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, thelegendary 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.
*May Contain Spoilers*
J. K. Rowling's latest book, The Cuckoo's Calling, is a mature crime novel that centers around a supermodel's suicide. While Lula Landry is the focal point of the investigation, Strike becomes the main character as he tries to determine if the police missed some key evidence when ruling Lula's death as self-inflicted.
Cormoran Strike is an experienced war veteran who also served with the military police force. He's always had the knack for close observation and he utilizes his unique skill set by working as a private eye. Strike is intelligent and curious, a former Oxford student. He's pushy, demanding, persuasive, and persistent. These traits, coupled with his attention to detail and ability to sell a lie, make him a damn good detective. While not working on the case, readers also learn that he is loving, thoughtful, and understanding. Readers will revel in his investigative nature but connect with his personality and past. The not-so-lovey side plot will bring readers close while the main story line keeps them reading.
The plot starts off slow, which is odd in a crime novel. The first two parts of the book work to set up the investigation and then the story takes off when readers learn that Strike has a theory - and so far it's spot on. Though, the theory isn't revealed until the end. It isn't an easy conclusion to draw but I think reader's will enjoy the surprise ending. There were a couple of typos in the Kindle edition, but nothing more than instant distractions. I love Rowling's writing style, her ability to apply intent to a description, and the thought process behind the character's actions. Highly recommended novel.
Rating: 3.5/5 Cups
