The Running Grave: A Cormoran Strike Novel

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars | 53,186 ratings

Price: 34.12

Last update: 01-03-2025


About this item

In this New York Times bestselling installment of the "outrageously entertaining" Strike series (Financial Times), detective duo Cormoran and Robin must rescue a man ensnared in the trap of a dangerous cult.​

Private Detective Cormoran Strike is contacted by a worried father whose son, Will, has gone to join a religious cult in the depths of the Norfolk countryside.

The Universal Humanitarian Church is, on the surface, a peaceable organization that campaigns for a better world. Yet Strike discovers that beneath the surface there are deeply sinister undertones, and unexplained deaths.

In order to try to rescue Will, Strike's business partner, Robin Ellacott, decides to infiltrate the cult, and she travels to Norfolk to live incognito among its members. But in doing so, she is unprepared for the dangers that await her there or for the toll it will take on her. . .

Utterly gripping, The Running Grave moves Strike's and Robin's story forward in this epic, unforgettable seventh installment of the series.


Top reviews from the United States

  • CB
    5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!
    Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2024
    Enigmatic, brilliant, meticulously crafted.

    Characters are brought to life with such depth and nuance that they feel palpably real, being so well-drawn, with distinct personalities and motives.
    Every scene is painted to enrich the narrative, making the environment a character in its own right, too.

    The prose is elegant yet accessible, with subtle wit and intelligence that does not overshadow the story. The dialogue is sharp and authentic, and further cements the believability of the characters and their interactions.

    The pacing of the novel expertly balances moments of intense action with quieter, introspective passages, creating a rhythm that keeps the reader engaged throughout.

    The climax is both surprising and satisfying. Not only a thrilling detective story but also a profound exploration of human nature.

    This one is nothing short of perfection.
  • Suz
    5.0 out of 5 stars another perfect novel
    Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2024
    It is nice to know that this author still has ability to make me stay up all hours in order to just read “one more chapter” after all of these years. (First wizardry and now detectives!) The impeccable research, the ability to paint perfect pictures via language alone, the ability to make far-away worlds come to life, it is nothing short of expertise artistry. The muses favor JKR/RG and it shows. I hope she continues to write and enjoys a happy and healthy life while doing so!
    The topic of cults, mind control, indoctrination is an extremely important one especially these days as we lose unhappy people from unstable upbringings looking for answers as a means of escape. BUT also we experience losing those whom you would NEVER believe would fall for such BS - the intellectuals, those coming from stable backgrounds, well-meaning people from ‘good’ backgrounds; it boggles the mind.
    This is a wonderful way to expose cults without the pushback on exposing an actual cult from the news, because it’s fiction (although a very real experience.) RG can be as real and raw without interference or pushback from actual fanatical groups. In the sense, you can finally understand how these cults form without being stuck on the ‘who’ is telling their story (celebrities, housewives, actors, scientists, whatever) but through these characters you can understand how one GOT THERE.
    Previously I couldn’t unravel how someone could become entangled in such things, and admittedly I felt little sympathy for those that fell for it. However, what about the kids BORN into this as a consequence their parent made? It brings a new sense of compassion. Although I’ve had experience with parents who have a slightly warped sense of reality having grown up in a born again Xtian Fundamentalist home, understanding this level of fanaticism is another world that I’m grateful I did not have to witness or endure. Great job and I love this novel.
    NOW ABOUT THAT ENDING THOUGH….can’t wait for the next installment!
  • Perry Clark
    4.0 out of 5 stars A very gripping yarn
    Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2023
    I shall assume readers of this little review are at least moderately familiar with Galbraith/Rowling’s Cormoran Strike series, this being the seventh of the run, which we’re told Rowling intends to extend to at least a total of thirteen, which would make this one more or less the midway point of the voyage, one supposes.

    Rowling (I shall henceforth here eschew use of a pseudonym having no utility, as far as I can see) is a good, even fine, author. Not superb. I do not expect that on reading one of her books I’ll experience truly magnificent writing, or a discerning look at some of the deeper meanings of life. But that’s okay. Too rich a diet is not a well-balanced one.

    Rowling routinely does an excellent job of presenting characters that generate emotional responses from her readers, and she does so consistently. Some of it is formulaic, but formulas well-understood and well-followed, like recipes, still leave room for individual flavor and creativity, and Rowling sprinkles enough of those around to keep readers if not enchanted then at least interested, and invested. In ‘The Running Grave’, she does so again, in more or less expected but no less welcome fashion.

    In most mentions or reviews the works in the series are called crime novels, and they certainly are. Each has a tangled mess of mystery, danger, foible, pursuit, and who-dun-it pondering to satisfy most everyone looking for a crime thriller to enjoy. ‘Running Grave’ is certainly no exception. Like others in the series, it features culprits both in the open and unexpected, and leaves the reader satisfied that something like justice is served by the end, though, to the author’s credit, there’s usually a bit here or there that isn’t wrapped in a bow, neatly tidied, or conveniently tucked away, allowing the reader to avoid feeling a too-artificial comfort that everything is right in the world.

    Which brings us to the fact that there’s another major genre the author is working in here: the romance. The Cormoran Strike/Robin Ellacott series is no less romantic one than a crime thriller one. Readers having made the journey this far with the duo will be at least as invested in the romantic relationship and its development—or lack thereof, due to the hindrances of life in their world—as they are in any given investigation. It’s this meat-AND-potatoes approach that enhances and strengthens the story-telling and gives leavening and a pleasant mix of flavors to the plot and its execution. One could argue that the device is a cheap one intended to give an easy illusion of depth of character, etc., etc., but the reality is that it’s well done. Enough so that its enjoyment isn’t a guilty pleasure even for “serious readers”.

    Despite the poor choice of title, the story is a good one. Complex, the parts well-fitted, with good pacing. There are some small bits of editorial house-keeping that could be improved—a simple example being the question of how Strike knows the gun used to shoot at them from another vehicle, in the dark, at a distance, from behind, is a ‘Beretta 9000’ when neither the firearm nor the shooter have been found—but one tries not to niggle too much. Better to just get along with the story.

    A persistent minor problem for the series is the ease with which, more or less out of the blue, our intrepid detectives pull together a complex explanation that seems like they’re dipping a spoon deep into the gumbo, right here, just so, and coming up with the missing key to the safety deposit box. I overstate it, but it is a problem, and one I hope Rowling and her editors might successfully address in novel number eight. Which I fully plan on reading.

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