Sunday 26 November 2023

Pure Spirit

The Strike series by Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling) features my favourite detective duo of Cormoran Strike and his business partner Robin Ellacott. Over the seven novels of the series, I have enjoyed observing these characters develop while they solve complex crimes. When I knew the latest novel was forthcoming, I preordered the book and audiobook of The Running Grave (2023), and commenced reading  as soon as it arrived. 

The previous book, The Ink Black Heart (2022) got bogged down with too many characters and long-winded sections of online chat threads. When I heard the next book would also run to close to a thousand pages, I was worried that Rowling would again go overboard with subplots and superfluous exposition. Fortunately, The Running Grave is a return to form. 

The main case in this novel involves a cult. Sir Colin Edensor contacts the detectives with a request to help free his son Will from the Universal Humanitarian Church (UHC), which Sir Edensor believes has brainwashed him and cut off all communication. Will is staying at the Church's farm compound in Norfolk. The UHC is run by the charismatic Papa J and his wife Manu, who have created a mythology of various prophets and supernatural events. To infiltrate the UHC, Robin goes undercover as Rowena, a wealthy young woman. She is whisked off on a retreat to the farm, where she experiences the indoctrination and control of the UHC as she tries to find and get close to Will. 

While at the UHC, Robin faces serious danger. Recruits are forced into hard labour on minimal food rations. They are continually surveilled and suffer corporal punishment for infringements. The cult is also based on controlling sexual relationships, requiring people to engage in 'spirit-bonding' (coerced unprotected sex). Robin's quick wits are routinely tested and the only contact she has with the outside world is the messages she sneaks out once a week by hiding them in a fake rock in the forest. Rowling does an excellent job of portraying the physical and mental pressure that Robin is under, and the sense of ever-present danger.

Robin and Strike are seperate for most of this novel. He is worried sick about her in the cult, but tries to keep his mind busy with the other cases the team has on their list. Aside from the case, there are personal matters to deal with. Robin isn't sure how she feels about her police officer boyfriend Ryan (who we met in The Ink Black Heart), as she attempts to quash her feelings for Strike. Strike is facing multiple personal matters - Uncle Ted's dementia; ex-girlfriend Charlotte's instability; his demanding one-night-stand, Bijou; and building relationships with various half-siblings. But his biggest personal issue is he knows he is in love with Robin, but doesn't know what to do about it.

The Running Grave is my favourite book in this series so far. The audiobook is performed by Robert Glenister, a gifted actor who is able to portray the diverse characters giving them each a distinctive voice. Rowling masterfully weaves together various strands of plot and subplot, and, like all good crime series, The Running Grave ends with a tantalising cliffhanger which leaves the reader in anticipation of what comes next. Knowing that Rowling intends to have ten novels in this series, I cannot wait for the next one! 

My reviews of previous books in the series are available on this blog:

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