile imagination and prodigious output of J.K. Rowling."― Sarah Lyall, The New York Times "If you love the intricate, character-driven mysteries written by Tana French and Kate Atkinson, then chances are good that you'll enjoy the ones by Robert Galbraith. . . . Robert Galbraith knows how to tell a story every bit as deftly as does J.K. Rowling. Cormoran Strike, who lost a leg in Afghanistan, may limp painfully through much of the book, but the tale being told never misses a step."― Joyce Sáenz Harris , Dallas Morning News "Even if the world is the seedy underbelly of contemporary London and not Magical Hogwarts, cracking the cover of a Galbraith novel is like stepping through a portal. You're immersed all at once."― Bustle "Addictive, murderous fun."― Vox "Compulsively readable."― People "One of contemporary crime fiction's most delightful partnerships."― Seattle Times "Rowling's emotionally intelligent portrayal of her protagonists never overwhelms the whodunit story line."― Publishers Weekly, Starred Review "Rowling deftly circumnavigates all of the tropes and constructs that have long since relegated the male-author-dominated thriller genre to a place of ridicule and sheer inanity."― Tablet Magazine Robert Galbraith is a pseudonym for J.K. Rowling, bestselling author of the Harry Potter series and The Casual Vacancy . The four previous Strike novels, The Cuckoo's Calling , The Silkworm , Career of Evil and Lethal White , topped the national and international bestseller lists and the series has been adapted for television, produced by Brontë Film and Television.

Features & Highlights

  • In the epic fifth installment in this “compulsively readable” (
  • People
  • ) series, Galbraith’s “irresistible hero and heroine” (
  • USA Today
  • ) take on the decades-old cold case of a missing doctor, one which may be their grisliest yet.
  • Private Detective Cormoran Strike is visiting his family in Cornwall when he is approached by a woman asking for help finding her mother, Margot Bamborough—who went missing in mysterious circumstances in 1974. Strike has never tackled a cold case before, let alone one forty years old. But despite the slim chance of success, he is intrigued and takes it on; adding to the long list of cases that he and his partner in the agency, Robin Ellacott, are currently working on. And Robin herself is also juggling a messy divorce and unwanted male attention, as well as battling her own feelings about Strike. As Strike and Robin investigate Margot’s disappearance, they come up against a fiendishly complex case with leads that include tarot cards, a psychopathic serial killer and witnesses who cannot all be trusted. And they learn that even cases decades old can prove to be deadly . . .

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(39.2K)
★★★★
25%
(16.3K)
★★★
15%
(9.8K)
★★
7%
(4.6K)
-7%
(-4572)

Most Helpful Reviews

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Satisfying mystery providing both intricate plot and well-drawn characters

Be prepared to commit some time reading this lengthy fifth mystery showcasing the exploits of the private detectives Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott. The story concerns a woman, Anna, determined to find out what happened to her mother, Margot Bamborough, who disappeared in 1974. Anna was just a baby, but now she wants answers. Anna is hopeful that Strike and Robin, fresh from other successful cases, will do what the police couldn’t do decades before. Although not one to eagerly accept cold cases, Strike finds Margot’s disappearance intriguing. Taking the case enables Strike to give Robin more responsibility displaying his trust in her investigative skills. Strike has an ulterior motive. His frequent absences of late related to the tending and care of his dying aunt has increased the distance both mentally and physically from Robin. He is trying to deal with his grief over his aunt, a heretofore suppressed romantic interest with Robin, a mentally unbalanced ex-fiancé, a demanding sister, and an avoidance of the sudden demands from his rock-star father, who is trying to insinuate himself back in Strike’s life.
Robin, too, has more than enough on her plate. She is going through a contentious divorce, dealing with past trauma from an assault in a previous case, exhausted beyond measure with running cases and managing the employee assignments in Strike’s absence, and grappling with her own confused feelings for Strike. These overwhelming demands on both detectives almost make getting back to working on an actual case together a relief. They have plenty of suspects. Margot’s vanishing was thought to be the work of a serial killer, the Essex Butcher, who abducted women nearby at the time. Although the killer has been captured and is serving time for several known abductions and murders of women, it is not clear that he was the culprit in Margot’s case. More than a few people didn’t like Margot and had reason to do her harm. Including co-workers, ex-boyfriends, and patients.
Robin and Strike find the notes from the first detective on the case, and they seem to be almost hieroglyphics. The man had a nervous breakdown before he was shortly taken off the case. His notes are filled with cryptic zodiac symbols, which he thought would lead to answers in Margot’s case. The two detectives become less and less convinced that she was a victim of the Essex Butcher. They think that if the killer is still alive, he is someone they’ve interviewed and who is anxious to keep them from his discovery, whatever it takes.
As usual in the Cormoran Strike series, Robert Galbraith (wink, wink) has written an engaging, meaty detective story that pulls the reader into Strike’s and Robin’s personal lives without skimping on the mystery. This series gets better and better. I recommend this book to true mystery lovers who don’t mind getting cozy with a good long book that offers a satisfying plot and well-drawn characters.
1 people found this helpful
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Suspense

this is one of the best writers of our lifetime .
1 people found this helpful
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The author gets more ambitious with each book in the series.

Once again, JK Rowling has put me in modern day London, with the next installment of the Strike books. I found this book compelling, and the story rich and textured. I found in this installment, her treatment of the main characters moved to being even more 3 dimensional. This is a great writer using a genre to tell a much bigger story.

I am not a Harry Potter person. I actually bought the series before I knew who the author was. I am now a fan of this series and the writing. She knows how to place a reader in a location and make you feel like you are there. Great book.
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great story

great characters
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Excellent detective story!

The writing is excellent and the story is binding, however I had a copy with large type and so the book was very heavy and hard to handle and after some 1400 pages I am happy to say I am about to finish it in the next few days.
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Didn't realize it was large print

Didn't realize it was large print, lol. The book is HUGE! But, if you're looking for large print, this is great. I love the Cormoran Strike series, I'm so excited to read this.
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Well written, but some difficult subject matter.

Tana French is a master of her craft. Her character and plot development are consistently excellent, and, at times, the locations of her novels have a life of their own. This remains true in Troubled Blood.
Unfortunately, I was unable to finish the book, despite the fact that I really wanted to know what happened. It was the animal cruelty that stopped me. While I realize that I may be overly sensitive, and that, obviously, bad (and even those not completely bad) people do bad things, I could not go on.
It was disappointing, to say the least.
Many will be able to continue reading, I'm sure, but I could not.
Tana French, if you ever see this (I know you won't), please don't to that again. I love your books, and I really would like to be able to read them.
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too big, too heavy

So happy this book has arrived! However, I ordered hard cover, and received hard cover, large print. This thing is monstrously large and heavy. I think reading it in this format will be challenging. How can I ensure I'll get a regular hard cover if I return this one?
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Excellent addition to a great series

Great plot, great ending! Twisty and fun!
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The best of the Cormoran Strike series.

Another great Galbraith novel. Probably the last in the series, and the most satisfying.