The Cuckoo's Calling Review
(Photo Courtesy of Goodreads.com)
With "The Cuckoo's Calling," J.K. Rowling, writing under the pseudonym of Robert Galbraith, shows she isn't confined to writing in the Wizarding World. I know this is the first time, ever, that anyone has ever praised Rowling's writing, however, "Cuckoo's Calling" shows that an author with her talent can bring it to bear on any story to make it engaging, touching, and difficult to put down.
Cormoran Strike, the lead character of the story, scratched an itch in my life for private investigating. A down-on-his-luck detective whose personal life adds flavors to his professional work, who is good at his job and does it with a chip on his shoulder (British pun). Interspersed with a great mystery there are personal asides with interesting characters like Guy Some, the flamboyant fashion designer; Robin Ettacott, Strike's temporary assistant, recently engaged and discovering she might like private investigating more than human resources and Tansy Bestigui, busybody wife to a powerful lawyer who may or may not have witnessed a murder.
The characters are written so vividly and distinctly their voices speak to you directly from the page. The dialogue in this book should be taught in classes. Story points and character beats are sometimes displayed with little to no exposition aside from what their dialogue tells us.
We're not treated to in-depth character studies of Cormoran or Robin, which is fine because this isn't a story that demands it. What we are treated to is a fine display of what is to come in the series. We get a look at modern London and some great musings on the human condition. Anything from class divisions to stereotypes are displayed in a way that is impossible to be mistaken as "preachy."
This is a story that fits in between the cozy mystery and the psychological thriller, and in the process carves out its own niche in the mystery genre. I rarely buy books in hardcover, but with this series I'm going to make an exception. Several exceptions.
If a light, well-plotted story are a few things you like out of your literature, no one will be disappointed with "The Cuckoo's Calling." Read it, you won't regret!
5/5 Stars
