Strike - The JKR TV series

[OnceUponACat]

Apologies if it has been discussed before, I could not find it anywhere.

I am enjoying watching it for but I am annoyed and irked too. For someone like Rawling so many years after HP and still so many cliches: the ugly male detective with the clever cute female sidekick who is happy to work for pittance; Robin’s overgroomed doll look; Cormoran being seen as an appealing partner even though drinks himself to a stupor and is clearly not commitment friendly, etc etc.

Is it me or we could do better than that?

Oh wow. I'm not that far into the new book yet but this book really is about male violence against women, from a clearly feminist perspective.
I wonder if she always planned going from male gaze to feminism with this book series.

and stand by the fact that you can make a judgment on whether or not to invest your time in a book based on marketing copy, reviews, jacket blurb, synopsis.

I think that is fair, (the blurb says 'psychotic serial killer', but I think its perfectly reasonable to avoid books about psychotic serial killers).

I also like police procedurals, including those written by Ian Rankin, but don't expect everyone to like Ian Rankin books.
(although everyone should buy his lettuce (for the Rankin fans only!))

I only have a problem with the people claiming that the book should be boycotted because it is transphobic.

and stand by the fact that you can make a judgment on whether or not to invest your time in a book based on marketing copy, reviews, jacket blurb, synopsis

I agree this is absolutely fair, its how we all pick books unless we have a favourite author

But it turns out there is no transgender character just a paragraph about a man wearing a wig and Womans coat

Like a disguise!

So its not a fucking trope...and you certainly wouldn’t get that from the cover, blurb or synopsis

You would obviously get it from people lying online about the book itself

(Thats not aimed at you merry just the bit agreeing that its fair)

You really really need to read the books. As they progress you will find many of your assumptions are incorrect.

Robin has her own scars and baggage that was barely hinted at in series 1 on TV. Strike is very much not a commitment phobe, he is a survivor of domestic abuse.

Robin is supposed to be attractive in a girl next door way which is highlighted in her reactions to Lula, Ciara and Charlotte who are supposed to be model beautiful. Later plots also rely upon her being an attractive woman.

Strike is supposed to be sexy but not be handsome, that is supposed to contrast with the more clean cut "good catch" Matthew.

I don't really have a problem with it. JK has issues she wants to explore in these books and she has written characters that allow her to do so.

If you want female leads in crime fiction may I suggest Val McDermid, Kathy Reichs, Karin Slaughter or Patricia Cornwall.

Kathy Reichs even has an alcoholic female lead with a pretty boy on/off boyfriend who she is reluctant to commit to.

Interestingly Val McDermid has written some fab female leads (Lindsey Gordon, Karen Pirie, Kate Brannigan) but the only ones picked up for TV is the Tony Hill and Carol Jordan series. Jordan is a senior detective, hill a consultant, they get fairly equal billing in the books but on TV they are all about Tony Hill.

Sorry to derail, but I believe there were protests from LGB groups at the time, including outside cinemas- even though Thomas Harris took inspiration from real life killers including Ed Gein who dressed in his dead mother’s clothing and wanted to make a “woman suit” out of female flesh.

I bet they weren't wishing Thomas Harris dead.

No and maybe some of that was down to the fact it was pre-twitter but probably down to Harris being a man.
It certainly hasn’t harmed his career.