I took up on the book because i can't stand the idea that someone can decide what characteristics the killer of a book can or cannot have based on political correctness. I had to read the book and decide for myself.
What amazes me is that people has been criticising the novel for the presence of a male serial killer dressing as a woman ti gain the victims' confidence, and not for the obvious fact that the book is not particularly brilliant literature.
Strike's series is a bit like Harry potter series: funny literature but not particularly good literature. And this last book more so: hundreds of pages to basically dilute the real nature of the novel, ie a romance spiced up as a crime story.
I would not say i did not enjoy reading it as i enjoy reading enticing plots and multiple subplots in mainstream classics like Ken Follett or similar stuff. But i would never re-read or spend a minute pondering meaning out of it.
So, dear people not liking jk rowling, instead of making a fuss over her half sentences on people gender choices, i would have found far more effective to expose this book for its more blatant limits. Cheers!