Career of Evil: by Robert Galbraith | Summary & Analysis

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Having solved two high profile homicide investigations with the assistance of his sidekick Robin Ellacott, private investigator Cormoran Strike is recovering from his newfound popularity. He and Robin have finally managed to re-establish their usual work routine, when they receive an extremely unusual one that contains a severed leg from a female. The incident causes Strike to reflect on the many individuals he’s crossed in the path, and to wonder just how many might be looking for revenge. He makes a list of these men for the police detectives working the case, but it seems like the officers don’t take Strike’s concerns very seriously. Cormoran and Robin make the decision to pursue their own independent investigation.

Their search for information leads them to some of London’s shadier neighborhoods, as they seek information on the men on Strike’s list of suspects. Dead end after dead end frustrates them. Unfortunately, it appears the owner of the leg isn’t the killer’s only victim—more bodies appear and the association with Strike hurts his business. Cormoran and Robin need to solve this case before their agency goes belly up.

Please note that this is an independent addition to "Career of Evil" that supplements your understanding to the original book. Be sure to purchase the original copy before buying this unofficial summary and analysis. The use of this analysis is meant to fill any gaps you may have had during reading and enhances your reading experience.




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Available for PC, Mac, Kindle, Tablet, and Smartphone Devices.
©2015 All Rights Reserved

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Detective, Audiobook, Murder Mystery

26 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2015

Reviews

[Lisa King · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved, loved love this continuing story. If I said it was the kind of book you don’t want to finish, it would say it all. I keep hoping.....well. Ms. Rowling, you’ve done it again.

[Nelson Zoubek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best of the Strike and Robin series so far.

[Steve Larsen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the last I'll read in this series. While the stories are good, readers have to put up with constant stupid and silly actions from the two protagonists (Strike and Robin). No partnership can evolve or work when characters don't confide in and trust each other and actively mislead and lie to one another. You want to cheer for them, but it is difficult when they constantly make one boneheaded decision after another. Combine that with reminders on nearly every page that Strike is having another cigarette, or two, or three, and how it makes him feel. I've no idea why this is dwelt upon over and over and over. I'm guessing 10% of the content of the book deals with the frequently of Strike's smoking, where he smokes, how many cigarettes', what brand he's smoking, who he is smoking with and their smoking predilections. And if its not smoking its about his making and drinking tea and/or coffee, or pain from his prosthesis due to his refusal to give it proper care and attention.

[Kim-Thi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot seemed out of sorts and a little convoluted. There was a fair bit of disturbing content that I considered to be gratuitous. I was very disappointed since I enjoyed the first book of this series so much. Again, I was left wanting more development specifically of the relationship between Robin and Strike. It felt like many of the conflicts were cheap and didn't hold any real weight.

[Arnold · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spannend! Mar wat al te bloederig voor mijn smaak. En had wel wat korter gekund.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great detective novel - found all the characters and their back stories a little hard to keep straight; otherwise, good read.

[Annie Weatherly-Barton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Central characters were good and story had many twists and turns. Reason I gave this only 3 stars was due to it seemingly being an amalgam of several writers: Jeffrey Deaver in particular! It was the language used that to me was "made up" and really not how people speak. Writer needs to get out more and stop copying other writer's styles.

Sadly, due to convoluting web I forgot which one of the "suspects" was in scheme of things.

Not a satisfying read for me. If Rowling is going down this road then I feel she needs to find a true and real voice of her own as well as knowing how people speak in real life.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book more than the first two.

[Olga Yashenkova · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has to be the best book of the series so far. Many critics claim that the series went downhill after 'Cuckoo's Calling,' but I must say, although I didn't enjoy 'The Silkworm' nearly as much, this book completely revitalizes the series. I love how Rowling took a new approach in this one, beginning the story with the POV of the killer, rather than only revealing the killer at the end by explaining the entire case to the killer. It's obvious that something new was attempted in this book, and it worked!

As mentioned in previous reviews, although I LOVE true crime with all my heart, the characters are what really keep me hooked in this series, especially in this book. I loved the ending, and I especially appreciated how much Robin and Strike's relationship progressed. Although we didn't end up receiving the true love happily ever after that we might have all been hoping for, which was a bit annoying, I would disagree that this affected my enjoyment of the book in any way, as neither real nor fictional lives ever meet expectations.

I also LOVED the concepts this book covered. There was the whole '70s rock vibe featuring one of my FAVORITE bands in the plot, and there was the whole concept of cannibalism explored, of which I had never heard before. I'd also like to state again how much I love that the POV of the killer was incorporated and the obsession with vengeance explored. His whole life revolved around getting revenge, and there were several moments where he admitted how he feared the end of it because he had no idea what the meaning of life would be after he succeeded with his plan.

Overall, 10/10. I know a lot of people dislike the series due to its long and sometimes tedious descriptions, and, of course, their pre-existing bias due to Rowling herself being a very controversial figure. However, I think that the characters and the storytelling outweigh all the cons of her writing, and honestly, though some parts and scenes might seem unnecessary in regard to the actual case, I love the characters enough to stick with them.

[David Dionys · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gruesomer and gruesomer. In this one Rowling really let herself go, with the first person bits from the perspective of the psycho-killer a bit too direct for my taste - gore fans should be delighted though.

While the plot of the book is good enough, with three demented suspects running loose throughout the UK, it was all a bit too much for me. Robin gets harassed on every single occasion she is not accompanied by a safe male, and it paints a bleak picture of British society. Maybe it is a good thing that the book is so shockingly "in your face", to wake up male readers such as me to the every day reality; young attractive girls in the big cities all around the world certainly do need a lot of caution and assertiveness to overcome unwanted advances and lewd insinuations.

Against a semi-magical and rather dark background of BOC lyrics, Rowling lifts the veil on Robin's mysterious past and presents us with the wedding as a moment of katharsis. A sure cliffhanger towards the next novel, the characters deepen.

The technique of spreading the suspects is just as effective as ever. Every so often we are put back on track by Strike summing up the facts and his to-do list for us. As a reader we can think along, make up our mind, and still be tricked, in the certain knowledge that we do not need to fear a deus ex maquina.

My least favorite so far all the same, although it is as always so hard to put it down.

[JD · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seems like a lot of words devoted to irrelevant stuff. But then, Im not very patient. The book follows Cormoran Strike and his Assistant/Partner Robin Ellacott as they work out their personal lives at the same time they are working out a very violent and disturbing case. The ending was, for me, confusing and not at all what I expected - tho I really had no guess as to who done it and how. I had trouble following the characters, other than the main ones. All the potential murderers and suspects and child molesters tended to blend together for me. I probably had to pay closer attention. And it could be helpful to read the book again. But Im just not that interested.

[barbara stanisz · Rating 3 out of 5]

the more I read this author, the more that I believe that she really cannot write crime novels. while I like the characters of Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacot, I do not care for this author's crime writing. She adds way too much detail on topics that are only incidental to the story and relies on a big reveal that when you go back and try to trace how this could be the villian, there are scant details. There are copious other details that relate to characters that MAY be the villian, but these come across as diversiounary and in the end do not add to the overall story.

[Mike Harper · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good read, but not quite up to the two earlier novels about Strike and Robin. The problem here is that the author is a bit tied up in the characters' various love affairs, ultimately requiring about a third again as many pages as would have suffixed to tell the central story. Moreover, I was somewhat put off by the emphasis on the serial killer's disgusting needs. Here, a little less realism would have been appreciated.
Still, I look forward to future Strike and Robin stories.

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. This is the 3rd in the series, but I think it is the best so far. Althought there is a serial killer on the loose, this book really has to do more with Strike and Robin, their backgrounds, and their relationship. It had me on the edge of my seat right from the beginning. I highly recommend.

[Renai Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this one. I love the progression of the relationship between Cormoran and Robin. I love that Robin is taking initiative with making important decisions while she faces her fears from the past. I've read this one and listened to it multiple times on Audible. I enjoy all the Robert Galbraith books (her writing is next level), and eagerly look forward to the next one.

[Bea Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book - anything with Robyn and Strike in it will get me interested. The plot is more detailed than the other Strike books, but it's more gritty and the London scenes feel at times like a Victorian gothic.

[Regina Lee]

It is easy to fall in love with the main characters in Robert Galbraith's Cormoran Strike series. Robin and Cormoran are a formidable duo. The story is intense and complex and another good book in the series.

[Lori Kovash · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved all f the books in this series. Cormeron is a really likable man and his relationship with Robin is heart warming. The stories are always a pleasure to read but what would you expect from JKRowling?

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Started at No 1, now at No 4, I cannot put the books down. So well plotted and written. No distracting errors or bad typos, which is a blessing after some I have endured recently. Mind you, I am not getting much sleep - LOL.

[Jef Sneider · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are just too many serial killers out there. Reading this and a William Kent Krueger story at the same time, I began to wonder if I am spending too much time reading crime novels. I don’t like being in the head of a serial killer. Sorry. I need more mundane crimes.

[Anne Herbison · Rating 4 out of 5]

The subject matter is distasteful, but real. The characters are quite compelling. The writing is a little clunky but I enjoyed this book.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining!

[Claire Alexander · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tedious.

[Mark Delay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this story very much. It is my favorite so far of the C R Strike novels.

[Heather Stringer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous book, once again. Captivating from start to finish.

[J S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have enjoyed all series

[Bco4 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm hooked on the Strike-Robin will-they-won't-they relationship, plus the detective work is fun to follow.

[Margaret Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is superbly crafted: meticulously plotted, lyrical beyond belief, and an absolute thrill to read.

[Cosette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this and when I had finished the book, I put it down and grabbed the next book in the series! I am also enjoying the emotional connection between the characters a lot.

[Lyn Reasbeck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book. Love the series