At the beginning of the fourth book of the ‘Strike’ series, written by J K Rowling using the Robert Galbraith pseudonym, private investigator Cormoran Strike is on his own. He’s sacked Robin Ellacott, his co-investigator, for putting her life in danger by disregarding his instructions.

Robin is heartbroken but her fiancé, Matthew Cunliffe, is relieved. Working for Strike isn’t exactly safe. Currently,Robin has an ugly purple scar the length of her forearm, lined with puncture marks from stitches. Her former boss has a broken nose and one ear that’s bruised and inflamed. A knife wound across the palm of his hand is concealed by bandages.

Cormoran is soon regretting his decision to sack Robin. As his emails to her are going unanswered, he arranges a friend to drive him to the church, where she’s about to marry Matthew, to plead with her to come back.

Once this bizarre situation is resolved, Cormoran and Robin take on two new cases: the suspected murder of a young girl, and the search for any nefarious activities of the Minister for Sport’s chief of staff. Robin goes undercover as a research assistant in the Houses of Parliament where she meets the charming and devastatingly attractive Raphael. She also works as a shop assistant in a hippy jewellery store where she comes across some rather less salubrious characters.

Then, there’s a murder.

Lethal White is a complex mystery, skilfully written with intriguing chapter endings that immediately force the reader to turn to the next page. At 649 pages, however, an experienced editor is needed; one with a will to expunge the padding without spoiling the surprises or destroying the tension.

Cormoran has a prosthesis that gives him trouble. We know that because the author tells us over and over and over again. This repetition should go.

Reviewed by Clive Hodges