The Cuckoo's Calling - September 2013

[Scott]

good review renee...just enough to make me wanna read...will let you know what i think.

[Renee]

Thanks. Curious to hear your thoughts on this one.

[Lynn, Moderator]

Rita - Pretty much the only paragraph that addressed your question (well what I could find looking back) was (view spoiler)[ "You got away with it, John. You could have afforded to keep paying Rochelle for life. With your luck, Jonah Agyeman might even have died in Afghanistan; you've been getting your hopes up every time you've seen a picture of a black soldier in the paper, haven't you? But you didn't want to trust to luck. You're a twisted, arragant fucker, and you thought you could arrange things better" (hide spoiler)]

I have to say looking back on it, that's a pretty unsatisfactory explanation :/ When I was reading it I saw it as him not wanting to chance the couple of loose ends left i.e. (view spoiler)[ Rochelle and Jonah (hide spoiler)] so decided to try and frame the brother. But now thinking about it all, it only really hints at that.

[Lisa]

I just saw Cuckoo's Calling in the Kindle store for $5.99?!? I got my copy from the library, but this deal is tempting me!

[[deleted user]]

Hoping to get to this one next week. I've not read anything by Rowling so not sure what to expect. I do love the HP movies though. Not sure if that's relevant at all. We'll see!

[Carmen]

I've not read any books by Rowlings and I went in with my mind open. Part one was quite dry and dull for me. I think this writing style bores me. I keep shutting down mentally as I read these long, complex, winding descriptive sentences. I am hoping all of this is just because I just finished a fast paced fantasy thriller. Part two seems to be picking up the pace ever so slightly. It is disappointing that I'm not yet fully captured and engaged already. I hope this picks up soon.

[Leslie]

Just joined this book club. Love the Harry Potter series, but I am a bit disappointed at the pacing of this novel. I am hoping that it picks up before I completely lose interest.

[Renee]

Carmen and Leslie, I was ready to give up on this book until I was about halfway into it. Eventually the pace picks up and the story unfolds. The second half is a much better read than the first half- in my opinion.

[Carmen]

Renee wrote: "Carmen and Leslie, I was ready to give up on this book until I was about halfway into it. Eventually the pace picks up and the story unfolds. The second half is a much better read than the first h..."

Well, that is good to know. I will continue to plod along until I reach the story's sweet spot.

[Savanes]

I agree that it is slow paced but I still find it interesting. I like the way she writes.

[Lynn, Moderator]

Yeah, JK builds characters and lets the stories unfold slowly. I do enjoy her writing.

[Kelli]

I just finished this book last night. I like JK's writing style for adults. It's much different than her children's fantasy writing style. I like the subtelties in her adult fiction, and the unfolding characterization. She's also great at red herrings! Hello!

I was fooled in the end. Hats of to you for weaving that so well Ms. Rowling! (view spoiler)[ I, like a few of you, suspected John from the getgo, but quickly dismissed him as a suspect. For a while I was actually considering Guy Some, but that was a brief fancy on my part. Eventually I came to the conclusion that it had to be Tony Landry. But, man were there inconsistencies.

I thought Strike's character was interesting and likeable, but there were a few parts that just had me shking my head at the stereotypes such as when he slept with Ciara, some facts of his military career...I mean, boxing in the military... please, this is a little played out, and the drunken scene (hide spoiler)]. I liked Robin, but not her relationship with her fiance. He was the archetypal overprotective/overbearing boyfriend.

One character that I loved was Tony Landry (view spoiler)[ who was surprisingly redeemed in the end once we found out about John .

I also really enjoyed the 20 something hacker, he was a hoot!

Overall, I'd say that this book was enjoyable. I wouldn't say it's the best mystery out there, but I enjoyed it enough to pick up further books with these characters. (hide spoiler)]

[Kelli]

Sorry... I had to edit that a few times... I didn't realize you could only write in a max of 2 spoilers into a post.

[Lynn, Moderator]

Neither did I Kelli!

[Jenn S. (Book Buzz)]

I just finished the book last night. It held my interest and I liked the characters, but I thought the plot was not as well thought out as it should have been. (view spoiler)[ It was almost as if the will on the blue paper and the long lost brother were thrown in at the last minute...why would Lulu have written a will quickly on a scrap of paper right before her death and she wasn't thinking suicide?...and who hid the paper in the lining of her bag? It could have explained better that she was fearing for her life because her brother John was pressuring her for money, I guess there is a lot of inferring left to the reader which is ok in some instances. It almost seemed like a let down that it was John the whole time and he would have been in the clear, but couldn't leave it alone...also left for the reader to ponder about. (hide spoiler)] I guess it is one of those books you continue to think about and keep figuring out in your head, but I wasn't sorry when it ended like when you read a really good book!

[Diane]

I'm at about 85% and can't pick who it may have been. I am enjoying it though. This genre is not one I would chose first, but because I like this book, I would certainly consider it again. Maybe I would also get better at following the clues if I read more of this genre. It's quite an easy read and just what I needed to read between heavy uni textbooks.

[Lorraine]

I enjoyed the book and particularly liked the relationship between Cormoran and Robin - I hope JK writes another with them. I was not expecting the ending (view spoiler)[ John being the killer, and finding the will hidden under the purse lining (hide spoiler)]. I gave it four stars.

[Marian]

I just got this book yesterday and Im looking forward to reading it:)

[Carmen]

I finally finished! The pacing was definitely too slow in the beginning for me. I was encouraged by many of you so I'm glad I hung in there. (view spoiler)[ The killer was a surprise for me. I suspected Guy and Tony. I thought John's concern over Lula's money was just his way of being protective. I enjoyed being surprised. The whole idea that Lula would write a will when she did was odd. The explanation seemed weak. It seemed if she were really afraid she would have been thinking of other things (like hiring security) rather than writing a will. (hide spoiler)] Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the mystery unfolding. I began to like Cormoran and Robin and their budding friendship. I wish there had been a few more layers added to their personalities and their personal lives to give them more depth. Then I'd have more connection to the characters. Otherwise, it was a good read.

[Lynn, Moderator]

The budding friendship between Strike and Robin was one of the highlights of the book for me; it definitely means I want to read more books with them.

[Diane]

I finished this book yesterday. I loved the writing style and found it an easy, relaxing read. I wasn't provoked into really disliking any of the characters, and perhaps this can be seen as a flaw in the novel. I think that Rowlings wanted us to dislike a couple of them so we would suspect them. I agree with Lynn and like the relationship between Strike and Robin. So many great themes in this book; friendship, overcoming adversity, relationships. Anyone want to add to the list feel free.

I was slightly disappointed with who it ended up being. I was expecting something new and different. I felt it's been done many times before.

However, I would definitely race out and buy the next instalment! I want to read lots more of Strike.

My next goal is to conquer the 'spoilers removed thing.' Looking forward to reading more books with you all. It's been a very rewarding experience.

[Taylor]

Diane, the spoilers removed thing displays on the goodreads app. The only way to show and hide the spoilers is to view the thread on a website. It drives me crazy because when I read from the app on my phone, I miss a lot of the conversation.

[Diane]

Ahhh...thanks Taylor! That explains a lot! Another mystery solved. :)

[Lori]

This book is like one of those movies you have to watch three times before you catch most of the clues as they are revealed. I enjoyed it! It was a really good audiobook!!!! Great characters who seem to live on beyond the last page. I will definitely be interested in reading book #2.

[Savanes]

You have to give it to JK Rowling, she sure knows how to write. However, I felt this book dragged. It could have been shorter or more packed with actions (versus endless character building). It's true that I felt like I knew the character but I didn't need all the descriptions. It's especially true for the first two parts of the book. Also, some mysteries remained unsolved which was very frustrating to me ((view spoiler)[what about the driver's weird behavior? or did I miss something? (hide spoiler)]). As to the killer, I had very strong suspicions from the beginning so I can't say I was shocked at the way it ended.

Nevertheless, this was a good book (not great but good) and I'm looking forward to more adventures of Strike and Robin

[Connie]

Loved this book. Can't wait for the next one.

[Kristie, Moderator]

I finally finished this one (it took a while to get it from the library). I thought it was good and it kept my interest, but I didn't love it. I'll still probably read the next in the series, but I can wait for when I get around to it. I am glad that it was a stand alone book.

Vanessa wrote: "Also, some mysteries remained unsolved which was very frustrating to me ((view spoiler))."

Vanessa - I wondered about that too. Very strange.