Book Summary and Reviews of The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith

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Cloggie Downunder

Page-turner crime fiction.
The Cuckoo’s Calling is the first book in the Cormoran Strike series by best-selling British author, J K Rowling, writing as Robert Galbraith. The author gathers together two interesting protagonists: an intelligent, if irreverent, ex-Army Special Investigations Branch RMP, Cormoran Strike, an Afghanistan war amputee who has set up a not-very-successful Private Detective business; and Robin Ellacott, the young woman who is, initially, his temporary secretary, resourceful, smart, enthusiastic, and showing plenty of initiative.

Their investigation into what has been deemed a celebrity suicide by the police introduces a cast of characters who are often not what they first seem.

Initially feeling a little guilty for accepting a fee for a foregone conclusion in what looks like a fairly straight-forward case, Strike nonetheless goes diligently through the motions, being quite thorough. He manages to get access to everyone who was even tangentially connected to the case, uncovers a few turns and soon enough believes his client is right: Lula Landry didn’t throw herself off her balcony. Getting the police to agree…

Galbraith paints a very realistic picture of the fashion industry, show business, and the attendant paparazzi common to both. Private adoption, inheritance, grief and consuming greed also feature. There is a lot more humour, some of it quite black, than might be expected from the blurb, with the inner monologues contributing significantly, and an excellent twist at the end. To date, there are seven further instalments, some quite hefty tomes, for readers who enjoy this cast and setting. Page-turner crime fiction.

Becky H

THE CUCKOO’S CALLING by Robert Galbraith (J K Rowling)
Rowling has written an engaging and tightly plotted mystery. The characters are well delineated and clearly drawn. I was especially impressed by how “true” the characters remained to themselves as the plot thickened (when I thought this was a debut novel). The situations with the paparazzi were interesting in retrospect as I wondered how much her own experience with the press and fans influenced her depiction of them.
We learn enough about Rowling’s damaged detective, Cormoran Strike, to like him and want to know more in succeeding installments of this obvious first in a series. His backstory with military service, marriage/divorce and law enforcement “friends” offer opportunity for additional story/plot nuggets for the future. His Girl Friday, Robin Ellacott, is intelligent and a worthy foil to Strike, although the boyfriend/fiancé is unknowable and likely to quickly disappear from the scene.
I liked that both entirely likeable and entirely unlikeable characters played a part in the plotting. There are several clear candidates for the villain and plenty of red herrings along the way. The ending is always in doubt until the final chapters. It is testament to Rowling’s ability that Lula, who is already dead when she first appears in the tale, emerges in totality even without the benefit of including “back flashes” as the book proceeds.
I hope that Rowling continues writing mysteries with Cormoran and Robin in many future novels.

Other books by Robert Galbraith at BookBrowse