Between Fantastic Beasts and the Development of Pottermore, J.K. Rowling still amazes us by finding the time to publish the fourth installment of the adventures of her London detective, Cormoran Strike, and his faithful partner, Robin Ellacott, entitled Lethal White.Don't worry, this review is spoiler-free.
We're not going to lie to you, at JustFocus, we love J.K. Rowling. Indeed, most of us were extremely fortunate to grow up at the time of the publication of the adventures of Harry Potter. There was therefore no doubt in the fact of closely following the rest of the career of this very great lady.
For those who don't know yet, J.K. Rowling did not only write the adventures of very clever little wizards. After spending many years imagining this magical world that we love so much, the author tried her hand at detective novels. But, not wishing to use her enormous popularity (and the bankable side of her name that would have secured her a contract with any sane publisher), Rowling used an alias: Robert Galbraith. It is under this name that she published L'Appel du Coucou (2013), Le Ver à Soie (2014) and La Carrière du Mal (2015), published by Grasset for French translations. These novels have recently been the subject of a very successful adaptation by the BBC.
Lethal White, the return of Strike and Robin
So for three long years we had been careful to dive back into the investigations of Detective Cormoran Strike and his assistant turned sidekick Robin Ellacott. The duo kept us in suspense during their London adventures, between posh evenings and sordid lowlands. September 18 marked the end of our wait: Lethal White, the fourth installment in the Strike series, was finally released. The French title has not yet been revealed (nor its release date in France), we will use the English title.
It all starts when a paranoid young junkie in the grip of a strange knock bursts into Strike's offices, while the latter was away. Alerted by the call of his panicked secretary, Cormoran Strike quickly returns to his workplace and discovers Billy, a young man who, from his appearance and smell, seems to live on the street. The latter explains somehow to the detective that several years ago, he witnessed the murder of a child. And that he was not alone: a certain Jimmy, whom Billy seems to be afraid of, was also present. But the junkie assures that Jimmy will refuse to talk about all this. Unfortunately, before Strike even had time to question the young man further, he fled without asking for his rest. It was enough to pique the curiosity of the famous London detective, who then hastens to warn his now partner, Robin…
A fourth more accomplished novel
What hooks the reader from the start is the tension between Robin and Strike. Robin is now married, and Strike seems to have regrets. This discomfort between the two protagonists will feed the plot. Anger, jealousy, remorse,… All this will push our heroes to make mistakes that will put them in difficult positions, facing their own doubts. But it will be necessary to solve this seemingly uninteresting but most important investigation. It will lead Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott to the depths of the British countryside and above all, to the most secret corners of one of the high places of English politics: Parliament.
This opus is undoubtedly the most successful, because it presents a plot much more complex than the previous novels of Galbraith / Rowling. Let's say that, if you loved The Silkworm, the second book in the Strike series, you're bound to throw yourself at Lethal White. Even darker and more disturbing, you'll have a hard time resting this fourth volume until you've reached the very last page. And yet, Lethal White plays in the big leagues with its 656 pages! But, for Harry Potter readers and fans, it's almost nothing.
Lethal White, whose release we are eagerly awaiting in French, is a must for any fan of Rowling. Indeed, what a pleasure to see the style of the novelist evolve and detach herself somewhat from the magical universe for which she was, and still is, acclaimed. Proof of this is that J.K. Rowling is truly one of the greatest writers of our time. Of course, we will keep you informed as soon as the French publication date is revealed.
