I love this series, whenever a new one comes out, it's the literary highlight of my year. Decamped with a friend to a hotel to read this in one glorious unbroken go. Cormoran marching into the UHC and giving the powers-that-be a piece of his mind was so good and funny, I totally reread that part immediately after Robin Ellacott – Strike's former assistant, now business partner, trained in criminal investigation. She is a survivor of a rape and attempted murder, and her current task of infiltrating a cult brings her unsettlingly close to similar activity. Before long, it was decided that despite obvious personal risks, Robin would seek to infiltrate the cult. So we watch as she attends recruitment meetings and is eventually shipped off to Norfolk. Then, for a substantial portion of the book, we follow Robin as an insider and bear witness to the conniving, demeaning and cruel treatment meted out to members by the leaders of this group, under the ultimate stewardship of a man known as Papa J. I thought I’d tire of this element, but such is the power of the author to bring alive a varied and rich mix of characters, I eventually became captivated by this place and the lives of the sad (and also the dreadful) people caught under Papa J’s spell. This is a pseudonym for J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series and The Casual Vacancy, a novel for adults.

I can’t wait to see what happens to Robin’s and Cormoran’s relationship next. I’m here for the slow burn! This novel is so readable and the subject matter so horrifyingly believable (cf. Scientology and similarly despicable cults) that reading “Grave” felt like entering the world of Strike and Robin. This was enhanced by the level of empathy especially Robin shows during crucial situations in the investigation. Henry Worthington-Fields, who attended a UHC retreat at age 18 but left after a week; brought Flora Brewster with him and she stayed; acquaintance of Charlotte Campbell Ross Kevin Pirbright, a former member of the UHC who was writing a book exposing it as a cult, but died of a gunshot before it was published

Preview

The Universal Humanitarian Church is, on the surface, a peaceable organisation that campaigns for a better world. Yet Strike discovers that beneath the surface there are deeply sinister undertones, and unexplained deaths. Seventh Strike novel to publish this September, in the tenth anniversary year of the bestselling series by Robert Galbraith. Michelle "Midge" Greenstreet – A former Greater Manchester Police officer turned contract investigator who is lesbian and excellent at baking. Unlike the other books in the series, the focus is more on the case even though the readers are made to sense the yearning of both partners for each other. As the saying goes, distance makes the heart grow fonder, Strike finally accepts his feelings for Robin as he misses her presence around him and is kind of depressed that he let Robin move further away from him due to his foolishness to maintain the status quo. Robin being already aware of her feelings for her partner is however more into the “falling out of love” phase and has a boyfriend in place and how cheeky of the author to lob a grenade at the end of the story getting the readers to crave for the next one immediately.

This time, Strike and Robin deal with a religious cult, its charismatic leader and everything surrounding these. I will not mention any more plot details because it’s probably best to go into this novel without too much knowledge or ideas… Not that it was bad but because, as is one of the hallmarks of this series, all accents are spelled out phonetically. JK Rowling is a stellar storyteller, and I don’t mean that just coz of her massive success through Harry Potter but simply for the fact that she created this masterpiece of a story, an investigative thriller around a CULT. Of course, there are countless books out there on this subject but to construct something so rooted in the 21st century and make it appealing to anyone who hears about the church across all age groups, is just mind blowing. Pat gets some terrific lines in this, she's emerging as one of my favourite characters. Strike, despite his jealousy at Robin's new boyfriend, is such a lovable protagonist here and gets some brilliant punch the air moments similar to his interaction with Dennis Creed in Troubled Blood. I was reminded a lot of Troubled Blood while reading as the investigation flirts with potential cold cases that orbit the cult. Still, I wouldn’t have wanted to miss this, despite the feeling of slight mental indigestion. Strike and Robin remain solid, convincingly drawn characters – the best duo in detective fiction since ­Reginald Hill’s Dalziel and Pascoe – however garrulous their biographer has become.Rowling's sister Dianne was born at their home when Rowling was 23 months old. The family moved to the nearby village Winterbourne when Rowling was four. She attended St Michael's Primary School, a school founded by abolitionist William Wilberforce and education reformer Hannah More. Her headmaster at St Michael's, Alfred Dunn, has been suggested as the inspiration for the Harry Potter headmaster Albus Dumbledore. It’s fantastic addition to what is already one of my ‘must read’ series. I really cant wait for the next one. Daiyu Wace, daughter of Mazu who was said to have drowned at age 7 in 1995 on the same beach as Jennifer Wace, being known as the "Drowned Prophet" afterward and becoming a major part of the UHC belief system