The Running Grave: Cormoran Strike Book 7

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Forget about solving all these crimes; the signal triumph here is (spoiler) the heroine’s survival. One thing I appreciate about this series is that it's fairly agnostic when it comes to modern politics. Still, I wouldn’t have wanted to miss this, despite the feeling of slight mental indigestion. Strike and Robin remain solid, convincingly drawn characters – the best duo in detective fiction since ­Reginald Hill’s Dalziel and Pascoe – however garrulous their biographer has become. Taio Wace, son of Jonathan, high-status UHC member who enforces the church's rules on other members It kept me on the edge of my seat, the whole church was very disturbing, and I was so worried about Robin at the farm (although I was annoyed she was staying there so long against her better judgement).

I really like the fact that Strike began to leave his past behind, that it's not his grumpy self alone against the world anymore. His relationship with Lucy developed significantly, and having Prudence in his life means a lot as well. He's finally realising that he deserves to be happy and that he needs others around him. He is now worthy of Robin. I just wish we had gotten to know more about a certain confrontation between Robin and two principal members of the cult… A personal bias as context: many fans love seeing recurring characters, seeing relationships develop over long series, but I am not one of those fans. I am a bit biased also against very long books and against long series and this is a very long seventh book of a series. I have been officially bored with Strike and Robin for a while, and it is not just even any urges for an explicit romantic relationship, I am just bored ( and in this book I did not actually *like* Strike for a lot of it). So, big sloggy relationship arcs and big fat novels are not my thing. I have been off the specific ship Robin-Strike for a while. (And the romantic relationship that is here, for those who care, seem ed very early teens almost, confused about oh does he like me or not or is X jealous or whatever, tropes oh no one bed only, the thrill. Just a thrill. There is even what seems to be a Chekhov's gun for the rest of the series Bijou's pregnancy and it will GET messy sooner or later, mark my words which made me roll my eyes.I especially enjoy Colonel Graves' upper class accent, with "hyar" for here, "yerse" for yes, and (my favorite) "marriage huana" for marijuana.

The Universal Humanitarian Church is, on the surface, a peaceable organization that campaigns for a better world. Yet Strike discovers that beneath the surface there are deeply sinister undertones, and unexplained deaths.

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The writing style is engaging, making it easy to immerse oneself in the story. The character development is excellent, giving me a deep understanding of their motives and perspectives. Of course, Rowling is canny enough to know that her delaying her readers’ gratification is one ­reason they keep returning to the series – getting Strike and Robin into bed too soon would be akin to killing Voldemort off halfway through the Harry Potter series – but at the current rate it looks like we’ll have achieved net zero before they’ve even held hands for the first time.

I really appreciated Cormoran’s development through this book and after so long, his willingness to put his toxic avoidance tactics behind and to pursue what he wants and needs in his life (FINALLY). Halfway in, and the bulk of this hardcover has (somewhat predictably) exacted a physical toll on me.

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Ironic, literally running away from religion, but with the absolute blind certainty a savior is at the end waiting for you. Notes: Indoctrination exploration, knitting thorny threads, a startling ending (fallout pending!), weighty (dense with dread). She's definitely not a damsel-in-distress, but being vulnerable and imperiled is her recurring theme.