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The Silkworm cover art

The Silkworm

By: Robert Galbraith
Narrated by: Robert Glenister
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Editor reviews

A work of crime fiction from a master writer, The Silkworm is Book 2 of the Cormoran Strike series, written by Robert Galbraith and with a captivating narration by English actor Robert Glenister. The literary genius of its author comes through in this suspenseful thriller audiobook with a plot weaved with unexpected turns and characters the listener will truly empathise with. Detective Cormoran Strike is hired to solve a mystery but it’s not the clean work of a hired assassin as first suspected, it’s of a cold-blooded, vicious killer. This book keeps you captive until the final word. Available now from Audible.

Summary

Now a major BBC drama: The Strike series.

When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, she just thinks he has gone off by himself for a few days - as he has done before - and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home.

But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine's disappearance than his wife realises. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were published it would ruin lives - so there are a lot of people who might want to silence him.

And when Quine is found brutally murdered in bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any he has encountered before....

A compulsively readable crime novel with twists at every turn, The Silkworm is the second in the highly acclaimed series featuring Cormoran Strike and his determined young assistant Robin Ellacott.

Please note: This audiobook contains explicit language

©2014 Robert Galbraith Limited (P)2014 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"One of the most unique and compelling detectives I've come across in years." (Mark Billingham on The Cuckoo's Calling)

"Just once in a while a private detective emerges who captures the public imagination in a flash. And here is one who might well do that... An auspicious debut." (Daily Mail on The Cuckoo's Calling)

"The novel is the work of a master storyteller." (Daily Telegraph on The Cuckoo's Calling)

What listeners say about The Silkworm

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5 star rating based on quality not name

I was lured into the first Cormoron Strike story by the many estatic reviews - and I just loved it. Here was a really interesting main character living and working (rather haphazardly) in the slightly old fashioned London in which I have lived in and loved for years. When I found out that Robert Galbraith was in fact J K Rowling it made no difference to me one way or the other - although I could see why JKR had chosen anonymity. Having so looked forward to this 2nd instalment I was horrified at the appalling reviews and so appealed to my sister and niece who were physically reading the book for an honest view before I spent a credit and downloaded. 'Absolutely great' they both said - and absolutely great is the audible version. I have been listening to 'The Silkworm' until my ears have buzzed (I listen on headphones most of the time). Yes it's a somewhat bizarre plot and yes I did spot who-dun-it but that does not detract in any way from a thoroughly inventive story, great characters and however many hours of enjoyable listening. I cannot help but feel that our national pastime of shooting down anyone successful has come into play here. Go download you won't regret it!

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54 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Glenister does his level best with this one but...

I much enjoyed the previous Cormoran Strike book (Cuckoos Calling). This one also has quite a good mystery with nice clues of various kinds scattered through the book - some of them 'real' (events observed) and others more inward (e.g. the ideas and nature of a book written by the murder victim). That was an interesting idea and could have made a great story but…

The motivation and final resolution are not strong. There is also a lot of gruesome S-M stuff in the story, and in the story-within, which is somehow toe-curlingly embarrassing in a way that other authors manage to avoid in this type of fiction (c.f. various scandi-noir). The burgeoning romance really lacks subtlety (this was so much better in the first book). And the whole thing is set in a world of literature, critics and editors about which I think the author has too-strong emotional views of her own. And it is long and very repetitive (a lot of description about the hero's missing leg and prosthesis for example) and all that detail is not always internally consistent, even within-scenes.

All could have been improved enormously and probably redeemed with some serious and stringent editing. But this author doesn't seem to like editors very much.

The reading is great and Glenister does a great job with pace, voices and mood.

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52 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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very disappointed

After waiting so long for the release what a disappointment. This book is so slow and so long and so boring by the end I didnt care one bit who dunnit, I was just glad it finished. I've only ever turned a book off once before(the bat by jo nesbo) but this on several occasions was nearly my second. The narrator was excellent and just as well. Apart from the two main characters you just couldn't care less about any of the others. I could rant on in detail but already wasted over 17 hrs on this book.

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35 people found this helpful

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Very disappointing

I enjoyed the author’s first book, Cuckoo Calling, so was surprised at how poor this second in the series has turned out to be. It’s tedious, with far too much irrelevant description with numerous unmemorable characters: flaws that emphasize the thinness of the central detective story. Hours of listening go by filled with details about authors and publishing houses before there’s any real action. The murder victim isn’t developed as a character other than that he was obnoxious and so I didn’t really care who murdered him. Most of the characters are unpleasant and the book is pervaded by nastiness. The actual crime is preposterously gory and, from all the references to the Revenge Tragedies of the likes of Webster and Kidd, I think the author was trying to write a modern version, though I’m not sure what the author was trying to create: the book isn’t pacey enough to be a good detective novel and the revenge element in a modern setting is unconvincing. Relationships are dissected in mind-numbing detail and don’t add much to the book already bloated with too much detail. I felt that the author no longer restrained by writing for children overdid the violence, sexual foibles, and swearing, but at the same time seems to need to show her literary credentials by prefacing every chapter (and there are a lot) with a quotation from the likes of Thomas Dekker; Congreve and Webster that rarely seemed relevant, just irritatingly pretentious. I was tempted to give up after about 30 of the 52 chapters but ploughed on in the hope that the book would improve: it didn’t, if anything it got worse. The detective element petered out replaced but endless speculative conversations among the characters most of whom I’d forgotten. The final denouement a damp squibb pulled out of the hat with no discernible detective work but merely gave me relief that this mess of a book was over.

The narrator was the only good thing about this book. I had pre-ordered this book, but won’t be for the next in the series.

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34 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Lightening strikes twice

Cuckoo's Calling was brilliant, The Silkworm if possible even better. Really interesting characters drawn with complex humanity and depth. Setting of London in winter was really evocative. The writing brilliantly matched with a reader of huge talent. One could almost believe it was a dramatisation such were his variety of voice changes. Only down side were the uneccesary Latin quotes and chapter introductory snippets. A trivial issue though, c'ant wait for the next Strike episode.

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24 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not great

Having devoured the Cuckoos Calling (prior to the reveal!) with great relish, I eagerly anticipated this book.
The narrator Robert Glenister did a masterful job and I very much enjoyed the reunion with the main characters Cormoran Strike and his partner Robin Ellacot. However that's pretty much all I enjoyed.
I didn't like the setting in the world of publishing but I think the main problem was the pompous posturing with the names of the suspects and I almost gave up before anyone had even been murdered! I felt that things began to almost veer into the realms of Harry Potter but I persevered with it and things seemed to get back on track.
I would only give this book 3 stars and hope that the author has had her revenge on the publishing world and doesn't lose the plot again.

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19 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Not as good as the first book

I was a little disappointed with this book...the story was nowhere near as good as the first Strike book. I don't know If I found it confusing or boring, but I found myself replaying parts again and again...I think this was due to boredom...the story didn't hold my interest and my mind would wander and I'd lose the plot. I didn't really like the characters and didn't care what happened to them, all in all a bland book with no real depth, and no intrigue, but well narrated.

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19 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. It's a great well crafted mystery with interesting character storylines too.

Have you listened to any of Robert Glenister’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Yes. This performance was just as excellent as the other one I have heard. Great character performances. RG is the best audio artist I have heard.

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16 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Neither Fantasy nor Crime Fiction

If this book even slightly hints at how the author sees her world of publishing and wealth, I feel sorry for her.

It is set in a London we are familiar with but it reads like a fantasy. The characters (except our two heroes) are all one dimensionally nasty.The plot has no time for the realities of forensics, police work or London life in general. Fantasy for me works best when the story is set apart from the real world. Neil Gaiman uses London Below very effectively.

The format is a bit like an Agatha Christie in that loads of characters are introduced and given a motive. Unlike an Agatha Christie the Characters are not sufficiently developed to allow easy differentiation between them or their motives.

The direction of the Matt, Robin, Strike triangle is not exactly hard to predict, it lacks the complexities of real relationships. Do we think Robin will marry Matt in the forth coming books ...

Most annoying are the quotes from the A level English Lit reading list. These are shoe horned in like tenuous links from an amateur DJ trying to impress the cool kids.

The first book was great, this was not so good. I wouldn't recommend it to fans of Crime Fiction or Fantasy.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Really disappointing

I was so disappointed with this eagerly awaited book. The character of Strike seems to have deteriorated since book one, making him much more profane and less likeable.
the story was basically unpleasant with such spiteful characters I found it totally unbelievable. I also found that I frequently had to rewind as I had stopped listening because it was rather less than sparkling, consequently I missed bits of the story.

I will think twice and await reviews before I plunge into another Cormoran Strike book.

Further irritation with this book is the insistence of the author in putting quotes from obscure novels at the head of each chapter. This is just so annoying as they never make sense until after reading the chapter, by which time one has forgotten the idiot quote. I just think that this is the author's way of letting me know the she is well read!

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14 people found this helpful