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The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike, #1)

Robert Galbraith

Start date: October 2, 2013

Finish date: October 31, 2013

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What Members Thought

May 31, 2015 Trisha rated it liked it

"The dead could only speak through the mouths of those left behind, and through the signs they left scattered behind them."

I absolutely loved this one. I was thoroughly hooked from the first few chapters. Even with a huge cast, which this author seems to really love, it was easy for me to follow and keep track of.

And I never had any idea who done it. All the pieces seemed to take forever to be put into place for me. An absolute favorite and a series I will definitely keep reading.

I loved Robin a ...more

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Aug 08, 2013 Michael rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery, read-in-2013, tower-team-challenge-b, pbrc-tower-challenge

Several times while reading The Cuckoo's Calling,I kept wondering if and when the novel might have come up on my radar had it not been for the coverage that the Robert Galbraith is a pen name for best-selling author J.K. Rowling.

I probably wouldn't have sampled it as quickly, but I do think I'd have tried the novel eventually. I also think I would have enjoyed it just as much as I did here. A good mystery is a good mystery, no matter who's telling the story.

And for my money, The Cuckoo's Callin Several times while reading The Cuckoo's Calling,I kept wondering if and when the novel might have come up on my radar had it not been for the coverage that the Robert Galbraith is a pen name for best-selling author J.K. Rowling.

I probably wouldn't have sampled it as quickly, but I do think I'd have tried the novel eventually. I also think I would have enjoyed it just as much as I did here. A good mystery is a good mystery, no matter who's telling the story.

And for my money, The Cuckoo's Calling is a good mystery.

Down on his luck private investigator Cormoran Strike is having a good run of bad luck. He's down to a single client, he can't pay his bills and his girlfriend has kicked him out of their apartment, possibly for good this time. Enter into his life a new temporary secretary in Robyn, who Strike doesn't have the money to pay, much less the business to justify employing her in a regular position. But Strike's ship may have come in when the well-to-do client John Bristow enters the office and convinces Strike to take the case of the apparent suicide of his model sister, Lula Landry. Strike is won over by Bristow's conviction and the sheer amount of money that Bristow can pay to look further into the case.

If you're a fan of British mysteries like those written by Elizabeth George, you're probably going to enjoy The Cuckoo's Calling. The story brings in a variety of suspects, red herrings and interesting investigative avenues before the culprit is finally revealed. In addition, the novel also delves a bit into the characters of Strike and Robyn, who is attracted to the private eye lifestyle that Strike inhabits. The novel is clearly setting these two up as an intriguing team of detectives with Strike as the old-school detective and Robyn's mastery of all things Google and the ability to put together pieces that Strike has overlooked or heading down avenues that Strike has not thought of yet.

It's interesting to see Rowling try new things as a writer. This one is clearly not intended for readers who grew up on Harry Potter. And while a series of novels set in this universe probably won't fly off shelves like the adventures of the boy wizard did, I can't help but think a few more entries in this series couldn't or wouldn't be as satisfying and entertaining to read. I certainly know I'd be interested in reading more of the exploits of Strike and Robyn. ...more

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Oct 10, 2013 Rebekah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-thriller, genre-adult, rating-4, genre-mystery-crime, genre-mystery, series, genre-thriller-mystery-thriller, setting-uk, well-read, genre-fiction

To me this was an entertaining little mystery!

1 like · Like · see review

Jul 29, 2015 JK rated it liked it

Shelves: mysteries

A 3 star rating is somewhat unfair, but yet I can't get myself to rate it 4 stars. JK Rowling is good at creating long flowing descriptions as seen in the Harry Potter series, but that same style in an adult mystery fiction is hard to digest. I ended up skipping several pages all around when I felt it wasn't going anywhere. While long descriptions were great in Harry Potter, which was set in a fantasy world, modern day England really didn't need that help. It made my imagination fall asleep.

The ...more

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Mar 06, 2017 Jenn rated it liked it

Shelves: mysteries, 2017-finished

While the storyline and the weaving of the investigation was enjoyable the heavy description led to boredom at times. Read this one in spurts rather than long reading times due to this.

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Oct 31, 2013 Nancy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: crime, still-owned

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - perhaps because I am possibly the only person in the world who has never read Harry Potter so I wasn't comparing it to anything. I really enjoyed the story, the characters and the pace and I am so looking forward to more books with this detective. It was also great because I know London so well and so I could picture most of the places described. About the only thing that bothered me slightly was the constant misunderstandings between Strike and Robin, although I ...more

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Feb 06, 2014 Rachel N. rated it really liked it

Cormoran strike is a private investigator who is hurting for clients when John Bristow comes to Cormoran's office and hires him to look into the supposed suicide of John's sister the supermodel Lula Landry. Cormoran has just gotten a new temporary secretary Robin who proves to be very useful in the investigation. JK Rowling can write mysteries as well as young adult series. I was surprised by the ending and enjoyed the investigation. It's just too bad that this book and lots of other good books ...more

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