Spoiler Alert: Coroman Strike is on the Case

In a political and economical time when escape is welcome — why not try a great whodunit series?

My love for J.K. Rowling’s writing and curiosity in the detective genre led me to the Coroman Strike series over a decade ago. Using her pseudonym, Robert Galbraith, for the series to differentiate it from the Harry Potter phenomenon, Rowling’s first try at an adult audience is spot on.

From The Cuckoo’s Calling to The Running Grave, all seven stories are set in the greater London area with an infamous, burley private detective (Coroman Strike) and his beautiful sidekick (Robin Ellacott). As each procedural plot thickens, so does their friendship and professional partnership.

The author’s whimsical word choices and ridiculous, cartoonish characters are 100% Rowlings’ style and I was happy to read a legit detective series with these signature elements. Coroman’s painful prosthetic leg, for instance, and complications of his weight gain is an excellent physical roadblock that adds to the difficulty of solving the case at hand. As a writer, it’s a genius way to instill an anxious drive for relief and answers.

However, I give the series as a whole four out of five stars because the characters aren’t as developed as they used to be in books one and two.

Similar to the historically long-awaited connection between two ’90s FBI agents searching for the truth in The X-Files, I wanted to see Robin and Coroman come out strong in Cuckoo’s Calling but the sexual tension continues well into the series. In the fifth book, Troubled Blood, I was sure a certain love story would come into play but it didn’t. Yet.

Yet?

In the last two installments, The Ink Black Heart and Running Grave, I was cheering for the two detectives as Rowlings brought the partners even closer after nearly 2K pages. The tease is worth the wait, I’m sure, just like we clapped for Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.

Rowling confirmed multiple times last year she’s working on book eight but when it will be released is still unknown, so. In the meantime, you can read all seven books in the following order: