Review: Career of Evil (Audio)

Summary: When a mysterious package is delivered to Robin Ellacott, she is horrified to discover that it contains a woman's severed leg.

Her boss, private detective Cormoran Strike, is less surprised but no less alarmed. There are four people from his past who he thinks could be responsible--and Strike knows that any one of them is capable of sustained and unspeakable brutality.

With the police focusing on the one suspect Strike is increasingly sure is not the perpetrator, 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 the highly acclaimed series featuring private detective Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin Ellacott. A fiendishly clever mystery with unexpected twists around every corner, it is also a gripping story of a man and a woman at a crossroads in their personal and professional lives. -- Hachette Audio

Some of you probably know this but I am a huge fan of J. K. Rowling's (writing as Robert Galbraith) mystery series starring Cormoran Strike. This is rare for me but I've actually listened to all three books rather than reading them in print. I am not the most avid audio book fan so it says a lot about both the writing and the narration that I can listen to these books. The latest novel, CAREER OF EVIL, came in at 18 hours!

CAREER OF EVIL begins when Robin, Cormoran's secretary and assistant at his private detective office, receives a package that contains a woman's leg. Cormoran immediately begins assessing who would send a severed leg to his office and comes up with four people from his past that he thinks might do it. (Imagine knowing four people who would cut off a woman's leg and mail it to an innocent woman? That gives you an idea of Cormoran's life and the dangerous people he's encountered!)

Cormoran lets the police know about the incident and they immediately focus on a suspect... a man that Cormoran is pretty sure isn't the culprit. Robin and Cormoran decide to lead their own investigation into the other three suspects. These men are extremely dangerous and both of their lives are at risk as more disgusting incidents take place.

I adored CAREER OF EVIL -- truly loved it! Once again, Ms. Rowling (or Mr. Galbraith) has written an intriguing, well thought out mystery that is extremely clever. She's created a fantastic cast of characters. I especially love Cormoran's dark and brooding personality, and she's also created the right amount of tension, both professionally and personally, between Robin and her boss. All in all, the story is just a fantastic mystery.

In the third book, the reader sees Robin with a bit more of a role. She's really been coming into her own in the last two books; however, in this one, we realize just how much of an important role she plays in helping Cormoran (although I think most of us already knew!) There is more revealed about her past, and there definitely is a focus on her wedding to Matthew in this novel. For those of us who want to see Robin and Cormoran as more than co-workers, there was definitely a fair amount of dramatic tension in their relationship.

As much as I love the characters in this series, I do have to say that the mystery in CAREER OF EVIL was excellent. There were some pretty nasty suspects and I thought the way Robin and Cormoran explored them was great. Needless to say, I think readers will be satisfied with how they solve the  mystery as well as the many twists and turns.

CAREER OF EVIL is read by Robert Glenister, and he's truly incredible. I am always impressed by his narration, and he seems to tackle different accents with a certain ease. I pretty much love everything about his voice including his inflections, his comedic timing, his sense of drama, and more!

I really don't know what else to say about CAREER OF EVIL and the other two books in the Cormoran Strike series. I adore these books and highly recommend them to fans of mysteries.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this novel.

Mystery Mondays is a regular feature where I review all types of mystery books -- traditional mysteries, suspense/thrillers, and even cozies! Please feel free to share your thoughts on any recent mystery books that you've read.