The Ink Black Heart (Cormoran Strike #6) by Robert Galbraith #BookReview #MysteryThriller #CrimeFiction #TheInkBlackHeart #RobertGalbraith #CormoranStrike #RobinEllacott #StrikeNovels #StrikeSeries #PrivateDetective — Rain’n’books

My Rating

Rating: 5 out of 5.

944 pages and counting, of course, how can it be anything lesser? Bring it ON, Ms. Rowling!

Finally, it is here, and as expected SOCIAL MEDIA IS ABLAZE with hate messages, spoilers, and whatnot! But I am not here to say yea or nay to whatever hullaballoo is going around, this is an honest review of a series I love.

The Ink Black Heart, the 6th book in the much loved Cormoran Strike series is like always with JKR a marvelous piece of writing. The story begins with the ending scene in the 5th book with both of them enjoying dinner at the Ritz for Robin’s 30th birthday.

Now basically the whole series is about TWO factors, one that concentrates on the push and pulls OR kind of Will they, Won’t they in the relationship of Robin and Strike, and SECOND the investigative aspect of the story. The majority of the fans of this series are definitely IN coz of the magnetism captured by Rowling in these two wonderful characters and ever since the show has been aired on TV, for me the images have been crystal clear in my mind. This part of the story is still kept open with one step forward by Strike and two steps backward by Robin and vice-versa. But as JKR says in her interviews, Strike will require more time to acknowledge his own attraction for Robin and the risks that may ensue as they are both unwilling to jeopardize their working relationship and deep friendship.

I can’t help but admire JKR for her plotting, I believe there are stories for 10 books in her head and honestly speaking the graph of Robin and Strike is so freakingly awesome that I can see how the relationship will take its own sweet time to develop as both of them struggle emotionally to let go. JKR surely knows where her leads are heading to.

Then the part about the mystery… The subject matter heavily resembling the kind of toxicity that has been hurled at the author herself is extremely engrossing. The kind of social media hatred that can be created to hamper an individual, is explored thoroughly by the author. NOPE, there is nothing about TRANSGENDER phobia portrayed in the story, and in fact, you have to give it to her for producing such a detailed and in-depth study of the masks that hides the faces in social media.

Definitely, not a fast paced thriller, which is obvious with its 1000+ pages, don’t worry, more than half of them are due to the chat transcripts that are covered in the book, but Strike and Robin’s investigation into cyberbullying is kind of an eye-opener and if JKR has used the theme to hit back at her trolls, then more power to her coz the extent of the persecution faced by the content creator here is unimaginable to put into words. The suspense did take its time to reach its climax and with a multitude of characters both in their online and offline avatars, it does take a chunk of our reading time to get them all sorted in our heads. The reveal, unlike other books, didn’t make me gasp or have my jaw drop, though the author carefully maintains the intriguing element of the story till the end.

Those reading in KINDLE, please be aware that the chat portions of the book are a nightmare to read as I could not increase the font size and I had to open them in my KINDLE APP to do that. I sincerely wish that the publishers redo the KINDLE VERSION at the earliest and give a break to the burning eyes.

The latest installment in the highly acclaimed, internationally bestselling Strike series finds Cormoran and Robin ensnared in another winding, wicked case.

When frantic, disheveled Edie Ledwell appears in the office begging to speak to her, private detective Robin Ellacott doesn’t know quite what to make of the situation. The co-creator of a popular cartoon, The Ink Black Heart, Edie is being persecuted by a mysterious online figure who goes by the pseudonym of Anomie. Edie is desperate to uncover Anomie’s true identity.

Robin decides that the agency can’t help with this-and thinks nothing more of it until a few days later, when she reads the shocking news that Edie has been tasered and then murdered in Highgate Cemetery, the location of The Ink Black Heart.

Robin and her business partner, Cormoran Strike, become drawn into the quest to uncover Anomie’s true identity. But with a complex web of online aliases, business interests and family conflicts to navigate, Strike and Robin find themselves embroiled in a case that stretches their powers of deduction to the limits — and which threatens them in new and horrifying ways . . .

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Originally published at https://rainnbooks.com on September 7, 2022.