The silkworm

I'm done with this series. I'm so done I don't feel like writing a review so here are the notes I took while reading:

-Thought it would be less sexist after the whole "I have a hot new secretary and oh look she's actually good at being a detective" thing wore off but it actually got worse
-All the men, except the main character, except actually including him, are assholes and the women just put up with them
-"Most women would have expected flowers." "I'm not most women." "I know."
-Disabled character used as prop
-Masturbatory plot about writers and publishing that wouldn't get nearly as much press as it does in the book
-Rich beautiful women constantly turning into desperate idiots and throwing themselves at MC despite him being described as not handsome or rich
-MC uses a woman who really likes him to get access to witnesses, sleeps with her, then ghosts her
-"Pubelike hair"
-hysterical trans character, MC keeps referring to her as pre op and assuming she wants an operation, blames her hysteria on all the hormones she must be taking, threatens her with prison rape "You wouldn't like prison. Especially pre-operation."

This book was just gross. It doubled down on all the sexism of the first book and threw in some transphobia and ableism. Oh and the mystery was dumb.

The second of three Cormoran Strike novels, The Silkworm is the weakest of them, though perhaps that’s because I read Career of Evil prior to this and some of the tension that’s built up outside of the central plot in The Silkworm is undermined by knowledge of what happens in book three.

The Silkworm is still good crime fiction though. I did find the plot a more convoluted than book one or three and perhaps a tad unrealistic but to tell you the truth I enjoy having the killer revealed to me this time almost as much as I like trying to figure out who had done it.

If you enjoy reading about the rather cloistered world of traditional publishing and don’t mind a few swipes at the self-publishing market the The Silkworm certainly hits the required tension of a well paced crime thriller.

Despite knowing what happens to the main characters in book three, I still found Rowling’s characterisation enjoyable. I love the subtle sexual tension between Cormoran and Robin and the depth of characterisation provided.

I was unwell for most of the reading of this work and found just participating in the story enough of a buzz to keep reading.

It’s not necessary to read these books in order, they do stand well on their own. But as I have remarked previously, the best thing about the series is its central characters and their growth.

Great holiday reading.

I am really enjoying this series. I love both Cormoran and Robin, and can't wait to read about their next big case.

I enjoyed The Silkworm a bit more than The Cuckoo's Calling. I feel the characters were better developed, and the mystery had great twists and turns. In fact, I thought I knew "whodunit" for 3/4 of the book and was surprised by the ending, and the clues I had missed along the way.

I really enjoy Cormoran, and my only complaint is I don't get insights into what he is necessarily feeling. Some of the sections were leaving us in the dark by design (Robin's mysterious errand, for example) but I do want to know a bit about his motivations.

Also, I am dearly hoping we have heard the last of his terrible ex-fiance. She is absolutely the world's worst. Please put that to bed and leave her in the past. More of Al, though. Let's dig into the family stuff a bit to give us more insights into Strike.

Looking forward to reading book #3. This may become one of my favorite private detective series.