I’m happy to see the upcoming release of a new Robert Galbraith detective novel, the seventh in the series of which I’ve read all but one.  The main character, Cormoran Strike, runs a detective agency that does its work without hacking into databases or traffic cams, but by old-fashioned boots on the ground, interviews, and stakeouts.

This assessment of the novels is especially apt:  “At Five Books, we take crime novels seriously, and the Cormoran Strike books are highly recommended for anyone who is into the genre. The tricks to keep you guessing or the surprise about ‘whodunnit’ are not quite as mind-boggling as Agatha Christie, but perhaps more realistic. The plotting is solid and satisfying, and doesn’t grate like in all too many contemporary crime novels.”

From the Publisher

“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 page-turning, The Running Grave moves Strike’s and Robin’s story forward in this epic, unforgettable seventh installment of the series.”

The books are long and I see that as good. Running Grave, to be released September 26th by Mulholland Books, gives you 960 pages of whodunnit. It’s listed by Amazon in the “International Mystery And Crime,” “Private Investigator,” and “Cozy Mysteries” categories.

–Malcolm

Malcolm R. Campbell is the author of the Florida Folk Magic Series, available at a savings in this four-book Kindle volume.