The Running Grave: Cormoran Strike Book 7

This is by far the best book in the series. The way she has woven the plot, she managed the characters and carried the subplots involving Charlotte and Strike’s love is simply superb. Not spending a lot of time of Strike being an amputee and Robin being a rape victim helped. The scene where Strike confronts Wace is electrifying. The horror, the thrill and the plot twists will leave you wanting more. Finally, I put my neck out and say, this novel is better than the Harry Potter series.

The Running Grave is a compelling addition to the Cormoran Strike series. As always, the chemistry between Robin Ellacott and Cormoran Strike is electrifying—subtle, restrained, and emotionally charged in a way that keeps you invested far beyond the central mystery. The book is tightly plotted, immersive, and exceptionally well written, with J.K. Rowling (as Robert Galbraith) at her best when exploring psychology, power, and moral grey areas. The tension builds steadily, the investigation feels painstakingly real, and the emotional stakes are higher than ever. A dark, absorbing read that deepens both the characters and the series.

Hands down my favourite book of last year! I do love the Strike novels and this one (#7 in the series) is kind of back in the groove after the previous debacle-ish one. I like the way JK treats Strike and Robin. Is there a romance or there isn’t one? It would probably take two more books for a conclusion. Meanwhile, they solve mysteries, literally save lives, tear down shady cults that are way dangerous, and grow old together. The mystery in this book is sprawling, as usual, with its roots spreading back over decades and interestingly, linked to Strike’s childhood as well. The cult is like a one-way tunnel, people once entering do not usually go back to their normal life. Robin infiltrates them undercover and peels off their ghastly masks layer by layer. I love Robin, as a detective and a woman. If I gauge correctly, JK has been trying subtly to make her the better one. Then again, Strike and Robin complement each other as detectives too, not just partners. the plot in this book has a mind of its own and has been quite interesting to traverse along with the detective duo.

Robert Galbraith/JK Rowling is a genius. I am a huge fan of the Cormoran Strike detective series. The Running Grave is possibly my favourite. I stayed up till 3 am to finish it and I finished it in one go, deadlines and work commitments be damned. The book sees Strike and Robin, private detectives, team up to investigate a church and to get a member out of its clutches. Filled with murder, intrigue, chases and other crimes, it shows what a brilliant plotter Rowling is and how beautifully she writes her characters. We really care about each and every one of them. 5 stars - a must-read! I envy those who are yet to discover the Strike series. You've got a treat waiting for you.

Brilliant! The detailed insight into how a cult develops, grows and gets perverse is fascinating. Shows Galbraith’s unique ability to get in to the skin, assimilate and identify with the UHC characters. As always, Robin and Cormoran are engrossing in their meticulous detective work. The ‘Running Relationship’ Is as fascinating as ‘The Running Grave’! Hope they don’t actually get married in the next one! That would be the end is ‘ Strike and Ellacot’ as we know them! BTW, they don’t seem to be growing older in the 6 years they have been partners! Waiting for the next one!!

I know, it's not even a word but that's what the book was like to me! Every page I read made me finish it quickly so that I could go on to the next one! We've read countless novels about the vile and unsavoury goings on of religious cults, but this one had Robert Galbraith's magic touch all over it. Strike and Robin are soul mates, who live in each other's heads... and hearts.... even though they don't admit it openly. I wish the author gives a resolution to their relationship. This inconclusiveness is sure to give readers, such as me, heartburn..... and not that comes with eating spicy food!

Very interesting.

Another intriguing story in the Strike franchise. A cult, their weird practices and fanatic members - Robin goes undercover. Need I say more ?

Me gustó mucho el desarrollo de la historia, me tuvo en suspenso y si me sorprendió la resolución del caso que investigaron. Como entrega de la saga ,el final me dejo enganchada para el próximo libro. Entretenido e informativo sobre el funcionamiento de una secta, te muestra cómo te envuelven en ella. Van de poco a poco siguiendo varias etapas, sin que notes como te anulan.

This is the best book in the Cormoran Strike series, and I’ve read all of them. Not only do partners Robin and Strike work on a compelling case, but they also realize what they mean to each other. The novel is fast-paced and, even with its massive 944-page count, keeps readers invested in the plot’s outcome. Sir Colin Edensor has come to Strike’s detective agency to help him get his adult son out of a cult. The son, Will, was intrigued by a group that promised self-fulfillment living off the land and also promised to help their fellow man in war-torn and decimated lands. An idealist, Will fell under the spell of Jonathan Wace and his wife Mazu, the United Humanitarian Church (UHC) founders. Will signed over all his possessions to the UHC and lives on a church-run farm. He has had no contact with his father or family, despite Sir Colin’s entreaties to talk to them. Will has been at the farm for several years. In letters, Sir Colin wrote that Will’s mother had passed away, and still, there has been no response. Sir Colin has been in contact with a former cult member who managed to escape. The man describes church abuses, torture of its members, isolation from families, and starvation. Sir Colin has become highly alarmed at these descriptions and has approached another detective agency, Robin, and Strike’s primary competitor, and has gotten no results. As Strike’s reputation has grown for solving difficult cases, so has his client roster. This has necessitated the agency hiring detective subcontractors, some more capable than others. A couple of them, Strike suspects, have ulterior motives for working for him. For the most part, his employees are loyal, but reluctantly, even as his caseload increases, he is forced to monitor the most suspicious of the subcontractors. Robin, who is courageous and confident in her abilities, knows she is the best person to get to Will at the farm. She volunteers to go undercover as a new convert to the UHC. She hopes to talk to Will and let him know that his father loves him and is concerned for his welfare. Robin is not prepared for the conditions she meets at the farm. The UHC subjects its members to brainwashing by depriving them of adequate food and sleep. They are forced to group chant. In their weakened state and miserable conditions, they are constantly afraid of upsetting the church hierarchy for the most minor infractions. The punishments are brutal. After Robin has a private moment with Will, she senses his willingness to leave but finds he is guarding a huge secret that he is willing to die to protect. Robin comes under scrutiny by the UHC leaders and, after days and days of non-stop hard labor and oppression, starts to break down mentally and physically. She knows she is on borrowed time to get herself and Will out. Galbraith has written a convincing detective story about the insidious nature of cult involvement. As a reader, I flew through the pages while the tension became almost unbearable. That’s not all. There’s much more than I could relate here, but Robin and Strike finally come to grips with their feelings for each other. Wholly satisfying as a mystery and a detective novel, this book will captivate fans.

An extraordinarly long book but never fails to keep you interested. A delve into a complex but evil religious cult with many manifestations and an unforgiving determination to sustain its practices. Strike and Robin are unrelenting in their mission to find a missing adherent and to bring the whole edifice down. Robin’s experience as a plant in the heart of the cult’s base is a mixture of horror, cruelty and elaborate deception . A compelling read and strong component of the Strike and Ellacott series. I am still waiting for them to cross the line in their personal relationship. .

J’ai attendu avec impatience la sortie de ce nouveau tome mettant en scène mon duo chouchou d’enquêteurs britanniques. Petite parenthèse : je fais partie des chanceux à pouvoir avaler et digérer un pavé de 1000 pages en anglais, et je trouve dommageable voire irrespectueuse la non-traduction du tome 6 pour les lecteurs francophones, alors même que sort déjà ce nouveau 7ème roman. A ce train-là, d’ici que The Running Grave soit édité en français, J.K. Rowling-Robert Galbraith aura sans doute bouclé sa série Strike ! Après avoir lu les six premiers volets et m’être attachée aux protagonistes que sont Robin et Cormoran, il m’était impossible de ne pas apprécier ces retrouvailles tant espérées. Cette fois-ci, l’enquête principale les mène au cœur d’une secte aux agissements extrêmement sombres et brutaux. Sans dévoiler l’intrigue qui aborde des thématiques graves comme la pédophilie et le viol, je dirai que ce tome pousse Robin dans ses retranchements et lui occasionne des prises de risques énormes, et le lecteur peut s’attendre à des moments d’empathie et de tensions importants. Si Robin et Cormoran évoluent de manière parallèle durant une grande partie de l’intrigue, leur relation poursuit son développement au rythme imposé par l’auteur. J’ai beaucoup aimé les passages où Strike vit plus ou moins bien sa mise en compétition avec Ryan Murphy, le nouveau compagnon de Robin : je me suis souvent surprise à rire devant son attitude ou ses pensées tellement bien retranscrites qu’elles en sont criantes de vie et de vérité. La sensibilité de Robin n’est pas en reste, et l’on sent son attachement toujours plus profond envers son associé pour qui elle est de toute évidence prête à tout, jusqu’à pousser à fond son engagement professionnel. Certains personnages secondaires s’étoffent et voient leur rôle prendre un peu plus d’importance et développer leur capital sympathie, ce qui n’a pas été pour me déplaire. Ce tome voit enfin disparaître un personnage récurrent de la série, mais je n’en dirai pas davantage. En résumé, j’ai trouvé ce roman à la hauteur de mes expectatives : une intrigue surprenante avec un dénouement comme d’habitude inattendu, des personnages vivants auxquels on s’attache toujours plus, des sous-intrigues intéressantes et indispensables, et une attente insoutenable jusqu’au prochain huitième tome.

One of the best Strike novels