In the seventh installment in the Strike series, Cormoran and Robin must rescue a man ensnared in the trap of a dangerous cult.
Private Detective Cormoran Strike is contacted by a worried father whose son, Will, has gone to join a religious cult in the depths of the Norfolk countryside.
The Universal Humanitarian Church is, on the surface, a peaceable organization that campaigns for a better world. Yet Strike discovers that beneath the surface there are deeply sinister undertones, and unexplained deaths.
In order to try to rescue Will, Strike's business partner, Robin Ellacott, decides to infiltrate the cult, and she travels to Norfolk to live incognito among its members. But in doing so, she is unprepared for the dangers that await her there or for the toll it will take on her. . .
Utterly pulse-pounding, The Running Grave moves Strike's and Robin's story forward in this epic, unforgettable seventh installment of the series.
According to Goodreads, I read this in sixteen days! Another gripping, dark, sinister and emotionally charged instalment of the Strike and Ellacott saga, and I cannot wait to see what's coming in book eight!
Once again, I was totally thrown by who the main antagonist really was - one of these days, I'll guess right! - and Robert Glennister brought the story to life flawlessly in the audiobook.
The pacing of this book kept me hooked and Rowling truly explored the emotional connection between Strike and Robin that’s developed throughout the last several books.
The cult aspect of this book was truly terrifying and made for an uneasy read at times. While Robin tries to maintain her secret identity and save Will, the mental and emotional impact this has on her was heartbreaking to read at times. There was nowhere for her to hide from the cult, which gradually turned from an investigation to a literal fight for survival.
I have watched many documentaries about cults and how they seize control of people and sometimes whole communities. The psychological and and physical damage that goes on in this book reminded me of past documentaries I’d seen on Netflix, which showed Rowling had done serious research to tackle this tough subject matter.
There’s been foreshadowing of the Universal Humanitarian Church storyline since the very first book, which sees Strike finally addressing how he’s viewed his past and his shared trauma with sister, Lucy. In many ways, this felt like Strike’s coming of age story. He’s facing some harsh home truths and learning from past mistakes.
Split between London and Norfolk, there was almost a cinematic style in the prose and scenery Rowling penned throughout. The eerie psychological drama was heightened by the gothic atmosphere and isolation of the Universal Humanitarian Church.
As the series has progressed, each case delved into darker themes. This has to be one of the darkest books to date. The antagonists of this story are truly evil and their actions were just as vile as their methods to control their followers. There was an interesting aspect which explored how the media and celebrities initially supported the Church, either through ignorance, after being manipulated or by some who are fully aware of the twisted nature of the Church.
While Robin tries to take down the Church from the inside, Strike seeks out former members of the Church who have survived unspeakable trauma. Connected through secret letters, this gave readers some of the most profound moments in the book as it bonded Robin and Strike even more despite the distance.
This has to be one of the longest friends-to-lovers storylines that have kept me totally captivated throughout a long-running series. As the characters are at a much more stable place in their friendship, Rowling throws a curveball in the last few pages that had my jaw hanging open after I turned the final page.
This has to be one of my top favourite Strike novels and I genuinely cannot wait to see Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger starring in BBC/HBO's adaptation of this book after The Ink Black Heart.
My rating of The Running Grave (Strike: Book Seven) - ★★★★★.
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Comments (2)
Brilliantly put, and no spoilers! I can never guess whodunnit either, but I prefer to think of this as a success on her part than a failing on mine 😁
A well done review!