The Silkworm

{second of 7 in Cormoran Strike series; crime, mystery, detective, London, e-audiobook, Overdrive/ NLB}(2014) 🎧

With the fame brought by the successful solving of the Lula Landry case in the first book, Strike's detective agency is able to command more lucrative - if bread-and-butter - cases. But then, in a fit of pique and exhaustion after a long night's detective work, he takes on Leonora Quine's request (with no firm guarantee of being paid), rather than talking to a more well off though more obnoxious client, to find her missing husband, a novelist who thinks he's more successful than he actually is.

Owen Quine has written what he considers is his best work but it consists of unflattering caricatures of people in his personal and show more private lives and, after his agent informed him it was unpublishable, he had a row with her in a well-known restaurant and then disappeared. He has disappeared before, so Leonora doesn't want to go to the police, but this time he has been gone for longer than usual. And, in the meantime, the manuscript of his final work has been unwittingly sent to publishers by his agent, Liz Tassel, but now that she's read it properly she's trying to repress it. So, as Strike pursues his other cases as well, we meet people from Liz's agency and Quine's publishers, very few of whom have anything nice to say about him. When Strike does find him, we're only a third of the way through the book and that's when the mystery really kicks in.

Robin Ellacot, who joined the detective agency at the beginning of the first novel as a temporary secretary, has her own battles to fight. She wants to do more investigative work but her fiancé Matthew isn't very approving of her work while Strike doesn't seem to want to include her in the fieldwork side which leaves her feeling sidelined and a bit despondent (but she doesn't just let it go; she takes action and sees where it takes her).

I liked the backstories of the characters; Robin's and Cormoran's are starting to be filled in; I was impressed (hearing) about Robin's defensive driving skills and I liked meeting people from Cormoran's past - and whom he actually liked - including one of his numerous half-siblings. He can be a grumpy old so-and-so.

I don't often listen to audiobooks, but listening to this one enabled me to get some work done at the same time though I may not have focused on all the details. I thought [[Robert Glenister]] did a very good job with voices and expressions. Well written and nicely plotted. I wanted to keep listening even when I was nodding off and so had to rewind a bit a few times. I did feel, though, that when the perpetrator was confronted their reaction was a bit weird and a somewhat reminiscent of the baddies in B-rated black and white films, where they bitterly confess everything once they're caught.

I will be looking for the next book in the series at some point, and maybe even see if I can find the TV series to watch.

(June 2025)
4 stars show less

Better than the first in the series. Very tricky mystery. Rowling skewers the publishing world and it's made all the more delightful when you think about what an insider she is. So much vitriol toward self published erotica writers!

My highest compliment: I read *all* the pages, some more than once when Galbraith was in the prose zone. Oh, and *bought* the hardcover from B&N to stick it to A---- because they were sticking it to the author. Not disappointed in the least. At 464 pp, stayed up very late some nights, took work breaks during the day, anything to simultaneously find out who did it and not have to finish. Enjoyed it as much, if not more --- the literary cruelties, yum! --- than Cuckoo's Calling. Delighted with the author's on-going exploration of primary characters, amazed at the acute, deft outlines of the secondary players. Well done! And is Strike the crankiest P.I. since Nero Wolfe? I'm in for the long haul. Only 7? {Sighs resignedly}

Cormoran Strike and (yay!) his Girl Friday, Robin, are back with another high profile case to solve.

Cormoran has had a bit more success following his solve of the Lulu Landry case. He's finally making some money following rich people's unfaithful spouses, at least enough to pay for an apartment above his office. When the wife of a mostly unsuccessful author asks Cormoran to find her missing husband, his interest is piqued. When the author is found gruesomely murdered, Cormoran finds himself trying to prove the wife's innocence.

Although less socially hard-hitting than [b:The Cuckoo's Calling|16160797|The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike, #1)|Robert Galbraith|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1373868343s/16160797.jpg|22002305], Rowling show more pokes a bit of fun at the publishing world, including self-publishing authors. It might feel a little mean-spirited, if it wasn't so funny. She also delves further into Robin's personal life, as well as Cormoran's. Overall, it's a good continuation of the series. show less

Cuando leí el primer libro de esta serie, ya me había parecido que J.K. Rowling había hecho un trabajo fenomenal escribiendo estos libros, pero es que ahora no solo me ratifico si no que me reitero, es absolutamente maravillosa.

Hay que tener mucho talento para crear una serie como Harry Potter, así que no vamos a poner en tela de duda el talento de esta mujer, pero es que hay que tener un par bien puestos, esta mujer exuda talento literario por cada poro, me tiene de verdad ganada desde Harry Potter, pero con estos libros se ha ganado mi más grande admiración y voy a explicar la razón.

Me parece que alguien que tiene la capacidad de reinventarse es ya de por sí extraordinario, tener un éxito tan grande como ella lo tuvo con show more su serie de fantasía ya es algo y algo muy grande, pudo, como muchos lo han hecho, seguir la línea, seguir explotando sus personajes, que segura estoy que si escribiera más libros sobre Potter los leería hasta Dios, pero no, esta mujer se ha atrevido a no solo cambiar completamente de género y escribir esta serie policiaca, sino que además lo ha hecho fenomenalmente y para inri bajo seudónimo, nada más que decir, me quito el sombrero.

Ahora bien, el primer libro ya me pareció extraordinariamente bueno, la capacidad de Rowling para crear personajes, hacerlos profundos, agradables, fáciles de comprender, entrañables, cercanos, pero tan complicados al mismo tiempo, me pareció lo mejor que tuvo su primera entrega, así pues, ya teníamos personajes buenos, una buena historia bien contada y una primera entrega razonablemente buena.

Pues nada, la señora ha escrito un libro policiaco de una complejidad asombrosa, una historia realmente buena, por un lado tenemos un escenario de una novela policiaca muy típica inglesa, por no decir muy al estilo de Agatha Christie, donde hay muchos personajes y todos son sospechosos, incluyendo al muerto y por otro lado tenemos una historia que se mueve en el mundo literario, Rowling nos presenta el argumento de una novela fatídica, pero no solo se queda en contarnos el argumento, que por cierto hay que tener mucha imaginación para eso, sino que se dedica a desentrañar las alusiones y fondos literarios de ese libro, realmente ha sido magnifico, ha sido un deleite para mí leerme este libro, recorrer sus páginas, conocer sus personajes, ver el lado negro de cada personaje, personajes además tan pero tan bien definidos que pude perfectamente ponerles cara y odiarlos, ir pasando de sospechoso en sospechoso, motivaciones, vidas secretas, problemas personales de antaño, para luego junto con Strike leerme un libro que de verdad te dejaba con la boca abierta de lo que decía y contaba ( Muy elocuente señora Rowling y muy atrevido de su parte también) para luego además adentrarme la vida personal de Strike y de Robin, en fin, no puedo más que decir que me la he pasado genial leyendo este libro.

Una narrativa buenísima, un argumento fenomenal, una historia atrapante e inteligente, este libro ha sido toda una revelación para mí y de verdad ya era fan de esta autora, pero después de estos libros además me declaro admiradora de la persona que ella es, no cualquiera tiene la capacidad de reinventarse como ella lo ha hecho. show less

J.K. Rowling returns with The Silkworm, her second novel written as Robert Galbraith and featuring the damaged but good-hearted soldier-turned-private detective Cormoran Strike; despite all the palaver about disappointing sophomore efforts, The Silkworm proves even better than The Cuckoo’s Calling.

That’s perhaps because Rowing explores territory that’s much more familiar: Rather than the modeling world examined in The Cuckoo’s Calling, The Silkworm explores the backbiting, insular world of publishing. Owen Quine, a self-dramatizing has-been cultivating an enfant terrible image, has produced a libelous manuscript he calls Bombyx Mori, the Latin name for the silkworm. In it, he skewers fellow writers and even his own publishing show more house through parody and thinly veiled characters. After a row with his dragon-lady agent, Quine vanishes, and Mrs. Quine hires Strike. When Quine turns up dead, Strike and his pretty, clever assistant, Robin Ellacot, set out to find out what was so damaging in Bombyx Mori that the author had to be silenced and the manuscript taken.

The Silkworm, ever entertaining, becomes arresting in the last third of the book. I know it’s a cliché, but I really couldn’t put it down. I never suspected the murderer — or even the motive — until the last few pages. Readers won’t be able to put it down, either. The Silkworm turned out to be one of the best mystery I’ve read in a long time. Readers will remember the ending, supremely exciting, for years to come.

Robin Ellacot proves herself just as clever, passionate and indispensable as in The Cuckoo’s Calling. To tell any more would be to ruin The Silkworm for readers, but let’s just say that, courageous and loyal, Robin does herself great credit. While I do love Cormoran Strike, I absolutely adore the conscientious and loyal Robin.

The novel also fleshes out Cormoran’s relationship with his privileged half-brother, Alexander Rokeby, a fascinating look into the one member of Cormoran’s rock-star father’s family who takes an interest in the illegitimate eldest son of Jonny Rokeby. Al, 9 years younger and legitimate, has benefited from his father’s fame and wealth — a Swiss secondary school, trans-Atlantic travel, skiing holidays, access to the poshest circles of London and New York society. It was wonderful to see Al help out his big brother. I hope we’ll be seeing more from him in future books. show less

A solid mystery with satisfyingly unexpected twists, but it is not particularly fast-paced. It takes time to gather all the pieces and put them together - and I like that allocates the necessary time to do that justice. It progresses steadily, if slowly, and helps maintain interest with personal tensions and minor mysteries.

The writing is charismatic, with an eye for visual details and astute observations. The descriptions bring the characters and the places they move through to life. The author (not surprisingly) is insightful about the various tensions of the literary world. And insightful about the role the media - from formal publications to internet fansites - plays in discussing authors.

The murder is gruesome, but I think it show more helped that I'd been warned.

One thing I've noticed with regards to murder mysteries is that, sometimes as an investigation goes on, the murder victim becomes less likeable. Darker secrets are brought to light, fractured relationships are revealed... It's an effective way of ensuring that suspicion can fall on several people. But there's something ugly about it.
The Silkworm doesn't do that. It looks to be headed in that direction. But by the end, some of the victim's dignity is restored. He is still a very flawed, often unlikeable person, but there were people in his life that he cared about. And he matters, even in death, to those people. Which not only restores dignity to the victim, but to the people who cared about him. Galbraith takes them seriously, even though, it would be very easy to ridicule them.

I can't say I exactly enjoyed reading about the victim or the revelations about the literary world he was a part of, but I certainly enjoy reading about Strike and Robin and their investigative efforts. I like Strike's interactions with his friends - I think it's great that he has old friends and they all enjoy each other's company. Also, he couldn't solve this mystery without his friends.
Robin's a more minor character than Strike is - but I love that she wants to be more. To do more, to learn more, to further her skills as much as she can. I love the way she finds joy in being good at her job. I also agree with Strike, that Robin being in a committed relationship is a good way to keep any romantic subtext to a minimum. Not interested in shipping Strike and Robin romantically, nope, not at all. But as colleagues who have a good working relationship, I'm super invested.

(Reviewed July 2014) show less