Career of Evil

By: Robert Galbraith

Narrated by: Robert Glenister

Length: 17 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

A disturbing package leads Detective Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin Ellacott to investigate four dangerous murder suspects in this "magnetic" British mystery (Michiko Kakutani, New York Times) that inspired the acclaimed HBO Max series C.B. Strike.

When Robin Ellacott opens an unexpected delivery, she is horrified to discover that it contains a woman's severed leg. Her boss, private detective Cormoran Strike, is less surprised but just as alarmed. He suspects that four people from his past could be responsible - and any one of them is capable of sustained and unspeakable brutality. With the police focusing on the one suspect Strike has essentially ruled out, he and Robin take matters into their own hands and delve into the dark and twisted worlds of the other three men. But as more horrendous acts occur, time is running out for the two of them...

Career of Evil is the third in J. K. Rowling's highly acclaimed series featuring private detective Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin Ellacott. A fiendishly clever mystery with unexpected twists around every corner, Career of Evil is also a gripping story of a man and a woman at a crossroads in their personal and professional lives.

©2015 Robert Galbraith (P)2015 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Robert Glenister is the man in this fine performance of Robert Galbraith's (aka J.K. Rowling) most recent detective thriller. Having narrated the first two books in the series, Glenister knows the main characters...." (AudioFile)

Great Characters Mean Everything

Its true, at least for me, that great characters are enough to make a good book great. In this series and most especially in Career of Evil the two msin characters were so charasmatic and engrossing for me the mystery, good as it was, mattered little.

It seems I have a constant following of folks who fail to find my reviews helpful. I dont mind, in fact I understand. I don't type well and most of these reviews are written via my iPhone. On the other hand listener reviews are extremely influential to my choices of books. So if you dont get anything else from this, know Career of Evil is well worth your time.

Cormeron Strike and his assistant/partner Robin run a defective agency in London. Their relationship creates a synergy where the sum is greater than the parts. The romantic and professional tensions between the two overwhelm a gritty and clever mystery. That is not a bad thing. I found myself on edge regarding their relationship more than figuring out the mystery. But as I think about it, it was indeed a great story.

Robert Glenister is remarkable again. Every voice is distinct and his timing is impeccable.

You don't need to read this series in order, but you really should read at least one of the three books by Rowling.

I love this series . . but . .

I generally stay away from mysteries that tend to the gritty and violent, preferring a "cozy" or something set safely in the past. It was mainly out of curiosity on the whole Rowling/Galbraith thing that I tried The Cuckoo's Calling. I fell in love with both Strike and Robin (a heroine with my name!). I thought the narration was terrific, and Robert Glenister manages especially to capture Strike and make him relatable even though he's totally unique. His missing leg is an interesting challenge, as he can't outrun or outfight every one on strength alone. He has to use his considerable brain power. He also has emotional scars that contribute to his defensiveness and sometimes offensiveness.

In the 2nd book, The Silkworm, the setting is one that Rowling must have known, the book publishing world, and there's some dark humor. We get a lot more hints about Robin.There is some pretty dramatic violence but it's one scene. In this 3rd book, we find out even more about Robin as well as some other parts of Strike's past. Some people complained about the length of the book, but the 18 hours flew by for me. I even cleaned out my basement, which I had been putting off for months, because I could listen at the same time.

There were 2 main things that bothered me about this book. It starts with the point of view of the murderer, which is often the case with a mystery. But those chapters return regularly, interspersed with the story, I guess to give a sense of menace. And this murderer is very gruesome. I would have preferred not to hear so much from him. The other thing is that Robin, who shows more talents in every book, including this one, at the same time acts like an idiot girl in a horror movie who goes into a haunted house, while the audience is yelling "NO, don't open that door!" A minor quibble is the somewhat abrupt ending. Although I really liked the final scene, I would have liked a bit more debriefing, as I had some questions about what things were deliberate or chance.

The best one yet

Although more violent than the first two in the series, the development of the characters is superb. We learn a lot more about Robin's background in this book.

The mystery was wonderfully done and I didn't figure it out although it is fair play. Many will enjoy the references to Blue Oyster Cult rock lyrics.

The narration of the audible book was fantastic.

I couldn't imagine reading this book without having read the first two in the series and would recommend the books be read in order.

This book should come with a content warning

What did you like best about Career of Evil? What did you like least?

I am a huge fan of J.K. Rowling's pseudonym Robert Galbraith, and I have listened to the first two books more than once. This book, however, I struggled to get through this one. I think it's irresponsible on the publisher's part not to disclose that this book is entirely about rape, physical abuse, domestic abuse, and child molestation.

What begins as a slightly more than run of the mill murder case quickly becomes a treatise on how bad men can be and the various ways women respond/are victimized.

While on the one hand the narrative has been crafted to be the antithesis of every serial killer book in which victims are forgotten in the thrill of the chase and the true horror of how a killer hunts is never truly understood, on the other hand the book goes too far, seemingly delighting in taking the reader through every possible option to stifle and humiliate the characters.

Please don't misunderstand me, the book is as good as the first two, but to not disclose the fact that readers will be subjected to 17 hours of rape and abuse (in specific detail, often) is irresponsible. If you, like me, are a rape or abuse survivor, read with caution. This book is incredibly triggering.

Only Great Things to Say About this Listen

Wow! I can't believe I have just devoted 18 hours to one audio-book, and now I wish it was longer. Let's face it -- J.K. Rowling (aka Robert Galbraith) is one of the most entertaining authors on the planet. The narrator, Robert Glenister, does an amazing job throughout the series with each character's voice. He really gets it.

Speaking of characters, they have been so well developed that I feel like I am watching a story in my head rather than listening to one with my ears. I know audio-book lovers will know how rare that is, but when it happens, the experience is perfect. This book is the third in the "Cormoran Strike" series. You have to listen to them in order to get the full effect. Fortunately, all of the books are very good. I do admit, this one is my favorite so far. I hope Rowling never tires of writing about Cormoran and his assistant, Robin.

Regarding the mystery, I thought I had figured out the solution a dozen times and still didn't get it correct in the end. There were plenty of clues, I just was not clever enough.

OMG..could not wait to see who the Bad guy will be

I loved it, now what will Robin do? The twist and turns of this mystery kept me listening, Robert Glenister is a wonderful Mr. Strike, and Robin, and the 50+ other characters. When will the next book be out, I will pre-order today...got to go listen to this book again. ~Suzi

So damn good!!!

Where does Career of Evil rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Up in the top 50 for sure. I've listened t a lot of fantastic books and this I would definitely say is a fantastic book! The story moves along. The characters are engaging. And I was sad when it ended. It's hard not to get wrapped up in the relationship of Robin and Cormoran all over again as they solve another one.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Cormoran is my favorite because he's so down to earth and interesting to follow along with. Though, Robin comes a close second. The two of them work so good together.

What about Robert Glenister’s performance did you like?

Robert is perfect for these books and plays the characters to perfection. He has no annoying tendencies what so ever. RG and RG make a perfect pair!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Too long for one sitting, but once I started, it was hard to stop. If you like the first 2 of this series, this one does not disappoint. Do not think twice. Totally credit worthy!

JK can do better than "Jack the Ripper" Quadrupled

What disappointed you about Career of Evil?

When we (Wife and I) started the first book, we agreed we wouldn’t have stayed with it if JK had not been the author. In the end, the Strike and Robin pairing grabbed us and we went on to the 2nd

The 2nd was much better, mostly because it was considerably less grisly

The third is getting the obligatory high five press reviews, but also on Audible the ratings are a very high 4.7. For us, it had a grosso start, and only got worse as she delves into the twisted, horrible minds of a murderer, a rapist, a child molester and just a general female molester.

So we didn’t care for the story, nor the ending, which was one of those Dallas TV Series type endings - i.e. find out what happened in the next round.

All that said, the reason she and the narrator do get so many rave reviews is because her writing and his narration are beyond spectacular, and in fact we will no doubt buy the next one to experience same and find out what did happen.

But it is still all a surprise and disappointment as to why a writer who so brilliantly wrote Harry Potter, feels she has to explore the depths of awful minds as she embarks on the 2nd round of her career.

Has Career of Evil turned you off from other books in this genre?

Would definitely not read or listen to other books of this genre. The only reason to engage in this series is due to the extraordinary quality of the writing and narration.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator only enhanced the book, beyond what would seem, based on the story, even possible.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Of course - the same positive thing that grabs every reader of this book - the marvelous relationship, including the ups and downs, between Strike and Robin, two exquisitely created characters.

Any additional comments?

If none of this scares you away, by all means, go for it!

Not my favorite of the Strike series, still good

I've finished all the Strike Novels in a week's time now and maybe some distance will help me in ranking all of them. I like this one, I thought it was still very good but it might be my least favorite of the series. Again not that it was bad, I do think however having chapters from the point of view of the killer distracted a bit. Personally I would have preferred just Cormoran and Robin's POV

Another fun read by "Robert Galbraith"

I have to say that these get better and better as they go (this was my favorite of the series so far). Cormoran and Robin are getting more and more likable and, since the threat/mystery came closer to home in this case, they (and you) are more invested in the outcome. The twists were plausible (although I should warn readers who are new to Galbraith that there's a definite--but enjoyable--cartoonish quality to all these stories so expect some exaggeration both in the character development and in the plots). Until the end, you are guessing who the murderer is right along with them and the resolution is quite satisfactory . Definitely reading the next one when it comes.