Pun Salad

The third adventure of British private eye Cormoran Strike and his secretary-almost-partner Robin Ellacott. It's a nasty one, too, right from the start, as Robin takes delivery of a package, addressed to her, containing a severed human leg. It's quickly revealed that Strike is the target of a psychotic killer, who intends to murder Robin as part of his demented scheme.

Suspicion quickly falls on four figures from Strike's past, each of whom would have ample (if twisted) motive for revenge. The cops are called in, of course, but Strike thinks they are, for their own reasons, concentrating their efforts on investigating the wrong guy. So it's up to Strike and Robin to track down and check out the others.

It's a page-turner, especially near the end. "Galbraith" (aka J. K. Rowling) concentrates almost as much on the Strike/Robin relationship as "he" does on the process of the investigation. It's a muddle, with Robin's upcoming wedding threatened almost as much by her job with Strike as it is by being a target of a serial killer.

Caveat lector: Some chapters are third-person POV of the bad guy, describing in pornographic detail his thoughts and deeds. Not for the squeamish. Also, a continuing theme: the oeuvre of Blue Öyster Cult, concentrating on their sinister lyrics.

At a certain point, characters with Body integrity dysphoria are encountered, people with a strong desire to hack off bits of their own bodies. The author clearly is aghast at this, and I can't help but wonder how this informed her "controversial" (aka, sensible) views on transgenderism.