The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert GalbraithMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
The book is the first mystery novel by J.K. Rowling, published under the pseudonym
Robert Gailbraith.
No matter what Rowling writes about now, she will constantly be measured against her blockbuster Harry Potter series.
The Cukoo’s Calling is no Harry Potter. Yet the book draws you in right from the first chapter. It is a page turner for sure.
A famous model, Lula Landry, has plunged to her death from her pricey London penthouse. It is being seen as a suicide.
Robin Ellacott has just moved to London from Yorkshire to be with her newly affianced boyfriend, Matthew. She is temping as a secretary till she finds a proper full time job. She has been assigned to Cormoran Strike, a private detective.
Cormoran Strike has just been chucked out of his girlfriend’s apartment and is living in his office. His work is not going too well.
Into this situation walks John Bristow, brother of Lula Landry. He is convinced that someone pushed his sister off her balcony, that she did not commit suicide. He wants Strike to take the case up.
The story has a brisk pace. As I mentioned before, it is a page turner. A lot happens. We learn a lot about Cormoran Strike and the kind of problems and troubles he faces, both internal and external, as he tries to get to the bottom of the Lula Landry mystery.
At times, all the information thrown at you becomes overwhelming. Strike ruminates less and uncovers more. So we get bombarded with a lot happening.
If Rowling/Galbraith is planning another in the Strike Mysteries, I am in. I am hoping the next mystery will be as compelling, and a tad less crowded.
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1 comment:
Astonishingly good detective story, which manages to dodge the conventions of the form. I taught a course on the conventions of detective stories for several years, so I have some background in this. I do not believe any reader would not enjoy the story.
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