The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith

The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike, #1)

by Robert Galbraith

When a troubled model falls to her death from a snow-covered Mayfair balcony, it is assumed that she has committed suicide. However, her brother has his doubts, and calls in private investigator Cormoran Strike to look into the case.

Strike is a war veteran - wounded both physically and psychologically - and his life is in disarray. The case gives him a financial lifeline, but it comes at a personal cost: the more he delves into the young model's complex world, the darker things get - and the closer he gets to terrible danger . . .

A gripping, elegant mystery steeped in the atmosphere of London - from the hushed streets of Mayfair to the backstreet pubs of the East End to the bustle of Soho - The Cuckoo's Calling is a remarkable book. Introducing Cormoran Strike, this is the acclaimed first crime novel by J.K. Rowling, writing under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.

Reviewed by celinenyx on

4 of 5 stars

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I liked this book.

The Cuckoo's Calling is a for me thoroughly British mystery. In my rather limited experience with the mystery and crime genres, I associate these kind of quiet, meandering kind of mysteries to British television (like Midsomer Murders) while the flashy action based ones seem American to me (like CSI). I might be completely prejudiced, but I do think the Midsomer Murders analogy works good for The Cuckoo's Calling. All the actual detective work is done by having conversations, instead of "doing" things.

Cormoran Strike is an ex-military with only one leg, trying to make ends meet by being a private detective. When the brother of one of his high school mates asks him to look into the death of his adopted sister, a well-known model, he agrees. Together with his temp assistant Robin he tries to unravel why Lula ended up falling from her balcony on a cold winter night.

In an interview with Ms Rowling about The Casual Vacancy she showed a profound interesting into delving into the workings of human nature. In my opinion characterisation is the main thread that follows through all of her works - but Harry Potter and adult books. Through internal monologue and actions she tries to make these characters real. All of the characters do what they do for a reason - all the motivations are true to their specific nature. This also means that plenty of Rowling's characters are very unpolished and sometimes weird. Humanity is sometimes very unpolished and weird.

I agree with other reviewers that The Cuckoo's Calling doesn't make a huge impact. It hasn't got the mind-blowing climax that other novels have, but I didn't mind that it didn't. After reading The Casual Vacancy I thought to myself, "I wish she would write a mystery novel - she'd be great for that". I got my wish, and I loved immersing myself into Rowling's writing trying to unravel this mystery along with Strike. I'm thrilled that the next book in the Cormoran Strike series is already scheduled, and I can't wait to get my hands on it.

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  • Started reading
  • 21 September, 2013: Finished reading
  • 21 September, 2013: Reviewed