Cormoran Strike is almost overshadowed in the detection stakes by sidekick Robin, who comes into her own when family illness derails Strike’s ability to concentrate fully on the agency’s workload. This magnificent multi-layered epic centres around convicted serial killer Creed and his possible involvement in an unsolved cold case disappearance that is taken on by the intrepid private detective team, that builds relentlessly in tension before culminating in an unpredictable denouement.