I’ve been a fan of the Strike crime thriller series by Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling) since the first one (The Cuckoo’s Calling) came out in 2013. And recently it seems like JKR is churning out these books on an annual basis, making it a new tradition for me to pick up the latest one for my December break.

The Running Grave is the seventh in the series. Whilst I enjoyed the previous one (The Ink Black Heart), the numerous chapters of chat transcripts became frustrating. So it’s good to be back to a relatively ‘normal’ style of book, albeit another tome coming in at over 900 pages.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It feels like the entire series has been building to this crescendo, where the stakes are raised, the action more intense, and the mystery as convoluted (in the best way possible) as ever.

This book sees Strike and Robin investigate a cult wherein their client’s son is trapped. They have been tasked with finding him, and trying to extract him from this commune, requiring Robin to go undercover at grave risk to her and the agency.

I found the world-building of the cult to be extremely well done. JKR crafts a terrifying group of antagonists, and articulates the danger both heroes face expertly. There were moments when I felt terrified for our heroes, and the crafting of the villains was some of the author’s best work yet. Throw in some cryptic mysticism, epigraphs at the head of each chapter referencing foreboding quotes from the I Ching or Book of Changes, and this is a book that is haunting, gripping, at times funny but mostly unputdownable.

The sheer number of suspects, the twisted backstories and the multilayered split locations did, at times, become tricky to follow. Especially when the plot is so action-packed and relentless, that you find yourself indulging in long reading sessions, becoming slightly fatigued and then struggling to remember or connect character threads. But I see this as a kind of positive-negative aspect: it makes for a compelling set of characters and a depth to the novel that’s become quintessential of the series.

How the main characters come to the conclusion about who the killer is, is also a bit complex, and JKR does a fine job hiding this from us. Which in one way is a good thing, adding to the allure of the murder mystery. But it does rob us of the payoff for trying to figure out the mystery alongside the Strike and Ellacott Detective Agency.

As ever, and something I’d like to maybe expand upon in a future post, the allure of these mystery-thrillers for me lies not in the crime being investigated (the murder, the theft etc), but in the characters, their relationships, and the world-building. And this, of course, is something JKR is expert at, proven from her days with the Potter series. Strike and Robin’s relationships, the multifaceted construction of their unique characters – hell, even the depth of character for some of the minor players – all make this series feel so visceral, so real. This, more than the mysteries at the heart of each book (and those are, of course, well-crafted), are what make me a massive fan of the series, and of this book in particular.

At present (given we still have maybe three more books in the series go), this one ranks up there for me alongside Book 5 (Troubled Blood). Like that one, The Running Grave has this ineffable quality to the victim, the murders, the mystery… the story haunts you long after you finish the end of page 945.

My rating: ★★★★✩