The Silkworm

Cormoran Strike, Book 2

By: Robert Galbraith

Narrated by: Robert Glenister

Length: 17 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

Now a major BBC drama: The Strike series.

When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, she just thinks he has gone off by himself for a few days - as he has done before - and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home.

But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine's disappearance than his wife realises. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were published it would ruin lives - so there are a lot of people who might want to silence him.

And when Quine is found brutally murdered in bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any he has encountered before....

A compulsively readable crime novel with twists at every turn, The Silkworm is the second in the highly acclaimed series featuring Cormoran Strike and his determined young assistant Robin Ellacott.

Please note: This audiobook contains explicit language

2015, CWA Goldsboro Gold Dagger, Short-listed

2015, US Audie Awards, Winner

2015, Audible Sounds of Crime Award at Crimefest, Winner

2016, IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, Long-listed

©2014 Robert Galbraith Limited (P)2014 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

“A damn good read … It’s a book to gulp down, and although Rowling may now be a bona fide Olympic-opening-ceremony-level celeb, the skill with which this book is written tells you as much as its subject-matter does that writing is the core of her life. 5 stars.” ( Telegraph)
“A pacey detective story… a tightly stitched updating of the classic tale of the dishevelled but brilliant private dick, smattered with references to 19th-century French literature and pre-Levenson sleuthing tactics, alongside well-realised characters... moreish” ( Independent)
“‘Strike felt a sudden weariness wash over him. What was this mania to appear in print?’ But no such question arises about JK Rowling’s second career as a crime writer. She’s really hitting her stride here.” ( Evening Standard)
“‘Writing as Robert Galbraith has been a pure joy,’ Rowling has said. So has reading him…. The last line of The Silkworm, which will lift the hearts of readers who have come to love its deeply sympathetic characters, offers the prospect of more of that joy both for her and for us.” ( USA Today)
“Astutely observed, well-paced and full of Rowling's trademark acerbic wit, The Silkworm thoroughly engages as a crime novel. But it might be even more enjoyable to read between the lines in search of what Rowling has to say about fame, publishing, and the modern writer's life.” ( People)
“Why is ‘likable’ the first word that comes to mind upon finishing The Silkworm? Surely, that has something to do with Rowling’s palpable pleasure in her newly chosen genre (the jig may be up with her Robert Galbraith pseudonym, but the bloom is still on her homicidal rose) and even more to do with her detective hero, who, at the risk of offending, is the second husband of every author’s dreams.” ( Washington Post)
“Rowling’s fans will find the novel - which isn’t in stores until next Thursday - worth the wait.” ( Daily News)
“ The Silkworm is a deeply satisfying work of crime fiction, more complex and darker than its predecessor. Yet Rowling has a lot of fun, too, especially in her knowing depiction of the incestuous worlds of publishing and the media. She also brings London to life in all its grimy glamour” ( The Australian)

"One of the most unique and compelling detectives I've come across in years." (Mark Billingham on The Cuckoo's Calling)

"Just once in a while a private detective emerges who captures the public imagination in a flash. And here is one who might well do that... An auspicious debut." ( Daily Mail on The Cuckoo's Calling)

"The novel is the work of a master storyteller." ( Daily Telegraph on The Cuckoo's Calling)

" The Cuckoo's Calling reminds me why I fell in love with crime fiction in the first place." (Val McDermid)

Hurry up with book three!!!

What did you love best about The Silkworm?

Oh, only everything.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Silkworm?

It's hard to single anything out as most memorable. The whole book is a pleasure from start to finish.

Which character – as performed by Robert Glenister – was your favorite?

Robert Glenister is a fabulous narrator. In fact, if they ever make movies of these books, I hope he plays Strike. There isn't one characterisation that is not spot on.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Is wanting to get back to listening to it as often as possible extreme?

Any additional comments?

I read the other day that J K Rowling (Galbraith) is planning a longer series than Harry Potter for Cormoran Strike. That makes me very happy.

the worm

Is there anything you would change about this book?

yes i would stop with the quates at the start of each chapter they get annoying

If you’ve listened to books by Robert Galbraith before, how does this one compare?

yes not as good as the first to drawn out gets boring

Which scene was your favorite?

the end book was finished

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

no unless they made it a lot more action

not a great choice for audio

I've enjoyed other Galbraith books as audio books, but in this one there were so many characters and so much going on that it was hard to follow this without the ability to flip back to the beginning to be reminded who was who.

Good , but not great

The first Comoran Strike book was a truly surprise where a well-known writer like JKR could establish herself as a credible and engaging thriller writer. A solid and interesting plot, well carved out characters and a great atmosphere made the The Cuckoos Calling a very enjoyable reading experience.
This second book meets only partially the expectations raised by the first episode of what appears now to be a series. The plot is unduly complex and not so credible; all the characters –with the exception of Comoran and his assistant – could potentially be the killer (so there are really no clues to pick up here and there and it feels like the author choses him through a lottery at the very end of the story). The main character, Comoran Strike, comes across a bit pedantic and mousy with a continue self-pity for his physical condition and the unresolved end of relationship with his ex.
Do not get me wrong: this is still a reasonably good book and I had no difficulty in finishing it; however the expectations were (too) high and have not been matched…

Nearly no detective work, too many characters, too long

IMHO, The book is intriguing only during last 1-2hours but misses wow effect anyway. The rest is tedious and too long. Strike is no detective genius and Rowling failed to impress me with his detective abilities. 1st and this 2nd book are similar to each other in terms of structure. To bore you to death with 20hours of descriptive procedural and then use Agatha Christie’s style like reveal when Strike explains whole plot. This reveal is “supported” by hiding from you Strikes’ thoughts towards the ending. To make it maybe more surprising. But you feel left out and not so interested anymore. I liked Robin relationship dynamics. But I still need to decide whether to buy next installment just to figure out how their “romance” develops.

Above average novel, but the polish doesn't shine

Would you try another book from Robert Galbraith and/or Robert Glenister?

Yes. But the next book better be good, or I might drop the series.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

It was edgy towards the end, until they started looking for evidence and there was bigger sense of danger.

What does Robert Glenister bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He does the British accents really well which bring out the characters a bit more.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

50-50

Any additional comments?

This is a middle novel, if this is a triology and clearly a weaker book.

It's not bad, but it dragged in some sections (not for long though). I do hope JK Rowling picks up the game in the next book, otherwise it might be my last for Cormoran Stryke.

Not for me

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

I haven't got a clue. I think it is a fake litairy thriller and rather gruesome.

Has The Silkworm turned you off from other books in this genre?

It was a mistake buying this book.

Would you be willing to try another one of Robert Glenister’s performances?

No

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Anger at the writer and disappointment

Any additional comments?

It seems that mrs Rowling is a famous writer but not to my taste.