5th in the series, Troubled Blood is a massive entry at 927 pages. It could have been edited down and shortened quite a bit. There is plenty of character development in addition to the detailed plot laying out the main case as well as a…Read moreRead more of this comment
At 927 pages, this is about 300 to 400 pages too long, in my opinion. It's quite graphic about sadistic torture and very repetitive. If this had been the first in her Strike series I probably wouldn't read any following books, but since…Read moreRead more of this comment
Troubled Blood is an engrossing cold case investigation that spends most of the its 900+ pages on the painstaking work needed to solve a 40 year old murder over a period of a year. How it addresses sexism, in multiple contexts, the…Read moreRead more of this comment
J K does it again. Thoroughly enjoyable. Great character development between the two main characters. I can't imagine why JK was criticized by the LQBGQ community as there was very little mention of a trans character.
This book is a slog, and JK Rowling is trying way too hard to "shock" readers with random surprising plot points. It could have been cut down by at least a third and been so much better. Honestly, reading the sparknotes on this is probably…Read moreRead more of this comment
Generally enjoyed the book but couldn't help feeling that the editors must be too intimidated by JKR. Do think it could have used a bit of judicious pruning without ruining the plotline. That said she's a great writer and easy to read but…Read moreRead more of this comment
A boring slog. I didn’t care about the characters and only kept reading to see if the two main characters would connect. Nope. The soap opera will continue presumably in the next one. Couldn’t wait until it was done. J.K. Rowling has lost…Read moreRead more of this comment
Just finished following Robin and Strike around for 3 nights and 900 pages and enjoyed every well-spent minute. Hard to get those two out of mind after finishing it and looking very much for their next investigation.
This new Cormoran Strike installment is quite a commitment. The story arc is compelling and kept me engaged, but that is a heft number of pages to read before getting to the final solution. Lots of moving parts, too. The fact that this…Read moreRead more of this comment
The only thing I am disappointed with is that it ended. This is a good mystery, but what I truly love about this series is the the main characters. I love living in their world for a short time, I like their friendship, and sometimes…Read moreRead more of this comment
Good main plot - the 40-year old cold case that Strike & Robin take on - but way too many subplots: the illness of Strike's aunt; Robin's nasty divorce; the cases the other investigators in Strike's employ are working on, sometimes…Read moreRead more of this comment
I loved a lot of this book; the main plot, Cormoran and Robin, and the writing but gosh this was really too long. I think it could have been condensed by a third easily. There were so many side-plots and characters who were not important…Read moreRead more of this comment
Normally, I wouldn't read a 900+ page book but because I've read and enjoyed the earlier books in this series I gave it a shot and I'm glad I did. Yes, it could have been edited down but Rowling is a very good writer and her character…Read moreRead more of this comment
If you happened to read the comments/review in the Seattle Times of this book, ignore it. Ridiculous.
When I picked this book up, I thought, OH, NO WAY! But I read and loved every 900+ pages of it. I normally listen to my books but…Read moreRead more of this comment
Will somebody please tell J.k.Rowling's (by any name) publisher not to pay by the word? 930 pages of agonizing reading led me to believe that I had wasted my time. The book started out well with Strike and Robin Ellacott being hired to…Read moreRead more of this comment
Kept my interest right to the end (927 pages!) but the mumbo-jumbo about horoscopes was beyond me. I wish I had made myself a list of characters when I started because I found it difficult to keep track of them all.
Still, it had a…Read moreRead more of this comment
Cormoran and Robin are back with a beefed-up agency and multiple cases to solve. The primary case is of a woman who disappeared over 40 years ago which requires an exceptional amount of evidence and witness unearthing. This latest…Read moreRead more of this comment
Although overly long with multiple suspects and red herrings, TROUBLED BLOOD is still a worthy addition to this intelligent crime mystery series. Like the previous 4 installments, this latest by Author Robert Galbraith (aka J. K. Rowling)…Read moreRead more of this comment
Mild spoiler alerts:
JK Rowling knows how to tell a good story. Our familiar protagonists Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott are both very likeable characters. These are the elements that the book has in its favour. But there were so…Read moreRead more of this comment
I love Strike and Robin. Everyone in this book has a story which is worth reading. Galbraith (aka Rowlings) never ceases to amaze me with her imagination and writing ability. I highly recommend this novel.
Tina43
One might have noticed media reports of this book as anti-trans due to containing a cross-dressing serial killer. Documentation of actual serial killers does report cross-dressing as a popular behavior, and a quick Google search will give…Read moreRead more of this comment
I liked this one despite the length. Feel free to skip the parts about the zodiac -
I was engaged right to the end.
I am reading reviews which read that this book is anti-trans.
I didn't get any of that but maybe it was too subtle…Read moreRead more of this comment
Comments (25)
Troubled Blood