“The Ink Black Heart” by Robert Galbraith - BOOK REVIEW

When frantic, dishevelled Edie Ledwell appears in the office begging to speak to her, private detective Robin Ellacott doesn’t know quite what to make of the situation. The co-creator of a popular cartoon, The Ink Black Heart, Edie is being persecuted by a mysterious online figure who goes by the pseudonym of Anomie. Edie is desperate to uncover Anomie’s true identity.

Robin decides that the agency can’t help with this – and thinks nothing more of it until a few days later, when she reads the shocking news that Edie has been tasered and then murdered in Highgate Cemetery, the location of The Ink Black Heart.

Robin and her business partner Cormoran Strike become drawn into the quest to uncover Anomie’s true identity. But with a complex web of online aliases, business interests and family conflicts to navigate, Strike and Robin find themselves embroiled in a case that stretches their powers of deduction to the limits – and which threatens them in new and horrifying ways . . .

J.K. Rowling’s sixth Strike novel picks up immediately after its predecessor, throwing Strike and Robin into a dark and sinister case when an online troll attacks the creators of a TV series. With each book having a distinctive feel and theme, this was one of Rowling’s longest and most complicated Strike books to date.

The Ink Black Heart explores the darker sides of social media and fandoms when a hate campaign against a show's creator quickly turns into a murder case. What I liked in particular about this instalment was that Robin took more of a centre stage. The dynamic between Strike and Robin - the will they, won't they ship of this fandom - has been a strong theme throughout the series, but here Robin really steps into the role of partner and is no longer the Watson to Strike's Sherlock.

As there were over a thousand pages in this book, there were a lot of storylines to contend with. As the agency is expanding and gaining more media attention, Strike must face the realities of his disability and contemplate his own limitations. As well as being introduced to a wider cast of characters, Strike finds himself confronting a ghost of his that could ruin the agency's recent success.

While several other cases are being investigated, the murder of the Ink Black Heart creator is at the centre of this book. As well as having chapters that shift from Robin and Strike's perspective, Rowling also pens chapters that give an insight into the online chat rooms of a game inspired by the Ink Black Heart. Here we see the varying reactions from a fandom that has lost the leading creator of their show. Despite this, we see a pretty nasty and twisted side of this fandom. As you read further into the book, you slowly discover which avatar belongs to which potential suspect and why they would want to hide their identity in the first place.

Honestly, it was hard to keep track at times of this storyline when five other cases were around this case. There were moments when I considered making notes as to who was who, but I eventually got into the pacing of this book. Each character's relationship with this fandom was an interesting exploration of the good and bad sides of fans' relationships with a beloved series. The contrast between someone's real life and their online persona was also addressed - from the sad to the downright sinister; Rowling didn't hold back with the toxic side of social media.

There were many themes that were coinciding with this novel, many of which centred around incel culture through various male characters and disability - both through characters living with it and discussions on its varying portrayals on screen. However, I found this book also explored the disconnect between people who live their lives through a social media filter. When some of the gaming characters - and even some people who knew Edie personally - are confronted with the harsh reality of the situation, they struggle to make that connection either through rationality, empathy or common sense.

As I switched between reading and listening to this book, I immensely enjoyed Robert Glenister's reprisal as narrator. He never fails to capture the emotion and intensity of a Strike novel, and he is flawless at voicing an ensemble cast. Like always, I was shocked by who the killer was, and the reveal was equally horrifying and intense to read/listen to. I am personally looking forward to Holiday Grainger and Tom Burke tackling this scene when the BBC get around to adapting this book.

Although it took a little while to get into due to the massive page count, I enjoyed this latest instalment of the Strike series and I am eagerly anticipating book seven.

My rating for The Ink Black Heart is ★★★★★.