“A vast unfocused rage rose in her, against men who considered displays of emotion a delicious open door; men who ogled your breasts under the pretense of scanning the wine shelves; men for whom your mere physical presence constituted a lubricious invitation.”

This had to be my favorite novel from this series - not only the stakes are higher than ever, but the relationship between our protagonists have reached new levels and their dynamics are better than ever. The atmosphere is darker and more gruesome, partially thanks to the fact that we have access to the killer's POV and it's equal parts fascinating and horrifying. Strike is taking new steps into his development as a character, and we get to see more of his past and understand some of his personality and relationships a little better because of it. I liked to get to know how his friendship with Shanker started and how close they really are. It was one of my favorite things in the novel, as well as the character - who is proven loyal, and has a crooked sense of moral, but is nonetheless empathic and fun. Robin had its ups and downs in this - although I love her character and admire her strength, her objectiveness and her intelligence, she was sometimes irrational and led by conflicting emotions during the novel. Yes, I understand what she was going through, but even she admitted that she was being irrational, and still went through with it. Her harshness and impulsiveness were very unlike her and it bothered me. Not only that, but she made some very questionable decisions, especially regarding Matthew - after everything that happened between them. I guessed the real killer right before it was revealed, but the mystery kept me on the edge of my seat and second-guessing everything I thought till the very end and that's something I love in mystery/detective novels. I can't wait to see were J.K is leading Cormoran and Robin in the next case!