{"id":5033,"date":"2015-11-13T06:21:31","date_gmt":"2015-11-13T11:21:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/?p=5033"},"modified":"2015-11-13T06:21:31","modified_gmt":"2015-11-13T11:21:31","slug":"career-of-evil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/?p=5033","title":{"rendered":"****Career of Evil"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(photo: Jonathan, creative commons license)<\/p><\/div>\n

By Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling), narrated by Robert Glenister <\/a>– Devotees of the heavy metal rock band Blue \u00d6yster Cult will recognize that its allusive and sometimes violent lyrics give this book its title, chapter titles, and break headings. Chapter 1, for example, is \u201cThis Ain\u2019t the Summer of Love.\u201d Nor is it.<\/p>\n

Former Army Special Investigator Cameron Strike runs a not-exactly-thriving London private detection business, aided by his attractive factotum Robin Ellacott. They have only two cases going when a delivery man shows up with a package addressed to Robin and containing the severed leg of a young girl. Strike can think of three people from his past with the misogynistic leanings, brutality, and sufficient grudge against him to make them suspects in such a crime and desirous to involve him in it. Sending a leg\u2014instead of some other body part\u2014seems a cruel reference to Strike\u2019s own leg, lost in a land mine detonation in Afghanistan and replaced by a prosthesis.<\/p>\n

Kinky theories also emerge, and Robin uncovers in their file of \u201cnutter\u201d letters one from a young woman who wanted to cut off her leg. Robin, a psychology major before leaving university, recognizes the syndrome. Her exploration of Internet sites for transabled people and Body Integrity Identity Disorder yields more leads.<\/p>\n

Two of Strike\u2019s suspects are people he encountered in the military. The third, Jeff Whittaker, is the much younger second husband of Strike\u2019s mother. Strike is convinced Whittaker orchestrated her death from a heroin overdose, but he was acquitted. Strike and Robin reconstruct the decades-cold trails of their three suspects. They have plenty of time to do so, as publicity about the leg business has discouraged any other would-be clients. They are inevitably brought into conflict with the police, still smarting from previous cases in which Strike out-investigated them.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Robin proceeds half-heartedly with her wedding plans, perpetually annoyed at fianc\u00e9 Matthew\u2019s repeated attempts to get her to quit her job and his apparent jealousy of Strike. Even her stalker can detect the chill between them. When Matthew reveals a secret of his own, she calls the wedding off. The book\u2019s early action takes place around the time of the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, and those festivities are a painful counterpoint to the couple\u2019s unhappiness.<\/p>\n

Galbraith has constructed a well paced, compelling narrative. She leaves a few clues on the table and could have had the main characters learn more about themselves, but few thrillers do that. It works well as an audiobook, narrated by Robert Glenister, because there is not an overabundance of characters and the pacing keeps the listener well engaged throughout its nearly 18 hours.<\/p>\n

A slightly longer version of this review appeared on CrimeFictionLover.com<\/a>.
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