The Cuckoo's Calling

By: Robert Galbraith

Narrated by: Robert Glenister

Length: 15 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

Published under a pseudonym, J. K. Rowling’s brilliant debut mystery introduces Detective Cormoran Strike as he investigates a supermodel's suicide in “one of the best books of the year” (USA Today).

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, creditors are calling, and after a breakup with his longtime girlfriend, he’s living in his office.

Then John Bristow walks through his door with a shocking 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.

You may think you know detectives, but you've never met one quite like Strike. You may think you know about the wealthy and famous, but you've never seen them under an investigation like this.

Fast-paced and sharply drawn, this dazzling detective novel inspired Strike, the BBC crime drama series that has captivated millions of viewers worldwide.

©2013 Robert Galbraith (P)2013 Hachette Audio

Well-written mystery - endearing characters

It's hard to live up to the Harry Potter series, but I enjoyed this mystery, and loved the characters of Robin and Strike.

The mystery unfolded nicely, kept me guessing, and ended well. All in all a good read!

The Narrator is outstanding

What did you love best about The Cuckoo's Calling?

I loved listening to the narrator in this story. His interpretation of the voice of the characters continually engaged me in the book. I enjoyed the story and found I was quite sympathetic to the protagonist.

What other book might you compare The Cuckoo's Calling to and why?

The story and and narrator are different, but the narrator of Gone Girl was just as compelling as this narrator.

Great Team

Would you listen to The Cuckoo's Calling again? Why?

Entertaining. Loved the way the main characters put the pieces together by using their common sense.

What did you like best about this story?

Both main characters seemed to value each other's input rather that competing against each other.

What about Robert Glenister’s performance did you like?

Great listen

Hoping for a sequel

If you could sum up The Cuckoo's Calling in three words, what would they be?

Intriguing, entertaining, thorough

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot was very addicting. The interweaving of all the characters and their interactions surely kept my interest peaked.

Which character – as performed by Robert Glenister – was your favorite?

Strike was my favorite of course but he did an excellent job performing all the characters. I found myself laughing at loud at comments made by Strike.

Any additional comments?

I truly hope this is just the beginning of a long line of stories about Strike and his investigative profession. I can't remember the last book that I enjoyed in a long time. It was also my first audio book and it made my commute to work (an hour each way) so much more enjoyable.

Wonderful book!

Started the book and could not put it down! I was immediately interested in the characters and amazed at the depth of their development as the story progressed.

It was OK

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The book wasn't bad, I will admit that I just expect so much more - so much more imagination, creativity and twists. I believe I had this book figured out in the first few minutes. The story and characters were interesting and fun. But the ending was predictable.

Gripping

I was unsure what to expect going into this book, but I was unable to stop listening after just a short while. The story is engaging and not at all predictable, and the narrator adds to the story greatly. I've recommended this book, and the subsequent book in the series, to anyone I've spoken to about it.

Enjoyed this book. Look forward to more.

This reminds me of a bit of a traditional hard-boiled PI movie. You'd expect it to be a 1940's B&W movie - although in modern times. The main character isn't as slick as a Humphrey Bogart. In fact, his life is a bit of a mess. Come to think of it though, isn't that usually a characteristic of a traditional PI?

The characters feel very real. One of those books that you miss when you finish it and look forward to the next in the series. (I hope it's going to be a series?)

If I have one criticism, the book sometimes became a long series of interviews with suspects. While it didn't really drag, it would be nice to bring a little more action to the writing.

The writing is very good and the narration is excellent. Well-worth your credit!

Immaculate!

This is my third time listening to this great book! I love it more every time!

Pulp fiction doesn't get any better than this....

In case you were wondering, yes, J K Rowling can really write. Here she's writing under a pseudonym, but it's general knowledge that this is her. I did see all the Harry Potter movies but never read any of the books. If the writing there was as good as it is in The Cuckoo's Calling, it's no wonder they were an international phenomenon.

I love detective fiction, and Cormoren Strike is my new favorite private eye. The writing is so rich with detail and the characters so brightly drawn that it almost doesn't matter "who done it". For a novel in this genre to NOT be almost totally plot driven is almost unheard of, but IMHO, in this case, that turns out to be true. My only regret is that there are only 3 more books in this series left for me to listen to.

Can't recommend this any higher.