The Cuckoo's Calling is a 2013 crime fiction novel by J.K Rowling published under the pseudonym "Robert Galbraith".
Cormoran Strike, private investigator, is hired by John Bristow, the adopted brother of famous supermodel Lula Laundry. Bristow wants Strike to investigate his sister's supposed suicide.
Sceptical at first, Strike then finds himself indulged in the investigation, which keeps readers guessing at every turn, and with each character providing motive to kill, the list becomes a long one;
Who could have wanted Lula dead?
It's understandable that Rowling wanted anonymity to be able to work without hype or expectation and to receive totally unvarnished feedback. If the reviews of her first adult novel, "The Casual Vacancy" are any indication, anything she publishes will eventually be compared to "Harry Potter" even if its a different genre, or judged not on the merits of the story but because it was written by J.K Rowling. I did find it difficult to judge the book on its own merit, knowing deep down who the author was gave me high expectations and the immediate knowledge of her ability to provide immaculate attention to detail.
Rowling is great at creating characters (and with unusual or alliterative and meaningful names at that), which is evident in the Potter books. It was also what i appreciated the most in "The Casual Vacancy", and what kept me reading it when it became too dragging and grim.
If i wasn't aware of the author; this book would not stand out for me (the cover or the title) in the dozens of other crime novels on the shelf. The book is about 100 pages too long, some of the stories were too dragged out, and as a reader i didn't feel the need to know about Robin and her story as it bared no connection to the overall story.
Overall, a brilliant read, Rowling has done a marvellous job in creating characters that can be envisioned and sympathised with, she also leaves it open for many more of Strike's adventures!
- Carey
"The Cuckoo's Calling" is a brilliant book, and with not reading any of Rowling's previous works i had to judge the book on its own merit and i found it amazing.
I loved the characters Strike and Robin and felt her story was relevant and Rowling is setting a background for future stories. Although in places there wasn't a lot of action, a sign of a good book is the bits in between are built well and keeps readers interested.
My only criticism is the book is slightly too long and the swear words could have been cut out.
I would definitely recommend this book to other readers!
- Ann
"The Cuckoo's Calling" is a book where Rowling seems to have the intentions of writing another (a trilogy perhaps?), Rowling writes with great attention to detail, which is easy to read.
The characters are well rounded and have great names, with this they were easy to visualise and relate to. I found this book was easier to read than our last (book club) choice "And the mountain's echoed" by Khaled Hoseini, as (although a crime novel) i found it relate-able (because of the media perceptions i already have) and Rowling writes with great story and character expectations.
Rowling has modernised a detective novel and i enjoyed the length and atmosphere of the book. The background of fame is done well and i enjoyed the psychology of the story.
Overall, a great read and i would definitely recommend it!
-April
In comparison to Harry Potter i thoroughly enjoyed "The Cuckoo's Calling". The book is easy to read which you can pick up and down, with the plot and characters memorable.
I liked the light hearted nature of the book, and how Strike solved the mystery by a bluff, and the cliche ending.
I found Robin didn't bare much substance, her background wasn't needed, and Strike's war injury seemed vague in times, i was expecting something more to be said (perhaps in future books?)
Overall, a brilliant read, and i found myself thinking about the book after reading it, I'm hoping (and looking forward to) the next instalment!
-David
Cormoran Strike, private investigator, is hired by John Bristow, the adopted brother of famous supermodel Lula Laundry. Bristow wants Strike to investigate his sister's supposed suicide.
Sceptical at first, Strike then finds himself indulged in the investigation, which keeps readers guessing at every turn, and with each character providing motive to kill, the list becomes a long one;
Who could have wanted Lula dead?
- Guy Some: Famous fashion designer to whom Lula was a muse;
- Kieran Kovolas-Jones: The wannabe star and Lula's favourite driver;
- Either one of the Bestigus: The power/money mad couple living just below Lula;
- Tony Laundry: Uncle and resident Mr Nasty or;
- Evan Duffield: Loser addict-but-famous boyfriend.
It's understandable that Rowling wanted anonymity to be able to work without hype or expectation and to receive totally unvarnished feedback. If the reviews of her first adult novel, "The Casual Vacancy" are any indication, anything she publishes will eventually be compared to "Harry Potter" even if its a different genre, or judged not on the merits of the story but because it was written by J.K Rowling. I did find it difficult to judge the book on its own merit, knowing deep down who the author was gave me high expectations and the immediate knowledge of her ability to provide immaculate attention to detail.
Rowling is great at creating characters (and with unusual or alliterative and meaningful names at that), which is evident in the Potter books. It was also what i appreciated the most in "The Casual Vacancy", and what kept me reading it when it became too dragging and grim.
If i wasn't aware of the author; this book would not stand out for me (the cover or the title) in the dozens of other crime novels on the shelf. The book is about 100 pages too long, some of the stories were too dragged out, and as a reader i didn't feel the need to know about Robin and her story as it bared no connection to the overall story.
Overall, a brilliant read, Rowling has done a marvellous job in creating characters that can be envisioned and sympathised with, she also leaves it open for many more of Strike's adventures!
- Carey
"The Cuckoo's Calling" is a brilliant book, and with not reading any of Rowling's previous works i had to judge the book on its own merit and i found it amazing.
I loved the characters Strike and Robin and felt her story was relevant and Rowling is setting a background for future stories. Although in places there wasn't a lot of action, a sign of a good book is the bits in between are built well and keeps readers interested.
My only criticism is the book is slightly too long and the swear words could have been cut out.
I would definitely recommend this book to other readers!
- Ann
"The Cuckoo's Calling" is a book where Rowling seems to have the intentions of writing another (a trilogy perhaps?), Rowling writes with great attention to detail, which is easy to read.
The characters are well rounded and have great names, with this they were easy to visualise and relate to. I found this book was easier to read than our last (book club) choice "And the mountain's echoed" by Khaled Hoseini, as (although a crime novel) i found it relate-able (because of the media perceptions i already have) and Rowling writes with great story and character expectations.
Rowling has modernised a detective novel and i enjoyed the length and atmosphere of the book. The background of fame is done well and i enjoyed the psychology of the story.
Overall, a great read and i would definitely recommend it!
-April
In comparison to Harry Potter i thoroughly enjoyed "The Cuckoo's Calling". The book is easy to read which you can pick up and down, with the plot and characters memorable.
I liked the light hearted nature of the book, and how Strike solved the mystery by a bluff, and the cliche ending.
I found Robin didn't bare much substance, her background wasn't needed, and Strike's war injury seemed vague in times, i was expecting something more to be said (perhaps in future books?)
Overall, a brilliant read, and i found myself thinking about the book after reading it, I'm hoping (and looking forward to) the next instalment!
-David
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