Lethal White by Robert Galbraith
Review of the novel Lethal White by Robert Galbraith
Published by Sphere
First Published: 18 September 2018
Dedication: To Di and Roger, and in memory of the lovely white Spike.
Cost: £8.99 (UK Paperback 2019)
ISBN: 978-0-7515-7287-2 (Paperback Edition - 774 pages)
This is the fourth Robert Galbraith novel, all have been
very successful and enjoyed by fans of the author. This review will cover
aspects of the story that will contain spoilers if you have not read the book
or reviews on the story.
Lethal White is much longer than the previous books, however, the
story and plot means the reader is given an in-depth insight into the murder
investigation and the personal lives of the two detectives, throughout the story.
Lethal White describes
a complex investigation taken on by Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott. The
story picks up where the previous story ended, continuing the activities of the
Private Detective agency. We discover that Robin has recently been made a
partner in the firm and as a result is expected to take on more challenges that
put her personal safety at risk.
However, the story begins with a Prologue. It’s Robin’s wedding
reception following her marriage to her long-time boyfriend, Matthew.
He couldn’t remember when he had
last been commissioned to photograph so handsome a couple. There was no need for
tactful tricks with the new Mr and Mrs Matthew Cunliffe, no need to angle the
lady so that rolls of back fat were hidden (she was, if anything, fractionally
too slender, but that would photograph well). [.. . ] The only thing that
needed concealing, and it could be retouched out of the final pictures, was the ugly scar running down the bride’s forearm: purple and livid, with the puncture
marks of stitches still visible.
Things are not going well; with the photographer is trying
to capture swans in the background of the bride and groom. The tension between
Matthew and Robin get worse as the reception progresses and culminates in
words of anger when Cormoran Strike eventually makes an appearance.
Chapter 1 takes up the story one year on from the wedding.
Strike and Robin have shot to fame as a result of the capture of the Shackewell
Ripper murder case, and although it brings some additional business to the
detective agency, it’s a profile they could do without. Strike receives a call
to return to his office where Billy Knight, a male with a history of mental
illness, is terrorising his receptionist. As Strike interviews Billy, it seems
that much of what Billy says is incoherent as he recalls the murder of a young
girl. With the mention of the police, Billy storms off, leaving Strike with a
curious belief in the murder story.
The plot that runs throughout the story has a number of aspects
to it, but Strike begins to see a common link between them when Jasper
Chiswell, Member of Parliament serving as the Minister for Culture, asks him to
investigate a blackmail attempt on him. Robin is put to surveillance work in
Chiswell’s office, at the House of Commons, where we are soon introduced to
various members of the MP’s family; his under-appreciated daughter Isabella;
his illegitimate son Raphael, and his young erratic wife Kinvara. Robin places
a recording device in the office of the blackmailer and plays back the tape to
Strike. The details of the recording provide further leads to investigate and
expose further links to the Knight family, and the Chiswell family.
This is a complex story and alongside the investigation, the
reader is exposed to the moments of anxiety and panic attacks that haunt Robin
following the Shackewell Ripper murder case. We also discover more about the
problems Strike has to cope with as a result of wearing a prosthetic leg. Added
to this, Robin’s marriage goes through a tormenting time, to the extent that she
leaves Matthew to live in a bedsit accommodation. Interwoven with the
investigation, we also experience Strikes continuing girlfriend problems.
When Jasper Chiswell feels that the investigation work by
Strike and Robin is getting nowhere, he calls them to his home to discuss
terminating their contract. But when Strike is late for the appointment, Robin
enters the house only to find Chiswell dead, ‘sitting in a Queen Anne chair,
his legs splayed, his arms dangling, and he seemed to have a shiny grey turnip
for a head’.
Keen to get paid for the lucrative job, Strike is fortunate that
the family want to discover if Jasper’s death was suicide or a murder.
Finally, the investigations come to a close and the
information Strike has given to the police, results in an arrest and a confession from Jason’s wife, Kinvara. But there is a twist at the end. When Robin
receives a number of text messages, she agrees to meet up with the person
sending them, only to realise too late, that it is a trap. With her kidnapper
holding a gun to her head Robin tries to stall for time while she thinks of a
way to escape. In response to questions, Robin goes through the investigation
conclusions, a telling that covers twenty pages. As she nears the final
solution, she can hear a police siren and sees blue flashing lights out of a nearby
window, which is obscured from her kidnapper.
With a great splintering of wood,
the door crashed open. [The kidnapper] spun around, pointing the gun at the
large figure that had just fallen inside. Robin launched herself over the table
to grab his arm, but [was] knocked backwards with an elbow and she felt blood
spurt as her lip split.
[The kidnapper] stood up, stooped
in the cramped space, the barrel of the gun in his mouth. Strike, who had
shouldered in the door, stood panting feet away from him, and behind Strike was [a
police officer].
Then there was a small, metallic click.
Although the case is solved, Strike feels there is one
further aspect that needs to be resolved. He meets up with Billy Knight and reveals
what the young boy actually saw on the night that has tormented him for years.
Galbraith weaves a captivating story, which includes the text messages on mobile phones belonging to various characters. The story is extremely well written and in places, it was
difficult to put down, but 774 pages take a while to read to the conclusion,
but it’s a real page-turner. Perhaps this is the best Strike Cormorant story so
far – they keep getting better. It’s fluently written and the story is
convincing and a great murder mystery. Rating 5 stars.
Dr Sheppard
15 May 2019
