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

Great characters and I hope for more

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

I really enjoyed this book. The narration and the writing were excellent and I really want more of these characters.

Any additional comments?

An excellent and smartly written mystery. I enjoyed every minute. The plot for me was secondary to the many interesting and well written characters.

Enjoyed everything about it

Interesting & well developed characters, engrossing story & great performance. Couldn't ask for more!

Great Detective Story

Any additional comments?

If you love believable detective stories then buy this book. If you love intelligent detective stories then buy this book. If you love gripping, addictive detective stories then buy this book. I just hope that author Robert Galbraith follows this one up with a sequel. Hey, Robert, did you hear me?

Found a New Series!

Just stumbled upon this book and I'm so glad I did. It's intelligent, has an element of humor, is a solid murder mystery and characters (most of whom have a sense of vulnerability) that I really appreciated - even the seedy ones. The vocabulary of the writing alone is a level above most murder mysteries. Brush up on your Latin.

Robert Glenister's acting is phenomenal. Normally I am bothered by single actors who read both male and female parts but he presents a world of characters that you get totally wrapped up in. It's quite an art. Just amazing. And the scene where Strike overdoes his lager big-time is priceless because it's so realistic. His timing as he switches characters is impeccable. I am a fan.

Surprising Winner from JKR!

I never read the Harry Potter books and had no interest in them. I thought it was a very neat decision for JKR to write this series as Robert Galbraith. It completely differentiates this series from her former work. This is not a young adult book. This is somewhere between a police (detective) procedural, a mystery, and a thriller. Plenty of time was spent on character development and the book has great depth.

I found this series on accident and I am now hooked and will be eagerly awaiting each new installment.

I really enjoy the writing style. I felt very present and appreciated the details of the investigative process and lengthy interviews of persons surrounding the case. I connected with both Cormoran and Robin. I liked the depth of Cormoran's personality; his gruff exterior, his intelligence and cunning, and his kind heart. I personally feel like a Robin; dedicated and striving to go above and beyond in service to my employer and prove my worth.

I did not know where the story was going until everything was revealed in the last chapter. There were so many liars, but only one murderer. Excellent and clever writing.

The narrator deserves equal acclaim here. Had I read this instead of listened to it, I wouldn't have gotten the same depth of the story. He really "performed" the book. Every character had a different voice, accent, and mannerisms. The speaker was instantly recognizable. There was so much added to the performance by this narrator that really made this book shine even more. One of my top three favorite narrators, the other two being Michael Pritchard and George Guidall.

J.K. does it again!

J.K. Rowling is truly an unbelievable talent. This is my first venture into one of her titles not starring Harry Potter and I definitely was not disappointed. Her style and her dialogue never disappoint and I always feel like I am with the characters, seeing and feeling everything they feel. CB Strike is a great detective, flawed, and relatable. Robin is an incredible "side kick" who could almost carry a novel on her own merits. All around great story, great novel, with great gritty characters and completely well written. The Audiobook narrator does an incredible job maintaining different voices and accents for all of the characters so that you're never confused about which character is speaking, regardless of how different or similar they may be. 5 stars and would give more if I could.

Mystery with Character

This is a reasonably good first mystery book for this author. I like the character development overall. There are people of color but sadly they are either murdered, dying or play a minor roll. The grit of the background of these character deserve the full palette of the many diverse people that live in the UK. Also, I found the ending a bit of a reach for Strike. While overall enjoyable, there were some plot holes that were a bit thin. Still, it was enjoyable and Robert Glenister was fantastic!

great read

this was an excellent Thriller. see story kept on folding and unfolding until the final great cli.ax

So enjoyable, albeit easy to figure out

This was one of the few books I didn't want to put down even for a moment. I had sort of figured out who the culprit would be but I didn't know how, so I still enjoyed the story very much. On to book 2 in the series!

Totally enjoyed this book

The narrator did a great job in keeping my attention and portraying the characters. Writing very descriptive, story intriguing. Couldn’t wait to hear the ending but sorry to end the book.