STRIKE 5 - TROUBLED BLOOD - bbc 1 9m sun and mon - TV PACE ONLY. NO SPOILERS

[Blondeshavemorefun]

Yah no 5 of the strike series starts on Sunday

BBC
Based on the 2020 novel, the second most recent in the Strike series, Troubled Blood sees Strike tackling his first ever cold case.

The official synopsis the season says: "Private detective Cormoran Strike is visiting his family in Cornwall when he’s approached by a woman asking for help finding her mother, Margot Bamborough, who went missing under mysterious circumstances in 1974.

"Strike’s never tackled a cold case before let alone one 40 years old, but despite the slim chance of success, he’s intrigued and takes it on, adding to the long list of cases that he and his partner in the agency Robin Ellacott are currently working on. Robin herself is also juggling a messy divorce and unwanted male attention as well as battling her own feelings about Strike.

"As Strike and Robin investigate Margot’s disappearance, they come up against a fiendishly complex case with a psychopathic serial killer and witnesses who cannot all be trusted. They learn that even cases decades old can prove to be deadly

Watched it yesterday, enjoyed it although found it somewhat confusing. Feel like I need to rewatch it!
I've read the 1st 3 books but not this one.
What puts me off is the 1000 page length - she needs a good editor.

The flood scene made sense - i guess that was a lot longer in the book? I thought the bits with Joan and Ted and Lucy were good. I don't care about whether Strike and Robin get together or not.
Loved Pat - brilliant character and actress.

Has Kenneth Cranham ever not played some ageing East End villain??!

In fairness to the producers, older, middle-class men didn't exactly come off well in this either.

Agree that it felt that the mystery clearly played second fiddle compared to the personal drama in the TV series. It was very well done in the book, where Strike & Robin repeatedly interviewed Irene & Janice and saw them as trusted sources.

I'm glad they gave time to the scene with Courtney (the brother's girlfriend). One of my favourite scenes in the book.

That's true I guess yub.

I think I feel asleep as I have no clue who Courtney is!!

I really enjoy JKR’s books.

I read The Casual Vacancy when it came out because I was part of a book group and it was amazing. Yes, the length can be off putting but I know her attention to detail, observations, plot and characterisation will be superb and I love them.

yes lots been missed out in the tv adaptation but I think they are very good overall and I rate Tom Burke (so nasty in series 2 of Utopia) and Holiday Grainger performance.

Me neither

Courtney was the woman at the dinner party where they talked rape, girlfriend of robins brother (though I don't think they said who either of the 2 other guests where in the tv show)

Oh, that bit. I didn't know who anyone was then so totally glazed over as they juts all seemed to be such awful people! Thank you!

I felt there were too many characters and I had to keep asking OH who they were, especially with it switching between 1974 and present day. The ending seemed to come out of nowhere and I was left wondering why somebody would kill 6 people for whatever reason.

Like a PP said I found the books overlong and unreadable. I've enjoyed the TV series but wouldn't rave about them,

@DuncinToffee ah thank you for that

and yes Courtney went over my head

still not sure why the woman killed 6 people by poisoning

and do I take it from here thst the lady farting was being slowly poisoned

if so that also went over my head

I think she was just nuts same as most other serial killers. Infatuated with Stephen I thibk.

I don't think in tv show she was poisoning the farting lady. If she was, no reason was given

Son -he was in way on dates with Steven
Stephen -she fancied him
Margo -onto her
Drug man -he saw her with Margo
Stephens first married lady and lady at butlibs -jealousy

Seemed like she stopped after 1970s which seems odd!

Who were the people who came forward to say they were the woman helping / person being helped next to the phonebox?
Ie took the police off the scent of that being a last sighting of Margo .

they were just 2 people (mum and daughter) who were ALSO out on that night and arguing in the rain.

But they weren't the ones seen by some flowershop van/person reading map as the hights/who was wearing what was wrong.

I liked when it was discovered whodunnit , didn't have a clue it was her.

The ending with Strike and Robin was bitter sweet .

Yes I knew the heights were wrong. Had assumed the ppl who came forward were planted by the killer somehow , but sounds more like it was just a coincidence.

@Blondeshavemorefun the killer said to strike in the living room at the end that she was poisoning the receptionist (farting lady) as she annoyed her.

I didn’t have a clue she was the murderer either when I read the book, but all the clues were there all along in previous chapters and details.

@Workerbeep thanks. Was the farting due to medication/poison or she she poisoning as she farted

I don’t think that was explicitly said but I took it as it was implied the poison was upsetting her gut and was making her fart.
I thought it was funny (my level of humour!) but plausible as all the old folk I know just let it out rather than hold it in. I don’t blame them, that can be worse!

It was a bit too rushed for me. I agree 6 episodes would have been much better. There's so much good stuff in the book.

Thanks for all the opinions. I've asked for some of the books for Christmas, I've only read the first one.
I think I could work out what was going on, but would like to read the details (I tend to prefer books than the films/tv adaptations).
I also think she was slowly poisoning Irene as Janice said she was annoying. I assume she didn't want her dead yet though, she'd have had plenty of opportunity. Just wanted her unwell?

Yes that's true in the book -she wanted people to be sick and rely on her (in case of Irene and Stephen), though the others she did want to kill.

So 2 different things going on with her.

I think Irene was a recent widow whereas Janice has been alone since her son was born?

I think there was just too much going on.

Ted & Joan, Robin & Strike, Johnny Rokeby (does anyone else not give a fuck about him?)

The awful Kara video.

I think I've only really enjoyed the first story.

I love the books and didn't know they'd been done for TV. Have started at the beginning. Am loving Tom Burke! On Silkworm Ep 2. I like the adaptation to screen (lots removed but they work well).

I agree. And then the denouement was rushed and I didn't understand how he quickly jumped to his conclusion.

And then the denouement was rushed and I didn't understand how he quickly jumped to his conclusion.

I think when he first interviewed her she did say a couple of things that pointed to her not liking/being jealous of Margot.

Did they talk to her son at all & realise that she had been poisoning him & therefore also Paul/Stephen-can't remember the name.

Also that Margot wasn't having an affair?

Short version-no idea!