Read the book in the service of evil online. “In the Service of Evil” Robert Galbraith When will Career of Evil be released in Russian

Robert Galbraith

In the service of evil

First published in Great Britain in 2015 by Sphere

Copyright © 2015 J. K. Rowling

© E. Petrova, translation, 2016

© Edition in Russian, design. LLC "Publishing Group "Azbuka-Atticus"", 2016

Publishing House INOSTRANKA®

Galbraith writes with humor and warmth unusual for the detective genre; he guides us through all the intricacies of the plot so skillfully that we lose track of time.

The Seattle Times

Cormoran Strike completely captures the imagination of readers with his very appearance... Galbraith's talent is evident in the way he describes the life of London and how he creates a new hero.

Strike has a heroic past behind him. Even now, every now and then, he shows heroism, although he does not strive for it at all. The illegitimate son of an aging rock idol, he has never enjoyed the benefits that his half-brothers and sisters get... He thinks a lot, but it turns out completely organically for him. Strike has great potential. It would be a crime not to pay attention to him.

Strike and his assistant Robin (playing the same role that Salander played for Blomkvist in Stieg Larsson's books) become a real team whose further adventures the reader will look forward to every time.

An incredibly captivating story based on touching relationships. The book is swallowed in one gulp.

An extremely powerful story... "The Cuckoo's Calling" turned out to be the calling card for a whole series of novels and reminded me why I fell head over heels in love with the detective genre.

Val McDiarmid

It was a real pain to put this book down - I wanted so much to know what would happen next. Galbraith is a master of psychological portraiture; the characters in the novel stood before me as if they were alive. The Cuckoo's Calling is a new love of mine, and Galbraith is an outstanding new talent.

Peter James

(Sunday Express)

A detective story you can't tear yourself away from.

And here is the best translated detective of the season, and not only because of the stunning intrigue - the level of storytelling culture is very high: three-dimensional, memorable characters, excellent dialogues, witty author's comments.

Poster Daily

Dedicated to Sean and Matthew Harris: You can use this dedication as you wish, but only - only – not for tinting eyebrows

It was not possible to completely wash off the blood. Beneath the nail of the middle finger of his left hand, there was a dark line in a parenthesis. He began to clean it, although its very appearance reminded him of yesterday’s high. For a minute he tried unsuccessfully to scrape it off, and then, putting his finger in his mouth, he tried to suck it out. The iron-hard claw still smelled of the stream that uncontrollably poured onto the tiled floor, splashed the walls, soaked his jeans and turned the peach-colored terry towels - fluffy, dry, neatly folded - into a pile of bloody rags.

This morning all the colors became somehow brighter, the world became more beautiful. Calm came, her mood lifted, as if he had absorbed her entirely, as if he had poured her life into himself. When you kill, they all become your property: even sex does not bring such complete ownership. Just the sight of them at the moment of death is worth it - you get sensations that the proximity of two living bodies cannot give.

With pleasant excitement he reflected that not a single soul knew about his affairs and plans. In peace and contentment, sucking his middle finger, he leaned his back against the wall, warmed by the dim April sun, and did not take his eyes off the house opposite.

The house is not at all luxurious. Ordinary. There is no doubt that it is more comfortable than that kennel where yesterday’s bloody rags were drying in black garbage bags, waiting to be burned, and behind the pipe under the kitchen sink the knives he had brought, scrubbed with bleach, gleamed.

The house opposite had a garden surrounded by a black fence with a rather neglected lawn. Two white entrance doors, almost right next to each other, indicated that this three-story building, after renovation, housed lower and upper apartments. A certain Robin Ellacott lived on the first floor. Having made some efforts to find out the name of this girl, he silently called her only Secret Girl. And here she was: flashing through the bay window, easily recognizable thanks to her unusual hair color.

Pin himself was from Canning Town, but he had cousins ​​living in Whitechapel, who about twenty years ago got involved in a war with a rival gang. The pin fit behind his own and as a result ended up in a ditch at the edge of Fulbourn Street, bleeding from a deep cut wound, which still reminded of itself with an ugly scar across his entire cheek. It was in that ditch that Leda Strike found him when she ran out late that evening to get tissue paper for the joints. A boy, the same age as her son, was lying in a pool of blood - Leda could not pass by. She was not stopped by the fact that he was clutching a bloody knife in his fist, swearing dirty and was clearly high. The pin was blotted with blood and reassured with words that he had only heard from the mother whom he had lost as an eight-year-old boy. When he forbade someone else’s aunt from calling an ambulance so that the cops wouldn’t report him (Pin’s knife had just pierced the attacker’s thigh), Leda made the only possible decision, in her opinion: she brought the boy to the squat and helped him herself. Having cut the adhesive plaster into thin strips, she clumsily connected the edges of the wound as if with stitches, prepared some unappetizing mush from what looked like cigarette ash, and sent her puzzled son in search of a mattress to accommodate Pin for the night. From the very beginning, Leda treated Shtyr like a prodigal nephew, and he responded to her with admiration, which can only be found in a boy with a broken destiny, keeping the memory of his loving mother. After Shtyr recovered and got to his feet, he more than once took advantage of Leda’s sincere invitation to drop by and see them at any time. He could talk heart to heart with Leda like no one else, and was probably the only one who did not see a single vice in her. Strike himself honored his mother, but Shtyr went even further in his respect. These two boys, so different, were united by something else: a silent, burning hatred of Whittaker, who emits bile at the sight of Leda’s new ward, but was afraid to mock him as he did Strike. Strike is convinced that Whittaker noticed in Shtyr the same quality that he saw in himself: the absence of brakes. Whittaker soberly reasoned that his teenage stepson may want him dead, but he will always act with an eye on his mother, the law and his future destiny. But Shtyr was not burdened by moral principles, and his return to their dysfunctional family at least temporarily stopped Whittaker’s increasing aggressiveness. Moreover, it was thanks to Shtyr’s frequent appearances in the squat that Strike decided that he could go to study. When parting with Shtyr, he did not have the courage to express his fears in words, but he understood everything. “Don’t worry, Bunsen, brother. Do not worry".

In the Service of Evil Robert Galbraith

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Title: In the Service of Evil

About the book “In the Service of Evil” by Robert Galbraith

The novel "In the Service of Evil" is the third book in the series about detective Cormoran Strike, coming after "The Cuckoo's Calling" and "The Silkworm". British writer JK Rowling is hiding behind the pseudonym Robert Galbate. Auto admitted that the pseudonym helped her receive fair criticism and the reader avoid high expectations. In any case, Rowling has long wanted to try her hand at the crime detective genre, and judging by the three novels released so far, she is succeeding. According to the author, the title of the novel is inspired by the song “Blue Oyster Cult,” references to which are found throughout the text.

The action of the novel “In the Service of Evil” takes place in 2011, a year after the events described earlier. Cormoran Strike's detective agency is thriving, its owner is doing what he loves, and secretary Robin Ellacott is preparing for her wedding and finishing the detective course her employer sent her to. True, not everything is so rosy. Robin's place of work and the very personality of the smart, colorful and charming owner of the detective agency evoke a wave of jealousy in Robin's fiancé, Matthew. The girl considers these impulses to be unfounded and is very angry.

One day, while receiving his daily mail at work, Robin receives a package containing a woman's severed leg. And although the package is addressed to her, Robert Gelbate's character is sure that this threat is addressed specifically to him. And it was not a stranger who sent her, but someone whom Cormoran knew before. The package also contains a note quoting the lyrics of the Blue Öyster Cult song “Mistress of the Salmon Salt (Quicklime Girl).” This is a sign for Strike, because this is the quote that was tattooed on the body of his deceased mother.

The heroes of the novel “In the Service of Evil” have four suspects. All of them are somehow connected with Cormoran Strike, they all have a criminal past and they are all now free and living in the outskirts of London. The detective and his secretary begin their investigation in parallel with the police.

Robert Gelbate's crime detective is, first of all, a full-fledged English novel that is no worse than the classics. It vividly and fully shows the life of modern London. The characters turned out to be just as lively and colorful. The relationship between an inexperienced girl and a war veteran beaten by life is not only another romantic story, but also a story about human relationships, care, kindness and understanding. The gloomy atmosphere of a crime detective only highlights the depth of the story.

The book “In the Service of Evil” once again proves that JK Rowling has a very great talent in literary work. Her stories are always original and unusual, and she can write not only children's fairy tales, but also books for adults.

When you read the work “In the Service of Evil”, it becomes really creepy. I would like to quickly figure everything out and dot all the i's. The main characters are extraordinary personalities, because only they manage to solve all the riddles. The whole story is permeated with mysticism and coldness, but it’s still impossible to tear yourself away. It seems that this could only be written by a man who knows all the intricacies of the criminal world, as well as the secrets of investigative activities. But no, women today can excel in any matter, including detective writing.

Robert Galbraith has already become one of the most beloved writers of the detective genre of our time. "Career of Evil" is the third installment in a series of novels about detective Cormoran Strike.

Readers who have not had time to get acquainted with the previous two parts of the series probably do not yet know that the famous English writer JK Rowling is hiding behind the pseudonym “Robert Galbraith”. In 2013, The Cuckoo's Calling appeared on the shelves of UK bookstores. An unremarkable detective story by an unknown writer failed to make an impression on the reading public. Publishers also did not rate Mr. Galbraith's work highly. They found the book too boring and did not stand out from its kind in any way. The author received many refusals before he found a publishing house that agreed to publish his novel.

3 months after the start of sales, the authorship of the work was revealed. Harry Potter's "mother" refused to sign her name, awaiting an objective assessment of her work. The next novel about Strike was The Silkworm. And the latest book in the series at the moment is “Career of Evil” (depending on the translation, other options are possible, for example, “In the Service of Evil”). At the end of October 2015, the detective novel appeared in bookstores in the UK and the United States.

Russian-speaking fans of JK Rowling are forced to wait their turn until the beginning of 2016.

Detective Strike, already known to readers from previous novels in the series, takes on a new investigation. Strike's secretary Robin Ellacott received a package from an unknown sender. To her horror, the girl discovered a severed leg in the package, apparently belonging to a woman. Cormoran Strike was also frightened by the package, but not surprised. He suspects several people who are somehow connected with his past. According to the detective, each of these people is capable of such cruelty.

The police are focusing on one of the suspects. However, Strike is confident that the experts have taken a false lead. The person to whom the crime is attributed is innocent. The detective decides to start studying the alibis of the remaining suspects. The deeper Strike and his assistant penetrate into other people's secrets, the more bloody events happen. Meanwhile, there is less and less time left to solve the riddle every day...

Characteristics

Difficult childhood

According to JK Rowling herself, the prototype of the book’s main character is not difficult to find in real life. Cormoran Strike is not based on any specific person. This is rather a collective image. The writer knows many former military personnel. After finishing their career, they often begin to engage in private investigation or go to work as security guards.

Strike has a very interesting biography. His father is a rock star. But since Cormoran was an illegitimate child, he practically does not know his father and met him only twice in his life. Strike loves his mother very much, who basically ruined his childhood. The small family constantly moved from one home to another. The child's living conditions were not the best. Ultimately, Cormoran decided to join the army.

Two careers

Strike became involved in the war in Afghanistan, where he was blown up by a mine and lost his leg. This ended his military career. Returning home, the main character wants to devote himself to private investigation. He is confident that he has sufficient knowledge for this. At first, the detective was unlucky. There were almost no clients. Creditors called every day, demanding payment of growing debts. Unable to rent or buy housing, Strike settled in his own office.

Strike's authority

Readers familiar with the first book in the series, called “The Cuckoo’s Calling,” will remember that the investigation into the suicide of the famous model Lula Landry helped the detective find a way out of the current situation. Strike managed to prove that there was no suicide. Her brother is responsible for the model's death. The investigation into the death of a celebrity made Cormoran himself famous.

Now he has a good reputation and “weight” in society. The crime described in the novel “Career of Evil” can undermine the authority of the famous detective. Identifying the criminal is a matter of honor for Detective Strike.

The main idea of ​​the book

Life is a series of trials. No sooner has one ended than another begins. To some, such a coincidence of circumstances seems to be a mockery of “villainous fate.” For the main character of the novel, life has become a school: completing a new task guarantees a transition to the next class, where you will have to look for answers to even more complex questions.

Analysis of the work

Detective fiction is not a feminine genre in literature at all. Nevertheless, many writers at different times preferred to work with this genre. JK Rowling preferred the detective story even while working on the Harry Potter books. Each of the novels about a wizard is built around some kind of mystery, which the main characters will be able to solve only at the end of the story.

Refusal of fantasy significantly limits the writer. She can no longer use magical objects and fairy-tale circumstances in the plot. Rowling's work began to mature. The writer claims that to date, “Career of Evil” is one of the darkest books she has written. The third novel in the series about Strike causes horror even for the author himself. To make the plot look believable, Rowling was forced to re-read a huge number of different sources on serial killers.

One of the features of the work is that some chapters of the novel are written from the point of view of the criminal. The reader should know what the killer is thinking about, how he feels about the victim, what emotions a detective involved in investigating the crime evokes in him, etc. On the one hand, the reader is given the opportunity to see the killer from the inside, delve into his thoughts and feelings, look at what is happening through his eyes. On the other hand, the public cannot see the criminal from the outside. The chapters, narrated from the perspective of the villain, are structured in such a way that the detective intrigue is maintained until the end of the novel. To construct a narrative in this way, the author needed to study a lot of police reports.

A parallel storyline follows the development of the relationship between Strike and his partner Robin. In the case when a woman becomes a detective’s partner, the reader always expects feelings to arise between the boss and the subordinate. From the first book in the series, it is known that Robin was sent to the detective's office by mistake. Miss Ellacott and her future boss collided on the stairs, which almost led to tragedy: the girl could have fallen and been injured. Feeling guilty, Cormoran was forced to offer her a job as a secretary in his office, although he had no financial means for this. The condescending attitude towards the girl gradually develops into something more. For Strike, Robin is no longer just a secretary whom he accidentally hired. However, much to the disappointment of readers, the main characters never reach an open manifestation of feelings.