Career of Evil

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of graphic violence, emotional abuse, rape, and sexual violence.

Private investigator Cormoran Strike is the protagonist of the novel. Descriptions of his physical appearance emphasize that he is not conventionally handsome, portraying him as “a large ex-boxer who smoked too much and ate too much fast food. He had heavy eyebrows, a flattened and asymmetrical nose and, when not smiling, a permanent expression of sullen crossness” (13). However, the narrative also highlights that many women find Strike sexually appealing, including Sarah Shadlock and Strike’s beautiful girlfriend Elin, who compares his profile to Beethoven’s.

In depicting Strike, Galbraith creates a complex character while drawing on familiar detective fiction tropes. Like Sherlock Holmes, he is highly perceptive and intelligent but emotionally troubled. He is also haunted by unresolved issues from his past, including a chaotic childhood, a toxic love affair, and horrific experiences of warfare. The earlier Strike novels highlight how Strike’s exposure to violence and trauma as a war veteran and military policeman has shaped his psyche. After losing part of his leg in Afghanistan, Strike walks with a prosthesis, an enduring physical reminder of this psychological damage.