When the news came out that J.K. Rowling had written another novel for adults, but this time under a pseudonym, I was immediately curious and wanted to read it. I read The Casual Vacancy and was not very impressed. Bravo, Ms. Rowling for trying your hand at a mystery this time! She wrote this book in much the same style as her previous novel, but with plenty of mysterious circumstances thrown in.  I was kept interested throughout the whole story. We all knew she had it in her, what with Harry Potter being such a success. Apparently she just had to find her niche once again.

If you are interested in mysteries that surround murders, I would encourage you to pick this book up and give it a try. Most likely you won’t be disappointed!

Content Analysis:

Language/Profanity:  4 Religious exclamations; 20 Mild obscenities; 5 Derogatory names; 48 F-Word derivatives.

Violence/Gore:  A character falls from a window to death; a death is suspected to have either been murder or suicide; an adult slits their wrists in an attempt at taking their life.

Sex/Nudity:  Cheating on a spouse is suspected and talked of three times; a woman is referred to as “sexy”; prostitution is mentioned, but not expounded on; several descriptions of women’s breast as seen through clothing or when a character bends over; allusion to a character possibly not wearing underpants; descriptsion of sexual positions & acts; woman talks about touching a man’s leg/fondling private areas through clothing.

Mature Subject Matter:

Death, suicide.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Adults drink heavily on several occasions; adults smoke; drugs are mentioned to be used.