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

Robert Galbraith/J K Rowling well written mystery

What made the experience of listening to The Cuckoo's Calling the most enjoyable?

From the very start, you were hooked into this story. I couldn't stop listening because I wanted to know what happened next. Also you really cared for the characters. They were believable and had depth.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Both Cormoran and Robin I enjoyed how they interacted and it was enjoyable to see how their characters evolved

Which scene was your favorite?

So many but of course the scene were the murder is exposed

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There were many emotional moments but it was constantly moving and enjoyable

Any additional comments?

Supposedly this is a pen name of JK Rowling....I never read any of the "Potter" books so I can't make a comparison. However this book is wonderful and I hope he/she continues this series

Nope....it's nothing special

I almost think that JK Rowling felt she had to prove something writing primarily for adults, and so she dipped too many times into the thesaurus and ran on too long with her set dressing and descriptions. It is rather distracting, without adding anything worthwhile to the story. There's also a strange kind of prejudice exhibited in the description of people's appearances: With the exception of the narrator and protagonist, everyone on the "good" side of the line is described as good looking, if not beautiful, and everyone on the "bad" side of the line is described as having physical or sartorial defects in very blatant and unsympathetic terms (after all, is sweating really only limited to unpleasant people?). In fact, that's one of the ways I came to figure out who dunnit, even though I could never have conceived of the strange and unbelievable details of how it happened. Seriously, some of the things he claims to have realized happened and helped him solve the crime are simply unbelievable.

The set up of the characters is ordinary.........war vet, injured and down on his luck, is a private detective in a shoebox office up a rickety staircase, with minimal furniture or employees. Unexpectedly, he gets a wealthy client and, with the help of his plucky new secretary (both share a hidden affection for the other) solve the crime and breathe new life into the worn down detective agency. When I write it like that, it seems a little bit like The Maltese Falcon in some ways.

I put off reading this one for a long time, but I finally gave in in the face of sequels and great reviews. Not a good choice, and I won't be listening to any of the others.

Well Worth Your Time and Credit

This book was fun from the first chapter. Detective Cormoran Strike and his temporary secretary, Robin, are well developed with back stories that support how they act and think throughout the story. The mystery is interesting as the police have closed the case as a supermodel's suicide. Could it have been murder as her brother believes? The twists and clues will have you guessing until the end. I loved the story.

As you learn more about the "unlucky" Cormoran, you will find he is a reluctant British war hero with one leg. His parents provided little guidance or assistance, yet he has strong morals and values. I would buy any audio book that includes this wonderful character in the future.

Mysteries don't always have satisfactory endings. The ending to this mystery surprised me, but all the clues were there for me to figure it out myself. I was so satisfied with how the story ended for several of the characters. I am still smiling when I think back over this audio book. I hope J K. Rowling will continue with a series -- I would look forward to any book with Cormoran and Robin.

The narrator, Robert Glenister, did a fantastic job. His performance caused me to get so involved in listening that I had two occasions where I stayed on the train past my work stop. Mr. Glenister presented each character with a unique voice and many different British accents. I felt like it was a performance more than a narration. He kept the interest high even when some of the scenes got a little long and wordy. I wish there was a higher rating I could give to the narration of this book.

Good Listen

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I wouldnt turn them away from it, but I dont think I would encourage anyone to read it.

What about Robert Glenister’s performance did you like?

The various character voices were excellent!

Any additional comments?

I had high hopes for the book and can say I enjoyed the twists and turns. However, the story seemed to drag a bit from time to time.

5 star all the way

I totally enjoyed this audio! The storyline kept me engaged, the characters were fresh and different and the narrator awesome. If you enjoy detective novels the main character Cormoran Strike is multidimensional unlike other books in this genre. I look forward to the others in the series and hope that they will be able to live up to the first!

Slow and Slower

Would you try another book from Robert Galbraith and/or Robert Glenister?

Not from the author, maybe from narrator

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Shorten it, take out extraneous info

What does Robert Glenister bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Does a good job will varied voices, awful job on Latin

Did The Cuckoo's Calling inspire you to do anything?

No

Any additional comments?

The book started if ok, the main characters seemed good, but somewhere around the halfway point it started to seem long. It just went on and on. The ending was disappointing as to who done it.
The ending explanation was painfully long.
To make matters worse the epilogue was even longer. I got the impression several times she used words and ideas specifically to demonstrate that she was a serious author, writing for adults.
I wouldn't have finished it but I didn't have any credits left for the month and wanted to have something to listen to on a long drive.

Kept me on the edge of my seat...

I don't usually like books narrated with English accents, it is usually difficult for me to understand. However this narrator did an excellent job. I loved this book. I hope that there will be sequels. I really want more from Detective Cormoran Strike and Robin. Great entertainment.

Everything a Good Mystery Should Be!

I admit I bought the book because it was written by J.K. Rowling - but that's the end of anything Potter-ish in this delightful new mystery. I love a good British mystery because they tend to be less violent and more intellectual than many of the standard American mysteries. The Cuckoo's Calling has everything in it that makes a mystery worth reading - an interesting main character who is neither perfect nor pathetic, a smart sidekick who thank god does NOT need to be rescued in the final scenes, a lot of clues but no dead give away to the final resolution, and supporting characters who are not simply two dimensional backdrops. No dramatic chase scenes or gun battles - just solid detecting and some intriguing plot twists along the way.

The narration was perfect and captured the voices in a way that was believable and engrossing. I had a hard time putting the book down to get any work done, and when the story ended I could only hope that Rowling/Galbraith is working on the next Comorant Strike mystery. Whether you're a J.K. Rowling fan or not really doesn't matter - if you like a good mystery, this is the best one to come along in a long time!

I am hooked on the series

Finally a book that is purely for entertainment. The characters in the novel are over-the-top and brilliantly flawed. The reader is perfect and I heard that there is another book already finished. Selfishly, I adored the secretary - efficient, tight-lipped, and the backbone of the novel.

JK Rowling Weaves A Masterful Mystery

Would you consider the audio edition of The Cuckoo's Calling to be better than the print version?

I have only listened to the audio version of this book but the combination of JK Rowling's writing, which draws you into whatever world she creates, and Robert Glenister's bravo performance as narrator has made it one of the most enjoyable books for me in a long time.

What about Robert Glenister’s performance did you like?

Robert Glenister does an incredible job in The Cuckoo's Calling by bringing to life very distinctively and convincingly each of the characters in the book. Very few narrators have the talent to pull off a convincing female character as well as a gruff male one. Usually something has to give and some characters vocalizations will be stronger than others. In this book the narrator nails every character regardless of gender.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Very few mysteries really keep me in suspense but this one did. The entire book was a great listen and left me with a great feeling of satisfaction at the conclusion. It was time well spent.

Any additional comments?

I hope this is just book one in a series of books where we can follow the adventures of Comoran Strike and Robin.