Stephen King Fans discussion

I recently found out that J.K. Rowling published a novel under an alias back in April. Has anyone read it yet?
As a devout Rowling fan and a crime novel buff, I can't wait to get my hands on it. Unfortunately that won't be for a while.

I haven't read I yet. At least the two first Harry Potter books where build up as a crime novel, so she's definitely got the skills. Looking forward to read it.

One of my friends just bought the ebook, and when he finishes it he's letting me read it. Hopefully that's soon! Before she revealed that it was her, a review from amazon said "This book is so well written that I suspect that some years down the road we will hear the author's name is a pseudonym of some famous writer. Lots of description made one feel like another occupant in the scene. You could feel the weather, the tension, the pain, the atmosphere in the gatherings. The Audible version had great accents. It is a wonderful mystery with a surprise ending, and I look forward to more by the same author."

I just finished reading it. It was a pretty standard detective novel, built around tried and true staples of the genre. The story was interesting enough, and I thought Rowling's writing has improved since Casual Vacancy. In my opinion she spent too much time on the main characters, which were really not that interesting. The ending was somewhat predictable, but well-written enough to keep me reading until 4 am!
Overall, if you have been following J.K. Rowling's writing like I have, I'd advice you to read it. Otherwise, the Crime genre has a variety of works that take precedence over it.

I just got this as a gift and I'm excited to read it, I hope that it is better than A Casual Vacancy , which I could not finish

This is our February book club pick. There was already a thread going so I didn't want to start a new thread so feel free to discuss here. Please mark all spoilers for those reading along.

I started the audible version in sept, Mandy...just a couple of hours on a long drive but I really enjoyed the narrator. :)

I haven't had a chance to get back to it.

Excellent. I've already read all three books thus far but I will gladly stalk the thread ;) Amy, I love the audiobook narrator too, Robert Glenister does a lovely job.

I've had this book for a couple of years now. Glad to have a chance to read it here. I'm going to start right after I finish a couple of books I have going. Maybe next week. :)

I have a question about the book and I don't think it's a spoiler since it is common knowledge before reading the book so....

Since the police ruled Lula's death a suicide, knowing what we know about John Bristow, WHY would he have the case re-investigated? Why not just leave well enough alone and accept that verdict?
I don't get it??

Betsy wrote: "I have a question about the book and I don't think it's a spoiler since it is common knowledge before reading the book so....

Since the police ruled Lula's death a suicide, knowing what we know a..."

Have you finished the book, Betsy?

Kandice, Yes, I have, and I still don't understand why the suicide verdict would not be acceptable to him , unless it has something to do w/ insurance pay outs /suicide ?

I really liked the main character Cormoron Strike, even though his personal and financial life were a mess. I did wonder why he stayed w/ someone like Charlotte for 15 years?
Did you find yourself liking Strike?

The funny thing is that I started reading this today not even knowing that this was chosen for a group read.

I read part one and I really like strike so far. Also the touches of humor so far have been used well in my opinion.

LULA had all kinds of problems we are told: drugs, bi-polar, adopted black child into a wealthy white family etc. but she has just signed a 5 million dollar modeling contract. She seemed happy to me, if distracted.
Would you have described her as depressed/ suicidal? What reason would she have had to take her life?

Anyone ready to begin discussing the book? Even though it was not a favorite, I do like a good discussion.

Even if we don't get a discussion going, I'm curious to know

What do you think of this Rowling book?

This has been on my list for a while, so I'm glad to get a chance to read it. Rowling is pretty great with her word choice; I'm finding myself checking the dictionary a lot, and that's definitely fun.

And side note here: I don't care much about spoilers, but if there are folks who do, I'm not sure if some the posts in the thread might give some of the plot points away.

Finished it yesterday. Overall I really liked it, If I were able to give half stars my rating would be 3 1/2 but its closer to a 4 than a 3 so I rounded up.

I really liked the characters of Robin and Strike, And most of the side characters have more personality than I've seen authors give main characters. They were all unique and easy to separate, I never got confused in my head on who was who. Which is important in a book with this many characters,

The only negative thing I really have to say about it is that the pace could have been faster at some points.

Boy, Chris, do I agree with you about the pace of the book.
At first, I found it rather tedious with Strike going to interview after interview, after interview with those who were part of Lula's life, but then I began to find it fascinating how he uses logic, observation and deduction to get closer to the truth.
I gave it 3 stars.

Will you read more of the Strike/Robin series? I doubt if I will.

Yes, For what seems to be her first stab at a mystery she did a fine job. The cuckoos calling did have a bit of a saggy middle which can happen with these kinds of books, But I liked the characters enough that it did not bother me as much.

Also I already own the second one so I might as well.

I really want to discuss, but I read this a while ago. I may need to reread so I can intelligently contribute.

I've read The Silkworm, my review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... and contains no spoilers.

I only post it to answer Betsy's question about keeping on with the series. I feel that in The Casual Vacancy Rowling was finding her footing. The story was terrific, but written as if she had 5,000 pages to do it. I'm sure there's a learning curve between writing an epic series and then a stand alone novel.

I think that's why I love the Strike books so much. She is doing a bit of both. You can read them all as she writes and get more from the story, but so far at least, they would also be fine as stand alone reads.

I love the way she describes a character and then uses their words and actions to enforce that description. She "shows" as well as "tells".

I'm not too far into this, but off the top, without having read very much at all... no family member wants to believe that their daughter, sister, mother (whatever) committed suicide. If there's a reasonable doubt they would pursue it I think. Also I can't help but compare this to Mr. Mercedes. I know there's a huge age difference in the heros but still....

I haven't read much yet myself, but here are two quick points about suicide.

First, some people, once they've made the decision to kill themselves, show significant improvement in mood and disposition between the time of the decision and the suicide itself. Seeing that improvement can be quite confusing to people and may not square up with the eventual suicide.

Second, it's not uncommon for people to set goals they want to accomplish before they kill themselves. They may not want to follow through on those goals (e.g., perhaps Lula wanted to secure a multimillion dollar modeling contract, but not do all the work required), so they may kill themselves after nominally accomplishing that goal. It seems to others they may have a lot to live for, but for the person it may not look that way at all.

Esse wrote: "I haven't read much yet myself, but here are two quick points about suicide.

First, some people, once they've made the decision to kill themselves, show significant improvement in mood and dispos..."

Right, sounds right on... but still, only a little ways in, I don't believe there's a chance that she killed herself.

I just started to read this book today I am liking it so far. My mom didn't and advised me not to even give it a try but I think its because this book is not her usual Nicholas Sparks (sorry mom).
Also, I was so surprised by the (view spoiler)[ boob grab that I actually burst out laughing. I don't think I have ever read such a graceful booby grab before lol. (hide spoiler)]

*~Lan Lan~* wrote: "I just started to read this book today I am liking it so far. My mom didn't and advised me not to even give it a try but I think its because this book is not her usual Nicholas Sparks..."

I'm enjoying it too. For the first time I'm thinking maybe Ms. Landry did kill herself. I think my original reasoning was: who would write a murder mystery about a suicide that turned out to be just that... but I guess if you make the murder plausible enough, maye than you can end with a suicide. As for your comment, *-Lan Lan-*, I think it had to happen so that she wouldn't be too put off... and now I'm wondering if there might be some kind of interest growing between Strike and her.

*~Lan Lan~* wrote: "I just started to read this book today I am liking it so far. My mom didn't and advised me not to even give it a try but I think its because this book is not her usual Nicholas Sparks..."

Better not let you mom read my, grumpy, two star review, of The NoteBook tucked in amid all the 5 star ratings. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I just started this yesterday, and so far I am enjoying it. Betsy, when I am finished I want to really get into the discussion and address at least one of the questions you posed.

Twenty pages in and I gave up. Didn't even realize it was JK Rowling until I came here to see what others thought of the book. I've never read any of the Harry Potter books and when I watched the movies with my son, I feel asleep on each and every one. I guess I simply don't like her work.

Msmyrafaye wrote: "Twenty pages in and I gave up. Didn't even realize it was JK Rowling until I came here to see what others thought of the book. I've never read any of the Harry Potter books and when I watched the m..."

I only made it through the first Potter book, so like you and unlike Stephen King and just about everyone else, I'm not a big fan either. No doubt some of this book is pretty slow going, but I stuck with it and at this point I'm hooked.

Agreed. I'm about halfway through now and it's been pretty slow. There's a lot of procedural progression (i.e., Strike did this, then this, then this) but not a lot of narration to tie it together. And while Rowling went out of her way to paint Strike as something other than the typical Hollywood hero, which I appreciate, he's also not very likable either. His depression and apathy are bleeding through and that's a nice character bit, but it with a slow pace and a not very likable main character, there isn't a lot to hook me on this series.

I guess I am in a completely different spot. I think JK is a wonderful story teller and her Harry Potter books continue to enthrall me over and over again. As for this book, I picked it up because it was a book in this group, not because of Harry Potter. Her writing is very different that is for sure, but even though I am only a little way into the book I am liking it. I like the relationship between Strike and Robin. For me, it's not so much about finding out what happened, if the woman committed suicide but seeing how Strike (and at this point Robin although she may prove to be less important later in the book) go about solving the case. So far I like his thoroughness.

Something that I found interesting b/c I feel there's much truth in it ~11% :
Robin is reading a newspaper article to Strike about why should we bemoan the death of Lula Landry when many young girls die ahead of their time and no one bemoans their deaths, concluding with.... "We miss her entertaining antics."

Is this why so many people get caught up w/ celebrities ?

Esse wrote: "Agreed. I'm about halfway through now and it's been pretty slow. There's a lot of procedural progression (i.e., Strike did this, then this, then this) but not a lot of narration to tie it together...."

Robin.

Nick wrote: "Esse wrote: "Agreed. I'm about halfway through now and it's been pretty slow. There's a lot of procedural progression (i.e., Strike did this, then this, then this) but not a lot of narration to tie..."

Nick, what are you saying about Robin?

Karen B. wrote: "I guess I am in a completely different spot. I think JK is a wonderful story teller and her Harry Potter books continue to enthrall me over and over again. As for this book, I picked it up because ..."

I like all the characters very much, as I've said, especially Robin... but Strike is pretty great too. I also like the fact that the characters aren't always as the other characters describe them. So that, when we finally meet them, we're surprised. Since I'm listening to the audio, I'm enjoying the various accents that are presented. Also (pardon me for this) I'm wondering if JK - after writing so many "proper" YA novels - doesn't maybe relish the opportunity to talk dirty. That death threat letter was wild.

I meant that Robin is a character you can care about and she's very likable. Most really good books have a character you care most about, and Robin's wonderfully drawn. She's adventurous, ambitious, creative. That enthusiasm for detective work is great. The fact that her upcoming marriage seems maybe to be a little less than ideal, the fact that she cares about Strike as an interesting, intelligent person (at least not at this point as a romantic interest) are all very endearing qualities. She's the kind of character everyone likes. Also for some reason she's very easy for me to picture. That may be just JK's excellent writing, or maybe I've know a lot of people like her.

Nick wrote: "I meant that Robin is a character you can care about and she's very likable. Most really good books have a character you care most about, and Robin's wonderfully drawn. She's adventurous, ambitious..."

Nick, I am only 29% through but that is my impression of Robin also. I really like her a lot.

I think that Robin finds working on a murder case exciting and gives her a sense of importance. Plus, she's a pretty smart cookie; she has already ~14% figured out something rather critical. I like how tactful she is, knowing what is going on Strike's life and just doesn't pry = admirable !! I think that Strike really likes Robin's presence in his life / office and would like to keep her working for him somehow, if he can afford her. I think that he is impressed with her performance and maybe even finds her a tad sexy, although he is very respectful of her. Her fiancé Matt doesn't like Robin working for Strike at all and is anxious for her to get a "proper" job, Matt thinks that Strike's whole set-up , sleeping in his office, etc. sounds weird and feels that Robin is just doing busy work which hurts her feelings.
Yes, she is a very likeable character !

Betsy wrote: "I think that Robin finds working on a murder case exciting and gives her a sense of importance. Plus, she's a pretty smart cookie; she has already ~14% figured out something rather critical. I like..."

Right. But she's more than a tad sexy... though I didn't want to dwell on that. At 3/4s way through the book I'm hoping she dumps Matt and goes after Strike. He's apparently sexy too at least for those who like the lumbering, monosyllabic, but surprisingly brilliant types.

Picking this one up from the library later today! My fiancé was just talking about reading Harry Potter for the first time, and I was slightly tempted to join in for a re-read. But now I'm here instead. Very curious about this other side of JK!

It reads like a totally different author. I can see why she used a pseudonym.

Nick wrote: "At 3/4s way through the book I'm hoping she dumps Matt and goes after Strike."

We're definitely on different sides of things here; this is one thing that would absolutely guarantee I'd never read any more of the series. It would be nice for Robin and Strike to stay friends, as that makes Robin more than just a romantic interest in waiting. I think that really cheapens female characters and it's frustrating that it happens so often. Also, Strike's a bit of a hot mess (he's terrible with money, he's apathetic/depressed, his entire relationship history is a terrible push and pull with one abusive woman, he's not very sociable and seems fairly selfish) and I'd hope Robin has more sense than to throw her lot in with his.

To be fair, she is my favorite character thus far, and also the one I can most easily picture. Despite all the description of Strike, all I can put together in my head is a regular-sized version of Hagrid.

Esse, I agree with your assessment of Strike, except that I don't think Matt is any better! I am not necessarily rooting for a Robin/Strike couple, but really want her to dump Matt for all the reasons that I like her.

I picture Mark Ruffalo as Strike, just about 5 inches taller than Ruffalo actually is.

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...

I already hear your boos, Esse, :) , but I like Strike. Yes, his life is a personal/financial mess at the moment, just breaking up w/ a long-time girlfriend, mounting debts, business failing, now homeless and showering at the Univ. of London Union Bldg. = a lot for anyone to deal with but.... I never thought of him as depressed, although all this would certainly weigh heavily on most people ; to me, he's starting to deal with this new reality and starting to move forward. The Bristow case is a motivator, and he starts calling in favors for information from two detective friends as he wants the police file on Landry. I also find his background interesting from his famous rocker father, a relationship he doesn't cash in on, to Strike being decorated/ military police with a prosthetic leg.... so at one time, he was at the top. No question that he is smart and good at what he does.

Which leads me to the question which bugs me: WHY did Strike stay with someone like Charlotte for 15 years, with her appetite for revenge and her constant lies ** and what had she done that he couldn't forgive and led to their final break up ? I think that I may know the answer to that last one but would like someone to confirm, please.
I did learn a new word re. Charlotte: "Mythomania = " the need to provoke, to taunt, to test."

One thing about Strike (so far as I've read) is that he seems both thorough and smart. I don't see him as a romantic character with anyone. I think Robin would make a nice assistant and that they would work well together in future novels. I haven't finished this book yet though so I might be wrong.

Kandice wrote: "Esse, I agree with your assessment of Strike, except that I don't think Matt is any better!"

Agreed. Matt was a good match for pre-detective Robin, but I think she's really coming into her own as a result of her employment. He's a terrible match for detective Robin.

And Mark Ruffalo is a great reference, thanks! For me, I've been picturing Robin as someone akin to Holland Roden, although I'm not sure if Robin is supposed to be a redhead.

I believe that Robin is 25 and a blonde.

I've tried to think of blonde Hollywood actresses in their mid-20's like Hayden Panettiere, Blake Lively, Brie Larson and Emma Roberts but.... I see Robin more like Ellen Page or Emma Stone, not blondes, so they'd have to "wig it".
Funny how we all have different pictures in our minds.

Holland Roden is perfect! I think she is a strawberry blonde. Maybe that's just because Strike refers to her "golden head" at some point and I picture that more as strawberry than straight blonde.