There are few pleasures richer than knowing a new Robert Galbraith thriller is on the way! Seven novels into the Cormoran Strike series, J.K. Rowling keeps expanding her already peerless skills in crafting drama, emotion, urgency, and capturing the infinite complexities of the human spirit—in dark and in light.’ Michael Pietsch, Chief Executive Officer, Hachette Book Group. Ironic, literally running away from religion, but with the absolute blind certainty a savior is at the end waiting for you. Seventh Strike novel to publish this September, in the tenth anniversary year of the bestselling series by Robert Galbraith. Different fonts for epistolary sections, which is a perk of reading a physical book instead of digital. Here it's letters, last book was chat rooms. Definitely did not expect what happened to Charlotte; but really, thinking about it, could it have happened any other way? It was a believable and affecting progression to the end of Charlotte’s arc, and Cormoran’s response was so raw and real. And - as much as I hate to say it, it was definitely the push needed for Cormoran’s confession at the end of the book (which left me screaming)

Should you read this book? Well, this was better than the last Strike book, which was overly complicated due to the online conversations. But if you’re not sold on the Strike books by now, honestly I’m not sure you should. There is some closure given to some of the ongoing subplots, but definitely not all. I will say, though, “ The Running Grave” is without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most suspenseful novels I’ve ever read. Not in a cheap, flashy, and/or sensationalist way, but subtly and almost elegantly. The feeling of a permanent latent danger is omnipresent and mercilessly tugs at the nerves of the reader. JK Rowling is the only author for whom I stay up late to get her new releases at midnight. So it was with Harry Potter when I was growing up, and so it is with Strike now. Though, the actual outcome isn't as beguiling a twist, albeit much more elaborate, so it's a bit of a letdown. Rowling was born to Anne Rowling (née Volant) and Peter James Rowling, a Rolls-Royce aircraft engineer, on 31 July 1965 in Yate, Gloucestershire, England, 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Bristol. Her mother Anne was half-French and half-Scottish. Her parents first met on a train departing from King's Cross Station bound for Arbroath in 1964. They married on 14 March 1965. Her mother's maternal grandfather, Dugald Campbell, was born in Lamlash on the Isle of Arran. Her mother's paternal grandfather, Louis Volant, was awarded the Croix de Guerre for exceptional bravery in defending the village of Courcelles-le-Comte during the First World War.It’s fantastic addition to what is already one of my ‘must read’ series. I really cant wait for the next one. I love this series, whenever a new one comes out, it's the literary highlight of my year. Decamped with a friend to a hotel to read this in one glorious unbroken go.

The are several plots explored in the story in addition to the central plot, Strike’s relationship with his sister Prudence and his acceptance of the flighty Lucy seeing her truly without any misconceptions, and of course Charlotte and the arc of that enigmatic character drawing to a close giving Strike the clarity of what he wants in his future, the sub contractors, Midge, Barclay and Dev and the newest Littlejohn who has another mystery to be unveiled, and of course, the most efficient Pat and her quips. There are also several characters to sift through, as Strike on the outside and Robin on the inside get to the bottom of the UHC and its web. Unlike the other books in the series, the focus is more on the case even though the readers are made to sense the yearning of both partners for each other. As the saying goes, distance makes the heart grow fonder, Strike finally accepts his feelings for Robin as he misses her presence around him and is kind of depressed that he let Robin move further away from him due to his foolishness to maintain the status quo. Robin being already aware of her feelings for her partner is however more into the “falling out of love” phase and has a boyfriend in place and how cheeky of the author to lob a grenade at the end of the story getting the readers to crave for the next one immediately.Another exemplary work by the author even though there was many a time where I felt the details were way too exhaustive to the point of boring for me, especially the parts inside the Chapman farm, Yes, Strike series is not your typical adrenaline racing thrillers, we all know that and the description does get the imagination running on all tangents but I would have loved it equally with a story more tightly wound and bound. Who knew all it would take was for Ilsa and Charlotte to cease pressing Strike about the elephant in the room to spur him into action? She's definitely not a damsel-in-distress, but being vulnerable and imperiled is her recurring theme.

I finished reading this novel about five minutes ago. I’m sitting at my desk to write this review but I don't know how. I want to sing its praises because the latest instalment of the Cormoran Strike novels is by far the best one in the series. With a book of this length, you need more regular reminders of who people are and their relation to others. It’s been brilliant to see the enormous success of the Robert Galbraith books over the past ten years and an honour to publish them. With over 11 million copies sold in the English language to date, the story of Strike and Robin has captured readers’ imaginations and, like so many others, I can’t wait to see what happens to them over the course of the final four books in the series.’ David Shelley, Group Chief Executive, Hachette UK I enjoy that Strike bases his decisions in part on whether they will increase the chances of Robin breaking up with her new boyfriend.

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However, the book is too long. There are characters that you forget who they are if you’re reading over a number of days. There are multiple instances where references are made to previous books and these things are explained to the reader. For example the same character’s relevance to Strike is mentioned in two separate chapters, yet they’re completely irrelevant to the story (do they really need to be mentioned at all?). I am sure all of you who know and love the duo wants to know if the will they, won’t they gets any further? Well, I won’t tell  However, bear in mind that the focus this time is more on the case than their love story. Yes, there quite a few mentions of their feelings, Strike gets into another stupid relationship to get past the relationship between Robin and Murphy. And, there is the ending… Haha. Let’s say, if she writes another novel next year, is not soon enough. Notes: Indoctrination exploration, knitting thorny threads, a startling ending (fallout pending!), weighty (dense with dread). Robin’s entire experience of going undercover was very well done - I found the spiral in Robin’s thoughts and experiences really harrowing and yet a very clear glimpse into how power and control is executed in the setting of a cult.