Troubled Blood (A Cormoran Strike Novel Book 5)

I've liked all the Cormoran Strike books so far and this is a strong continuation of the characters and a meaty mystery for Strike and Robin to solve. It's been weirdly described in lots of media reports as centering around a cross-dressing or transgender serial killer - that's simply not true.

One of the central bad guys is a serial killer (already caught and in prison - don't worry that's not a spoiler) who in his killing days occasionally used a woman's coat and wig to appear less intimidating to the victims he was pursuing. He also joked when his trophy jewelry items were found by police that he had them as he liked to crossdress - he does this to tease the relatives of one of his victims in court. However apart from that one malicious joke and that he might have used disguises occasionally when hunting his victims there is no evidence that he is a cross dresser and he's definitely not trans.

You may have decided not to buy any more of JK Rowling's books because you are disappointed with statements she's made about the transgender community. However, this book has been mislabeled as having an evil transgender serial killer when that's simply not true.

For fans of the series, it's not quite as strong a mystery as some of the previous novels but there's a lot of character development for Strike and Robin and is a good mix of new and old characters.

Thrilling work by an exceptional and courageous writer.

A winding tale with ebbs and flows, danger, puzzlement, colorful characters, guesses, a black eye or two, and life and death. Many confessions. Robin and Strike continue their partnership as one client after another provides mystery after mystery. Wonderful writing that draws you in and makes you want to keep reading.

Be prepared for a long slog. The author takes us through a year in the life of two detectives and all of the cases investigated during that time. In addition, we follow the family drama of the detective protagonists and practically everyone else in the book including miscellaneous characters who populate the backstory. Harry Bosch meets The Corrections.

This epic is populated by representations from all across the human spectrum, a one legged man, a woman making her way back from a brutal rape, a lesbian couple looking for closure on the death of one partner’s mother, all types of developmentally challenged persons including fragile X syndrome, people of all socioeconomic status, more accent variations than I could track, psychopaths at their various levels, and lots of mental illness and personality disorders, in all their various forms. Throw in a heavy dose of multiple types of sexual paraphilia, graphically depicted encounters that end in prostitutes needing medical care, as well as murders and rapes, along with a dose of the Italian mafia and that’s only pieces of this puzzle. There is also the sturm and drang of the two partner’s approach/avoidance to the possibility of romance between them against a background of a divorce for the female, and multiple family challenges for the other, and because well, there isn’t enough to cope with here already, we have to wade into the dynamics of Strike’s ex-lover and his father just to kick it up a notch. Even the weather and Cornish politics gets a starring role.

I’ve never read Rowling before and I bought this particular novel because of all the controversy. I wanted to judge it for myself. My mistake: I thought I was buying a regular detective novel. At 250 pages (on the Kindle) I sadly woke up and saw I was in for what felt like a prison sentence without parole. I finished it because I wanted to prove to myself I could.

What I liked:
1) The dialogue is very good.
2) Characterization: Rowling is good at it and endows each person with memorable traits.
3) The writing flows even if the events drag.
4) Many of the psychological observations are absolute gems (I'm a licensed psychotherapist).
5) Character arc:
a) Robin comes off as a decent, empathic person. She has a history that has wounded her. She’s young and her lack of basic entitlement and life skill shows in her uneven handling of men who demean her. The character was realistic but grated on me with her avoidance of even little things that need to be addressed directly. She needed to take a 1980s assertiveness class and given this takes place in the 2000 somethings, I didn’t understand why she wouldn’t be in therapy or something to support her growth. I guess one could say her development is in the questions she’s beginning to ask.

b) Strike is also realistic, but mostly a jerk with nothing to make me want to spend time in his company. He is, down deep, not so different than the criminals he pursues, but has found socially acceptable ways to channel the reaction to his childhood narcissistic injury. He has two speeds, rage and self-pity. In between he intellectualizes. I felt he understood that he was *supposed* to feel, being a very observant type, but he had no idea how to do it, he either had to be told how the expression would look or needed role modeling. For a 29 year old (Robin) to get mixed up with this 41 year old, orally fixated chain smoker, whose previous romantic involvement mimicked marrying the emotional version of his mother, is not a recommendation. I didn’t really see growth here, but again, I haven’t read the previous books. He understands his social mistakes, apologizes to make life easier on himself, and then repeats. Even his interest in Robin seems based on thinking about his future needs vs who she is, although in the final chapter he remembers her birthday, an improvement over the prior year where he had to be reminded.

c) As partners, they agree to communicate better, especially in situations of high danger, but all this takes place while both are drunk and drunken promises don’t count. I guess that will be for future books.

What I didn’t like:
1) Too long. It needs massive editing
2) It suffers from identity confusion. There is (excellent) literary examination of family dynamics, there is the whodunit murder mystery, there is the romantic teaser, and finally, it could easily serve as an instruction book in competing schools of astrology – complete with drawings - which certainly plays no useful part other than to stretch the already insufferable length.
3) While I understand the author is making a statement about the status of women in society and the obstacles faced (which I in general support), and is making a statement regarding women’s safety in general, I really can’t stomach graphic violence or demonstrations of cruelty for its own sake. I don’t believe a really talented writer needs to do that to make a point. Also, the misogyny is constant to the point of overdone.
4) The resolution of the murder mystery didn’t even come close to the perpetrator until the last 5%. Nine hundred 20 pages littered with red herrings and suddenly Cormoran Strike has an epiphany and goes straight to the murder’s house. This irritated me. It almost felt like the author didn’t know who the murder was either - until even she got sick of the whole thing then abruptly ended it while retrospectively twisting the explanation Strike offers to fit the narrative. Convoluted doesn’t begin to describe this.

In summary, the only thing this book lacks is the presence of a transsexual person because, as we say in America, it contains everything but the kitchen sink. Had this been a literary examination of family, I would give it five stars. Had it been a properly edited detective novel, I would give it four stars. As it stands, I give it three, not because it entertained me (my usual measurement) but out of generosity, simply for occupying me for the 13 days it took to read it. If you read for length, you will get your money’s worth as it consumes 944 pages. If you read for resolution of a plot, you will likely be frustrated to the maximum of your tolerance.

I couldn’t recommend this book highly enough, and truly believe everyone should buy it. It is a fast paced thriller, full of madness, murder and fun.

While the main plot that carries Troubled Blood through is about a cold case disappearance, the real story is about family and relationships, and how much of our own stories we know, how much we choose to try and understand, and how much we choose to ignore or pretend doesn't exist or matter.

Strike still has unresolved father rage. I need to go back and read the previous novels, but his character seems slow to change or grow. He has a few moments of clarity in TB, which gave me hope for development. Robin's growth and change are more satisfying. She's understanding how the violence of her past is affecting her present, dealing with her pending divorce, and evaluating her relationship with Strike. I enjoyed watching both characters taking baby steps toward understanding what they want from themselves, and what they expect from other relationships.

As Strike and Robin ferret out details of the life of a woman everyone has assumed was victim of a serial killer, it becomes more and more obvious how fractured and incomplete people's knowledge and understanding of their own life story, and the story of those closest to them -- family, lovers, friends, business acquaintances -- really is. TB is a slow, dense read, but in the end satisfying.

A real disappointment after I have read almost every book she (he) has written. Where the heck was an editor? The main plot keeps getting interrupted with side plots that have nothing to do with the main plot. The main plot includes all sorts of clues about possible guilty men (including Italian mafioso types) that simply get dropped out of the story with no further explanation. And why does practically every scene have to feature detailed, drawn out narratives of people serving each other either tea or coffee, with biscuits or cake. Constantly! I kept thinking I should quit but I wanted to find out how the main plot would resolve, and even when I did, I got exhausted with all the unnecessary detail. Unless you have a WHOLE lot of time to kill, please don’t bother.

The nicest thing I can say about this book is that there were no glaring grammatical errors other than the quotes from The Fairy Queen.
None of the characters are likeable, most are clichés fom the 50s, 60s, and 70s including the "Transvestite Psycho Killer", Men who are all rapists or abusers, psychotic mothers, neurotic suicidal self abusers as manipulators, a Mafia Godfather and his Psycho Sun, and the lady master of disguises who is in the background yet obvious early in the game.

The plots and twists are cheap knockoffs of Sherlock Holmes novels and short stories, and let's not forget the Scotland Yard Detective who tries to solve a case with Tarot Cards and Horoscopes and half way through the book the Author drags up a 14 sign zodiac book which shifts the signs of half the suspects, victims, and witnesses.

Even the end isn't terribly imaginative, and is almost expected given the clues that were as subtle as a malatov cocktail on Guy Fmalatov ay.

About 20% into the book, I just wanted it to end, like a nightmare. Instead, it just dragged on and on and on.

If this were a movie, I'd have walked out. Worse than Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.

I’m a huge fan of the Strike series but Troubled Blood was disappointing. I don’t want to post spoilers so I’ll just say be prepared to read a lot about astrology. It was so overdone. All of it could have been taken out and it still would have been a great mystery. I loved Strike and Robin’s evolving relationship and their personal journeys, that’s why I’m giving it 3 stars. . Fingers crossed the next Strike is better (and shorter).

First of all, I love this whole series and am emotionally invested in the main characters. Yes this volume is long, with a very complex plot. I read it in ravenous gulps and did occasionally lose track of who some of the minor characters were as they came and went.

That said, the characters throughout are individually memorable and beautifully realized, just as in the author's other works. I just did an experiment to write down as many characters as I can recall from this book and the total off the top of my head was 70. They are grouped around the detective agency, Robin's and Strike's circles of family, friends, and exes, the characters for each of the five other cases the agency is working, and the central plot of the cold case.

So you can see why the book is so long. That's a lot of balls in the air at the same time. But Galbraith/Rowling at this point in her writing has mastered spinning innumerable plates at once, and it is so satisfying to watch. I found pleasure in her gorgeous sentences, in each character's strong and unique voice, in the development of the Robin/Strike slow burn romance, in the themes of family and loss and hope and choices and courage and trust. It's such a grown up book. It's funny, satisfying, every now and then scary. She can still surprise and delight, and I found the storytelling, both within and without the central cold case mystery, to be unpredictable.

Yes I will buy the next one, and the next one, and the next one. Keep them coming!

A short note on transgender criticisms. Yes, the author has put forward transphobic views on other platforms. However the reference in this book to a male killer who sometimes used a female coat and wig to appear non-threatening to female victims is hardly a transgender reference. I strongly support transgender rights, and in fact worked to add transgender language to an anti-discrimination statute back in the day, and my own support of transgender people was not at odds with my enjoyment of this complex and well-written book.