I came upon this rather late and I have to say it really was very good and I do hope this is the start of a series. I found it interesting in that at the beginning I felt Robert ( aka J K Rowling) was fighting her natural style to make this a fast paced thriller. In the second half I felt once this was relaxed her true voice came through and I couldn't put it down. I love her flawed detective Cormoran Strike.
My husband read the book on audio and he enjoyed it immensely too, so this book is a rare feat in that it appeals to cross gender which is hard to do in an overcrowded crime genre,
Given that this has much to tell about the perils of fame, I think it will make an excellent reading group pick.
We had a fantastic event at Bournemouth Library with Fay Weldon and she enthralled us with tales of how she came to write and in particular how she wrote this trilogy.
This series is a must for Downton Abbey fans, particularly if you like a bit of wry humour and feminism thrown in. We discovered that Fay wrote the first few episodes of Upstairs Downstairs, the original series, and has been waiting to return to that era for many years.
We follow the Countess of Dilberne as she attempts to marry off her wilful son to a Chicago heiress for a badly needed cash injection. This is a clash of cultures that lends itself to much wry humour and social comentary from Prince Bertie himself to the lowliest cook.
Well all I can say it was worth the wait. This will make an excellent reading group book as there is much to discuss,
I have been really busy with a wonderful project we have had here in Bournemouth. We now have a Poet Laureate for Bournemouth - James Manlow.
Here is a link to the project and more info
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/LeisureCultureLibraries/Libraries/Poet-Laureate/Poet-Laureate.aspx
