The Cuckoo's Calling

Let's get the issue of Rowling out of the way before I get into the actual book review. First of which is to say that I'm not going to discuss Rowling beyond saying that the fact that she doesn't know when to shut her mouth shows that having lots of money can affect the way that anyone views themselves and the world. She's at that stage where she believes that she, because she is who she is, is right and doesn't need to listen to other people, so she has continued to dig her hole bigger and bigger rather than just shutting up and keeping her opinions to herself. That she didn't shut up shows an amount of entitlement which is disappointing.The other thing I want to say is that I started reading this book... well, so long ago that I don't remember when it was. I picked it up during some free promotion thing just to check it out and have been reading it in bits and pieces ever since. It's on my Kindle, and I don't really read from my Kindle all that often. I don't carry it places with me like I do physical books, so I lag a lot with books on there unless they are really engrossing. Which tells you that this book was not. Seriously, I've been working on it for over a year, maybe closer to two.What this book has taught me is that I need to read some Agatha Christie, something I've been meaning to do for a long time and have never gotten around to. Maybe I don't like detective novels? I don't know. I like Butcher's Dresden books, but they're hardly detective novels after the first few. Beyond those, I can't recall any mystery novels I've ever really liked, including this one.Which is not to say that I didn't like it, I just didn't much care for it. Rowling doesn't make it possible for the reader to really solve the mystery as they're reading, which seems to me to be the point of detective novels, because she doesn't reveal crucial information until the actual reveal at the end of the novel, and the reveal was one of the most contrived things I've ever read. And this is an ABSOLUTE SPOILER, so turn away now if you don't want to know who the killer is...I'm waiting...Still waiting, because I'm absolutely serious that I'm going to spoil the ending of this book. And let me just toss out there that I never spoil a book that I think you ought to read. If I spoil it, it's because I don't think it's really worth your trouble.Having said that, the book itself was just fine. By that, I mean it's readable. Mostly engaging, though not engaging enough to prompt me to read it more quickly. It's... typical. Down on his luck private eye getting a high paying, juicy case which might just get him out of debt. Your basic story about an underachiever finally getting a break and getting to show the world who he really is. Honestly, after Harry Potter, I expected something less... cliché.So the book goes along with our detective -- the son of a famous rock star, seriously? -- gathering up evidence about a case that is several months cold. And closed. But he's hired by the brother of the murdered woman because the brother believes it was a murder though the police ruled it a suicide. And this is the hitch and what I'm sure Rowling thought would make it a clever story: the brother is the murderer. So Strike is hired by the murderer to discover who the murderer is. The motivation for this is never explained adequately since the murderer had already gotten away with the crime.What the novel mostly does, as most mystery shows do (I don't know about mystery novels, as I said, but I have watched a lot of detective shows) is to show that everyone had a motive for killing the victim. Rowling walks us through the suspects over and over again almost always strengthening the case for why each person might have wanted Lulu dead. In fact, the only person not shown to have a motive, not until the very end of the book, basically not until just before the reveal, is the actual murderer. Of course, the motive is money, but we don't get to find out the murderer's money issues until Strike is sitting alone in a room with the murderer revealing all the things the murderer already knows.The reveal was clumsy and contrived. The fact that Bristow (the murderer) sits through Strike's walkthrough of the entire crime is, frankly, unbelievable. The fact that Bristow then attacks Strike is even more unbelievable considering that Strike is a bear of a man and ex-boxer while Bristow is your very stereotypical account type, even though he's a lawyer, not an account, a "gag" that is run into the ground over the course of the book.I want to say that Rowling's strength as a writer is her characters but, as I'm thinking of this now, she has no real strength in that, either. Her character's tend toward the stereotype, including pretty much all of the characters in Harry Potter. In Harry Potter, we're able to overlook that, though, because the world is so new and interesting, but this world, the world of C. B. Strike, is not new or interesting so the fact that all of the characters are two dimensional really stands out. The most real character in the book is Strike's temporary secretary, Robin, and she's really just a pale reflection of Hermione Granger.Also, the title of this book is stupid. It's just tossed in somewhere over the halfway mark of the book that "Cuckoo" is a nickname of the murdered woman that only one character in the book ever called her. It's a throwaway excuse to have "Cuckoo" in the title. Without that very vague reason, the title of the book is meaningless.So, yeah, I suppose I am actually disappointed with this book and don't really understand all the praise for it. Again, maybe I just don't really like detective novels; I don't know. This book doesn't inspire me to try more, though.

In an interview J K Rowling stated she writes what she visualizes. Great imaginationThe descriptive details drew me in from the beginning.After each chapter I wanted to read more.Definitely going to read the Harry Potter series just for the fun of reading this author

A riveting murder mystery featuring a compelling detective with a crumbling lifestyle and a clever sidekick with a lot of heart. I was totally engrossed from beginning to end. A stellar achievement."A lie would have no sense unless the truth felt as dangerous."How far will people go for greed and envy? How intricate a web is weaved to cover up lies, to deceive and to come out the victor? This riveting murder mystery by J.K. Rowling, writing under the pseudonym of Robert Galbraith, seeks to uncover whether the suicide of famous and flawed model Lula Landry (or Cuckoo, as a friend called her) was indeed that, or rather, a cleverly plotted murder daftly overlooked by authorities. I'd desired to read something different than the contemporary romance genre for awhile, and just recently, when I found my battered, overly worn copy of And Then They Were None by Agatha Christie, I determinedly set out to find a mystery novel to shake me out of my romantic reverie. Admittedly, when I discovered that J.K. Rowling, author of one of my all-time favorite series (Harry Potter) wrote a classic mystery novel, well I one-clicked and started reading. And wow... it's an absolutely stellar, enrapturing read.I couldn't help but seek out the tell-tale imprint of J.K. Rowling in the story and certainly there are some recognizable elements. First off, the story is masterfully structured, her writing precise and vivid, creating a rich and clear depiction of the world, people and circumstances. As with Harry Potter novels, the sensory precision of her words made me feel as if I were actually there, in the cold and shadowed streets of London. I could almost picture the shrouding mist and innately mysterious street in which Harry Potter grew up with the Weasleys. Our protagonist is a military veteran that has lost part of his leg, and is for all practicality an orphan having lost his mother and ignored by his famous father. In a very J.K. Rowling fashion, his name is unique and memorable (I loved researching the names she chose in the Harry Potter series)... Cormoran Strike. Strike, as he calls himself, has had a difficult life and is now barely making it as a private detective with the threat of surmounting debt and diminishing clients."Strike's conscience, once firm and inelastic, had been weakened by repeated blows of fate."When he receives an unexpected visit from the brother of his childhood best friend to investigate the suicide of his sister, Lula Landry, Strike gets on the case. Assisted by the clever and resourceful temporary assistant, Robin, they begin an investigation that immerses them in the glittering, well-monied circles of London and takes them through a barrage of awkward conversations and not-quite-right-aligned stories from Lula's eccentric group of friends and family. J.K. Rowling weaves in some impactful social commentary as a means to enhance the story and enmesh us even deeper into the mystery."What we mourn is the physical image flickering across a multitude of red-tops and celeb mags; an image that sold us clothes and handbags and a notion of celebrity that, in her demise, proved to be empty and transient as a soap bubble. What we actually miss, were we honest enough to admit it, are the entertaining antics of that paper-thin good-time girl, whose strip-cartoon existence of drug abuse, riotous living, fancy clothes and dangerous on-off boyfriend we can no longer enjoy."Lula was a beautiful model of mixed race, adopted by the wealthy and white Bristow family. She never felt like she quite fit in, despite the crushing over protectiveness of her mother, so she sought her biological parents to find a much-needed connection to her identity. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder and surrounded by other models, designers and drug users, everyone seemed to accept her death as a suicide."They wrote that she was unbalanced, unstable, unsuited to the superstardom her wildness and her beauty had snared; that she had moved among an immoral moneyed class that had corrupted her; that the decadence of her new life had unhinged an already fragile personality."But as Strike continues his investigation, so much more is uncovered and I was completely entrenched in the story, attempting to piece together the clues in this classic "who done it" story."Laymen, in Strike's experience, were obsessed with motive; opportunity topped the professional's list."Every time I thought I had it all figured out, something would happen that had me doubting my rationale and in the end, my first guess was actually correct, but the journey took me on a series of twists and turns that had me biting my nails along the way, questioning everything and everyone. I thought the novel was brilliantly written, well-paced and highly addictive. I loved it and I devoured it and I highly recommend this book. To me, J.K. Rowling has further proven her versatility and genius as a writer and this book is yet another stellar accomplishment. I hope there are more adventures to come for Cormoran Strike!"The dead could only speak through the mouths of those left behind, and through the signs they left scattered behind them."

I absolutely love this series and wish I could forget it so I could read it again for the first time

As an author of non-fiction books, I thought it was high time that I took on the writing of a fiction novel as my next challenge.My agent had suggested it previously, but now I was ready.In his book 'On Writing, Stephan King suggests that all authors should do two things to improve their craft: read and write, a lot.I was interested to see how JK Rowling under the pseudonym of Robert Galbraith (sorry if this is a plot spoiler for you), would handle the transition from writing for children to adults.I'll tell you how well she managed it: I became so engrossed in the first of the series of Cormoran Strike detective novels that I forgot about studying her work and just enjoyed it.You don't need me to summarise the story, after all, that's what the back cover is for, but I will say that I am in awe of Galbraith/ Rowling. I have not since reading 'Love in a time of Cholera' by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, found another author who makes a detailed description of the 'mundane' as entertaining as Galbraith.it's an unbelievably tricky skill to walk the tight rope between superfluous and necessary description (I know all too well, often falling the wrong side).I still don't l know how she does it, but now I'm too busy reading the strike novels solely for pleasure to care.PS: I sent the book to my dad in Cornwall who is now also hooked!Enjoy.Matt :)

Let’s get this out the way- I’m a huge Harry Potter fan. I used to manage the children’s section in my local bookshop, and I read every kids book going. I would tell all my customers the same thing- Harry is the best. You can’t beat it.Having said that...I prefer Corm.Seriously, how does JK do it? She has a masterful grasp of plot, character, pacing, the works. I am also constantly amazed by how good she is at coming up with character names!The story is artful in it’s simplicity. Model dies after hurtling from a balcony, did she fall or was she pushed? Add a complex cast of starry, shallow, money hungry, a-moral characters and you have a great yarn ahead of you.The main reason it’s so compelling is the man himself, Cormoran Strike. It’s hard to create a detective without being cliched, and somehow JK has done it. Who knew a one legged army vet with a penchant for beautiful, psychotic women would be so interesting to read about. I also love Robin, who manages in this book to be wide eyed and eager without going full Enid Blyton.Stellar as always. I recommend it to everyone.(Special mention to Robert Glenister, best audiobook reader I’ve ever heard)

The book is written in third person narration and written from the perspectives of Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin Ellacott. I found the writing style quite difficult, it was written in the same style as the Harry Potter series, with the same kind of descriptions being used, for example these are the first two sentences, The buzz in the street was like the humming of flies. Photographers stood massed behind barriers patrolled by police, their long-snouted cameras poised, their breath rising like steam." Which to me seems quite awkward and it just doesn't sit right with what the book is about and its general tone. To me the writing style for Harry Potter helped add to the magic of the story, it enriched it, here it just seems out of place and distracts from the story.The story focuses on Cormoran Strike and his P.I business. He is asked by a former class mate's brother to investigate the death of his sister, who was a supermodel and which the police have decided was a suicide. We then go along with Cormoran as he investigates her death.I did this like this book, it was a good read and Rowling weaves quite a few different plot points together well and we get to know the both Cormoran and Robin quite well, as there is a lot of their backstory in the book. The plot isn't massively complicated though and while there are a few twists and turns as the events unfold, it all feels a bit underwhelming in the end.I found there was also a little bit of spitefulness in Rowling's writing style too, towards many of the characters, mainly the female ones and the celebrities, while there seems to be hints of outward dislike to Rowling's press in the book. I can't really put my finger on exactly what it was, but there seemed to be an edge of smugness and spitefulness while Rowling is narrating scenes involving them.I will be reading the next book in the series as I am intrigued enough by the characters of Cormoran (even though he seems to be a copy of Hagrid, less the half giant part of course) and Robin.

I bought this book because so many of my friends and colleagues were raving about the Cormoran Strike series and getting excited about the release of the fourth book and I had to keep warning them not to reveal any spoilers. And the Harry Potter series is definitely well constructed and worth reading. Plus, I like a good detective story, so it seemed like a sure thing.Unfortunately, this is *not* a good detective story. It is a very mediocre one, with a plot that owes much to the infinitely superior 'An Unsuitable Job for a Woman'. The characters are unappealing: Strike reminds me of Cracker-without-the-charm (which may be because Galbraith/Rowling is rewriting Hagrid who was also played by Robbie Coltrane) and her only way of letting us know that Robin isn't nice-but-dim is to repeatedly tell us 'she asked intelligently', 'she looked round intelligently', 'she listened intelligently', &c. Honestly, the lady doth protest too much.So I'm now going to let my friends and colleagues sing the praises of this series to high heaven and reveal as many spoilers as their hearts desire -- no skin off my nose: I won't be wasting my time reading any more of this disappointing series. Ms Rowling should, I feel, stick to children's fiction which is where her true talents lie.

When supermodel Lulu Landry falls to her death from her apartment window, the police decide it was suicide. She had been on medication for depression.Earlier that evening having a big bust-up with her boyfriend. But her brother, John Bristow, doesn’t believe that verdict – he’s convinced that Lulu was murdered. So he seeks the help of Cormoran Strike, ex-military man and not very successful private detective, to investigate.Cormoran has a secretary that does more than her job description to aid him by looking up on the internet ; setting up appointments. They work well as a team.The author is J K Rowling not Robert. She did so she could write other books!Well written and a page turner. I will be reading more of this series.