Author: Robert Galbraith
Genre: Mystery
Published on: September 22, 2015 by Mulholland Books (first published April 18, 2013)
When a troubled supermodel falls to her death from the balcony of her London home, it is assumed that she has committed suicide. However, her brother has his doubts and calls in private detective Cormoran Strike to investigate.
Strike is a war veteran--wounded both physically and psychologically--and his private life is in disarray. The case gives him a financial lifeline, but it comes at a personal cost: the more he delves into the young model's world, the darker things get and the closer he comes to terrible danger.
As a huge fan of both the Harry Potter series and of mystery/thriller novels, I was looking forward to reading this book. I was piqued when I heard J.K. Rowling started writing mysteries under the name Robert Galbraith. It took me longer than I wished to read it. My reading list is miles long and time just kept on passing. Anyway, I’ve finally got to the Cormoran Strike series. Was it worth the wait? Read on.
The Cuckoo’s Calling introduces private investigator Cormoran Strike. He’s about as interesting as his name is (by which I mean “a lot”). It sounds a bit like a military rank instead of a name. Cormoran Strike. The story is set in London. It opens with the death of supermodel Lula Landry. The event shocks everyone in the city. The Metropolitan Police conduct a thorough investigation. Lula’s death ends up being ruled a suicide.
Fast forward three months later. We meet Cormoran Strike just when he breaks up with his longtime on-again-off-again fiancée Charlotte Campbell. That is also the same day that Robin Ellacott starts working as a temp secretary for Strike. He’s rather inconvenienced with her at first. Strike is practically broke, so he can hardly afford an employee.
Strike gets a lucky break with his next client. He’s John Bristow, stepbrother of the late Lula Landry. John does not believe that his stepsister committed suicide. He wants Strike to re-investigate the case. To that end, John is willing to pay Strike double wages. After some back-and-forth, Strike agrees to take the case.
Most of the rest of The Cuckoo’s Calling is about Strike going over Lula’s life with a fine-toothed comb. He interviews everyone important that she was acquainted with. Little by little, Strike (and the reader) uncover more details about Lula Landry’s glamorous life. I’ve read a few reviews of this book, and this part gets the most criticism. Apparently Strike does 90% interviews and 10% action. It’s quite true; Strike’s interviews are really long, and he barely gets to do anything active. Part of it is due to his condition: Strike lost his leg as a soldier and now wears a prosthesis. While reading the interviews, I didn’t find them tedious. I still wish Strike had done a little more active work.
Robin Ellacott was quite the breakout character. I knew nothing about this series going in, so I thought she wouldn’t last long. I liked Robin, though. She proves herself to be an asset for Strike. Some of the breakthroughs in Lula’s case are thanks to Robin. She’s a good investigator with lots of initiative. Robin does tell the reader (through her thoughts) that for a long time she fancied a job like Strike’s. Now that Robin works for a PI who’s currently handling a high-profile case, her dream has come true. Unfortunately, Robin suffers from some of the same issues Strike does. The reader almost never sees Robin doing anything important. All the breakthroughs and fieldwork that Robin does happens “offscreen”. This was disappointing. I wanted to see Robin creatively glean intel from witnesses, not just read about her telling Strike about it after the fact.
Overall, I thought The Cuckoo’s Calling was a decent effort. Cormoran Strike turns out to be much better than just another Sherlock Holmes derivative. He’s quirky and incredibly sharp-witted. Robin Ellacott was an awesome sidekick. Her softness and charm contrast well against Strike’s intimidating presence. The end of the case was quite puzzling, though. When the culprit was revealed, my reaction was “seriously?” I had my eye on a different character. The reveal was unexpected.
For the first in a series, this book was good enough. Despite its issues, I’m going to continue with the next entries. I want to see if the rest of the Cormoran Strike novels are better. There’s nowhere to go but up, right?
My rating: ★★★ 1/2
3.5 stars - It's pretty good!
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