Private Detective Cormoran Strike is visiting his family in Cornwall when he is approached by a woman asking for help finding her mother, Margot Bamborough - who went missing in mysterious circumstances in 1974.
Strike has never tackled a cold case before, let alone one forty years old. But despite the slim chance of success, he is intrigued and takes it on; adding to the long list of cases that he and his partner in the agency, Robin Ellacott, are currently working on. And Robin herself is also juggling a messy divorce and unwanted male attention, as well as battling her own feelings about Strike.
As Strike and Robin investigate Margot's disappearance, they come up against a fiendishly complex case with leads that include tarot cards, a psychopathic serial killer and witnesses who cannot all be trusted. And they learn that even cases decades old can prove to be deadly . . .
A breathtaking, labyrinthine epic, Troubled Blood is the fifth Strike and Robin novel and the most gripping and satisfying yet.
Praise for the Strike series:
'A blistering piece of crime writing'
Sunday Times
'The work of a master storyteller'
Daily Telegraph
'Unputdownable'
Daily Express
'Highly inventive storytelling'
Guardian
'Superb . . . an ingenious whodunnit'
Sunday Mirror
'Come for the twists and turns and stay for the beautifully drawn central relationship'
Independent
'Outrageously entertaining'
Financial Times Complex and enjoyable * Sunday Mirror * A magnificent addition to the Strike novels * Sunday Times * Possibly her finest Strike outing yet, emblazoned with the rich vein of characterisation of the detective and his assistant Robin Ellacott * ipaper * An ambitious, immersive mystery that also reveals ever more about the enigmatic Cormoran * Heat * The sizzling sexual tension between [Strike and Robin] is hotter than ever * Best * A scrupulous potter and master of misdirection, Galbraith keeps the pages turning ... Strike and Ellacott ... remain one of crime's most engaging duos * Guardian * A mix of supernatural eeriness and head-scratching mystery with a juicy whodunnit at its core * the Sun * Galbraith ... is fluent in invention of incident, characters, conversation and confrontations * The Scotsman * A finely honed, superbly constructed tale * Daily Mail * The real charm lies in the star-crossed relationship between Strike and his assistant Robin * Mail on Sunday * I'm a huge fan of Cormoran Strike ... Troubled Blood is terrific -- Richard & Judy * Daily Express * It is the best one yet ... confident, utterly gripping, niftily plotted, clearly meticulously researched ... and heavy on satisfying characterisation -- India Knight * Sunday Times *
Troubled Blood: Winner of the Crime and Thriller British Book of the Year Award 2021