Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I adored the first book, so I had high hopes for this one. I mean, really, really high hopes. I arranged my entire week around reading it so that once I started, I wouldn't have to put it down. This is always a dangerous endeavor, because if the book turns out to be less good than I hoped, I'm deeply disappointed. As you can guess by the title of this review, quite the opposite occurred. In my opinion, Galbraith's greatest strength is the ability to build believable, unique characters who are realistic and have distinct speaking styles. Well, that and stunningly good prose. It isn't necessary to read The Cuckoo's Calling first, but I think it's a good idea. This book begins a few months after the last one left off, and the relationships have progressed accordingly. There aren't particular heroes or villains, just real people who are good and bad, kind and mean, ugly and pretty -- where none of those three things necessarily correspond to any of the others. In any case, Strike and Robin are going about their normal business, with all the usual small misunderstandings and unexpected skills, etc. that go along with most working relationships. Then, when Strike is exhausted and not thinking clearly, he takes on a new client, a rather worn-looking middle-aged woman who wants him to find her husband and thinks it'll be a short, simple job, and she's sure someone else will pay his bill. Ah hah. Sure that's how it's going to work. And so our story kicks off. Oh, I should add -- I am a professional editor and a very prolific reader. Of the dozens of new books I've read so far this year, this is the best.