The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike, #1) by Robert Galbraith, J.K. Rowling
Narrator: Robert Glenister
Publication Date April 30th 2013
Source: Bought
Genres: Mystery
Goodreads
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, the legendary 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.
First Impressions
I was a Harry Potter connoisseur growing up. Hence, it only seemed natural for me to venture into Robert Galbraith’s Cormoran Strike series beginning with The Cuckoo’s Calling.
Impressions on Detective Work
There weren’t as many twists and turns as I had been hoping for and had suspicions of my own as to who murdered Lula Landry. Therefore, while Cormoran was a top-notch private detective and was very thorough with his research there was a spark that was missing.
Robin, his assistant I enjoyed more. She has great potential and at times felt like she was better on her feet than her boss. I am glad that Rowling/Gabraith has decided to keep her on and develop the character further.
Impressions on Narration
Robert Glenister did a marvelous job bringing the characters to life. He threw his voice appropriately and made The Cuckoo’s Calling highly listenable. I could see myself listening to something narrated by him again.
Final Impression
Overall, I think The Cuckoo’s Calling held potential for future novels in the series and can see myself continuing it. For this Harry Potter fan, the novel was a decent departure from Hogwarts and miles above The Casual Vacancy. However, it did take a while for the mystery to get on a roll. Therefore, a person with a short attention span may have difficulty with its lackluster beginning. Although, if the reader sticks with it they will be rewarded by a dubious conclusion that is worth the time.
I’ve been trying to decide whether or not to try this series. I think J.K. Rowlings would be great at writing a mystery. Even if the story was a bit slow, did you find the characters and plot were enough to keep you intrigued?