Cormoran Strike series, by Robert Galbraith

I own a large purse. The point of having a large purse is that I can comfortably fit at least three average

sized novels in it and still have room for keys, chapstick, and a wallet. When I am carrying around one of these novels I can fit one of them in my purse. Just one. And if you happen to only be able to get your hands on the Large Print version…you’d better start pumping iron. There are eight of these, written under J.K Rowling's pseudonym, and I’ve found them fascinating.  

They begin with Robin Ellacott, newly engaged, on her way to a temp job that she’ll keep until she can land something more long term. She is secretly excited because the job is with a private detection agency and though she has never told anyone, she has wanted to be a detective for years. Her introduction to Cormoran Strike is not ideal; he accidentally nearly knocks her down a flight of stairs—and the agency is struggling. He cannot really afford even a temporary secretary, but can’t do the office work and investigate at the same time. But Robin manages to make herself useful, and Strike eventually discovers she has a natural knack for detective work. Over the course of eight novels, she becomes full partner in the agency, and they investigate a murdered model, a writer who ran off and was found brutally murdered, a serial killer who dismembers the women he kills, a woman who walked out of her office thirty years before and vanished without a trace, and the murder of a creator of a dark, gothic cartoon.

Despite a romantic attraction carefully ignored for the sake of the agency, Robin and Strike forge a steady friendship through the chaos of their personal lives and the stress of their professional lives. Their relationship is really the biggest draw of these books; it provides calm and positive moments in the middle of the seamy side of humanity.

As you can probably tell from the things they’re investigating, these are not cozy mysteries. In fact, I’d just like to clarify—this is a review, not necessarily a recommendation. The writing is fantastic (Harry Potter did not showcase Rowling’s talents in this direction nearly enough) the pacing is brilliant, the character development hooks you in and makes these two people so lovable, flaws and all. After reading the first two books, I genuinely missed Strike and Robin. But these novels are gritty enough and deal with such difficult topics that they certainly are not for everyone.

I do think there is something inherently healthy about mysteries, even those not of the cozy genre. There’s a clear right and wrong. It’s inescapable. It’s part of the definition of the genre itself—there is crime, crime is wrong, and it must be answered for. Having also read some of J.K Rowling’s other works, I think her storytelling is improved by maintaining this standard of right and wrong. In her other adult literature, morality sometimes vanishes under the weight of despair.

The other thing that makes these books shine is the relationship between Cormoran and Robin. In all the dysfunction and pain that they investigate and in their own personal lives, and notwithstanding the element of romantic tension, they are genuinely close friends. And, like the nature of crime investigation, that friendship points to something better. Male and female relationships don’t have to be matters of use and abuse. There is such a thing as selflessly caring for someone, just like there is such a thing as justice. Those reminders of a better, greater truth twinkle out in the middle of the grime they’re set in. Maybe it doesn’t make it worth reading for everybody, but it certainly makes for good writing.

Also! I have only read books 1-7. There are more. I can't speak to them yet because I haven't read them.