May 12, 2014

The Cuckoo's Calling


The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)
Mystery
2013 Hachette Audio
Reader: Robert Glenister
Finished on 3/18/14
Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)



Publisher’s Blurb:

A brilliant debut mystery in a classic vein: Detective Cormoran Strike investigates a supermodel's suicide.

After losing his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan, Cormoran Strike is barely scraping by as a private investigator. Strike is down to one client, and creditors are calling. He has also just broken up with his longtime girlfriend and is living in his office.

Then John Bristow walks through his door with an amazing story: His sister, the legendary supermodel Lula Landry, known to her friends as the Cuckoo, famously fell to her death a few months earlier. The police ruled it a suicide, but John refuses to believe that. The case plunges Strike into the world of multimillionaire beauties, rock-star boyfriends, and desperate designers, and it introduces him to every variety of pleasure, enticement, seduction, and delusion known to man.

You may think you know detectives, but you've never met one quite like Strike. You may think you know about the wealthy and famous, but you've never seen them under an investigation like this.

Introducing Cormoran Strike, this is the acclaimed first crime novel by J.K. Rowling, writing under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.

When The Cuckoo’s Calling was first published, I didn’t give it even a cursory glance. I’d never heard of Robert Galbraith nor had I heard anything good or bad about this new mystery. Once it was revealed that the book was written by J.K. Rowling, I still wasn’t interested. I enjoyed the first three of four books in the Harry Potter series, but I never did go any further and finish up with the remaining books. But, then I started reading positive reviews for this new book and decided to get a copy for my husband to try. He wound up loving it and thought I would, too. He also said he’d be interested in the next book once it’s released. So, I decided to give it a go. The audio version was available at my library, so I downloaded it to my Nano and spent the next three weeks listening to it while I worked or drove around town. As with most mystery series, I enjoy the character development almost as much as trying to solve the mystery and Rowling delivers in both areas. I came to care about Cormoran Strike, as well as his temporary assistant, Robin, and I never did figure out the whodunit part of the book! Well done, Ms. Rowling!

Final Thoughts:

I’m not sure why I’m so surprised that J.K. Rowling was able to write such a compelling mystery, but I am, and she did! The Cuckoo’s Calling is evenly paced and well-written, a very satisfying read. I can’t wait until June 19th when the second book in this series, entitled The Silkworm, is released. This time, I’m going to read it before my husband!

18 comments:

  1. I passed on this book because I didn't care for Rowling's first adult book and now I'm kicking myself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The book is now out in paperback, so go for it! I don't usually feel the need to re-read a mystery, so I'd even say just get it from your library.

      Delete
  2. I loved this book! I skipped "Casual Vacancy" because the plot just didn't interest me, but this one sounded intriguing. And I read all of the Potter books and wanted to see what else Rowling could do. The two main characters are wonderful, I set the book down and told myself that I would be happy to read more adventures with them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, I'm not really interested in Casual Vacancy, but I am anxious to read the second in this series!

      Delete
  3. I'm not much of a mystery/crime reader, so I haven't picked this one up, but I'm glad to see you liked it! David (hubs) read it, too, and he really liked it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad to hear David enjoyed it, too! I'm keeping my eye out for an ARC for #2. :)

      Delete
  4. I received a copy of this to read before the author's true identity was revealed. It sounded like something I would like and I was eager to try a new author. Then when word broke, I found myself putting off reading it--and still haven't. I'm so bad, I know. I probably will really like it when I read it, it's just . . . all that hype! Ho hum. I'll get to it eventually. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, give it a try! I think you'll enjoy it. The hype has died down, don't you think? :)

      Delete
  5. I read this some time ago and thought it was pretty good. glad u got a chance to try it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad I got the chance to read it, too. Now I'm anxiously awaiting #2.

      Delete
  6. I've really been wondering about this one, even thought about it for book club.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't know if this would be a good one for a book club. It's a good mystery, but I'm not sure there's enough to discuss. Either way, give it a read!

      Delete
  7. We'll, if you and Rod love it, I should definitely open up my copy. Thanks for the endorsement.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You have a copy? Yes, I think you should read it. Did I say I loved it? I liked it A LOT, but love? Nah. I give it 4/5 stars. Love gets 4.75 or 5. :)

      Delete
    2. Oops, sorry for the misinterpretation. Although I've been so buried in books I'd give a score of 2 or 3 to, you can see why a 4 might be seen as stellar.

      Sometimes I long to go back to old blogging days, which I can barely remember, when I just read casually, remembered the books I read, and didn't feel obligated to write something incredibly wise about them.

      Delete
    3. That's pretty much where I am these days. Reading casually and composing fairly light reviews... about 3 months after I finish the book. ;) It helps that I'm not active in any book tours, nor do I accept ARC from authors/publishers. I do get some at work, which are sent to the store for booksellers to read, but there's no obligation to blog about them.

      Delete
  8. Not being a big mystery reader (or Harry Potter fan), I've never really given this much consideration. Sounds like I should...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think a non-mystery reader could still enjoy this book. The relationship between Strike and his temp is great. I hope to see more of her in the next installment.

      Delete

I may not answer your comments in a timely fashion, but I always answer. Check back soon!