The first in the series is called The Cuckoo's Calling, and is about an ex-soldier who lost his leg in Afghanistan and his resettling into being a Private Investigator in London. We meet Cormoran Strike on the morning after he'd just broken up with his fiancee for the millionth time. He's barely scraping by and needs some clients...or A client at least, because he has none. On this morning, he also meets Robin Ellacott, a temp sent to the wrong agency. Regardless, she settles in and begins to help him with a case that came in that day that involves the famous model who committed suicide, Lula Landry. Or did she commit suicide? Someone (her brother) seems to think something else occurred and he wants Strike to figure it out. Robin ends up staying on as Strike's secretary, although paying her an abysmally low salary, and they solve the case together. I immediately loved Strike and Robin as characters, individually and especially how they work together. After finishing this book, I was surprised by how much I wanted to read the next one IMMEDIATELY.
The latest installment of this series, Career of Evil, was even better than the previous books. I just love when a series continues to get better and better. The one starts off with a bang (or should I say a leg) when Robin is delivered a woman's severed leg. The message that comes along with it makes Strike believe it could be one of three individuals from his past. We learn SO MUCH about both Strike's and Robin's pasts in this book and I loved every little tidbit I found out about them. We also get a lot of interaction between the two and I am loving the direction this series is going. I just hope it doesn't go too fast. For those of you who aren't sure what I am speaking of, I always love a good "will they or won't they" couple and Robin and Strike are definitely one of those. Fun fact: my favorite (and probably the best ever) "will they or won't they" couple is Bones and Booth from Bones. Oh baby, six seasons of sexual tension and longing looks-couldn't get enough of it! So clearly, I like my "will they or won't they" couples with a long, slow, burn. I am hoping that Rowling drags this out for quite awhile. I'll keep reading no matter what, because this aspect of the books is only one reason I love them.
Another reason is the mysteries themselves. Slow, not incredibly fast-paced, but detailed and calculating. Each of the mysteries/cases have kept me guessing and in awe (ok and sometimes disbelief) of Strike's detective abilities. But the real reason this series has so grabbed me is the writing and detail. No surprise there, considering it comes from a woman who created an ENTIRE magical world filled with insane, minute details that only added to the story. This is exactly like that, except for it's not a magical world, it's modern England we are talking about. I adore the amount of detail that she puts into these books because it makes London come alive for me. I think every detail is deliberate, and while in some books too much detail can be annoying/boring, in the Cormoran Strike series, every detail adds to the story and makes it a more complete picture. I just can't say enough good things about these stories. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Basically, the only thing I dislike is that now that I'm caught up, I'll have to wait impatiently for the next installment. Hopefully it won't be long!