BOOK REVIEW: Lethal White by Robert Galbraith

'I seen a child killed...
He strangled it, up by the horse.'
When Billy, a troubled young man, comes to Private Eye Cormoran Strike's office to ask for his help investigating a crime he thinks he witnessed as a child, Strike is left deeply unsettled. While Billy is obviously mentally distressed, and cannot remember many concrete details, there is something sincere about him and his story. But before Strike can question him further, Billy bolts in a panic.
Trying to get to the bottom of Billy's story, Strike and Robin Ellacott- once his assistant, now a partner in the agency- set off on a twisting trail that leads them through the backstreets of London, into a secretive inner sanctum within Parliament, and to a beautiful but sinister manor house deep in the countryside.
And during this labyrinthine investigation, Strike's own life is far from straightforward: his new found fame as a private eye means he can no longer operate behind the scenes as he once did. Plus, his relationship with his former assistant  is more fraught than it has ever been- Robin is now invaluable to Strike in the business but their personal relationship is much, much more tricky than that...

Publisher: Sphere

Pages: 649

This book is huge and I didn't want it to end! I could easily have sped through it but I took my time as I think it will be a long wait for the next instalment. In the last book, Strike and Robin's partnership was in tatters and we were left wondering if Robin would walk down the aisle with Matthew. Robert Galbraith picks the story up and tells the reader what has happened and then we fast forward a year and follow Robin and Strike in the present day. The detective agency is doing well after they caught the Shackwell Ripper but both of their personal lives leave a lot to be desired. Strike is then visited by a disturbed young man called Billy who wants to tell him about the murder he witnessed many years ago. Strike could easily dismiss him as mentally unstable but Strike cannot ignore this desperate man's pleas for help. Robin and Strike begin their investigation, their most complex so far. They are soon tangled in a web of lies and corruption reaching Westminster and the upper echelons of society.
This book obviously explores the world of British politics in that we see Robin go under cover in Westminster but I also think that the author is making a comment on the current political climate we live in. Galbraith highlights the huge gulf in society between the poor and the increasingly wealthier upper classes. Politics in the UK are often led by people who come from incredible privilege and opportunity, people who have no idea about how a vast proportion of the population have to live.
Galbraith also uses the book to show the growing population of young people who are disillusioned with the current situation  but who are sadly ill equipped to make a significant change. I loved this aspect of the book and you do not have to agree with the author to see how relevant it is.
Strike and Robin are both highly vulnerable in this book. Both of them know that they are unfulfilled in their personal lives, carrying huge amounts of emotional baggage whilst being terrified of their feelings for each other and what the future may hold.
Lethal White is a fantastic read, I think it's length is justified and I did not get bored at any point. Robert Galbraith has created a series of book that I will visit again and again. Lethal White demonstrates the author's skill in creating fantastic characters and an excellent and captivating plot. I highly recommend this book and all the others in the Strike and Robin series.