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

Three-plus stars, actually. Not quite four.

Like so many others, I originally skipped this book when I thought it was by an unknown author. Then, seeing it was J. K. Rowling, I snapped it up. I've never read the Harry Potter books -- I'm not much into wizards and magic, nor do I have much interest in young people's literature, but having said that, I had no doubt whatever the lady is a masterful storyteller, so I thought this would be interesting.

And? It's okay. Not worthy of all the hype, I don't think. It took a long time to hook me into the story, and it only happened, finally, when I became interested in the budding relationship between the one-legged Cormoran Strike and his temporary, allegedly, amanuensis, Robin. Strike is admittedly a compelling character -- his history, his painful disability, his keen mind. But Robin -- here playing this seriously secondary role, comes across as a far more fascinating person. The whole thing reminds me a little of the relationship between Elizabeth George's Tommy Lynley and his side kick, Barbara Havers. In that relationship as in this, there's no question that Barbara Havers has the more interesting role -- she's smarter, more dedicated, has a far more complex life and compelling background. Much more interesting than the endlessly lovesick Lynley, ever pining after his really-not-worth-it Helen. Yet the series clearly belongs to Lynley -- he's the "main" character, even though Barbara is by far the more interesting. I think Strike and Robin are in the same position here -- I'd like to hear more about Robin.

One of the biggest treats of the book was Robert Glenister's narration, which was absolutely superb. There were a lot of diverse and odd characters in this book -- the gay designer "Guy", the street people, cops, the rock stars, their families, the whole range of black characters -- and Glenister made each of them come alive. Listening, I think I could sit down and draw a picture of each of them -- even though no such detailed descriptions were written in. Glenister just did a magnificent job of interpreting each of them, male and female. I will most definitely be looking for more books that he's narrating.

So the main question is, will I also look for a second book by "Robert Galbraith"? Good question. Maybe. But there are many, many series l like much better. A second "Strike" book wouldn't be my first choice of reading material. .

Murder in London

I enjoyed the description of London and the various British accents of the narrator Robert Glenister. The story is about a former military police investigator Cormoran Strike who lost a leg in Afghanistan and was discharged from the military. He opens up an office as a private detective. He is hired by attorney John Bristow to investigate the death of his sister a famous fashion model Lula Landry called Cuckoo by her friends. Is it murder or suicide Strike is to find out. The story goes from high fashion to the poor areas of London. Strike hires a temporary secretary Robin who helps in the investigation. The author provides us with nail biting suspense to twisty plots, some humor and action. My only complaint is the foul language. The story is well written and the narration is great. Hope this is made into a series.

Liked It, But Didn't Love It

I don't know if I would have purchased this book if it weren't for J.K. Rowling's authorship. All said, I'm glad I did. However, I wouldn't put it in the category of the Harry Potter series -- which I loved.

Glenister did a masterful job of the narration. He handles women's voices deftly -- something that is hard for most male narrators. His ability to do multiple accents was excellent and a lot of fun to listen to. Definitely better than I could have done in my mind were I reading this hardcopy.

The two main characters were unusual and interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed their interactions. The secondary characters were not as well drawn nor nearly as likable.

The story: herein lies the problem. The story line had promise that wasn't well fulfilled. It moved from being muddled and confusing to dull and tedious and then to some spates of intense action. If this is Rowling's first step into something other than YA stories, that might explain some of the weaknesses.

Given the narrator and the primary characters, I will keep listening to this series.

There's a Red Herring, too.

Audible uses the word 'classic' to describe The Cuckoo's Calling, but 'intentionally and experimentally hackneyed' might be more appropriate. The phrasing, descriptive writing, dialog, characters and story are a modern exploration of the gumshoe cliche. Sometimes it really works; there is an exciting freshness and ease to the images and dialog created anew from the old style that was a joy to listen to. Sometimes it doesn't; the story and it's characters become bogged down by strict adherence to traditional structure resulting in a predictable and dull ending.

The extraordinary talents of narrator Robert Glenister kept me listening, even after this modern twist on an old cliche lost my interest.

Excellent story, but excessive profanity

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Robert Galbraith, nom de plume of J.K. Rowling weaves a delicious tale of intrigue for anyone who loves to indulge in a good mystery. The characters are revealed slowly, the plot throws enough curves to keep you guessing "whodunit" and the writing style, is second-to-none. All that being said, there is an excessive amount of profanity in this story. I understand that it was included to reveal the edginess of the characters, but plenty of good novels have been written without quite so much foul language. If that is not an issue for you, then enjoy a fun murder mystery. If you are like me and wish to not listen to a lot of profanity, this isn't a good book for you.

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

Glenister switches between accents and characters fluidly. He performs both male and female characters without making you cringe and is able to make each character stand apart from the other.

Any additional comments?

I can see why Rowling chose to use a different pen name to write this book, as it is so dramatically different from the Harry Potter series. She demonstrates her skillful ability to weave a devilishly intricate plot and her masterful use of the english language to unfold her plot.

Hope this is the Start of a New Series

I admit that I chose this book out of curiosity to see if J.K. Rowlings could write about muggles, but I recommend the book as a terrific story with wonderful characters and a superior narrator.

I hope that the one-legged detective and his not-so-temp help come back in many more books by Galbraith/Rowlings.

Excellent

Any additional comments?

The book took me by surprised because I don't normally read a mystery thriller kind of book, but I took a chance on this one. I'm glad I did.
Robert Glenister was an excellent choice to read this novel and the author - yes, I know who wrote it, really blew me away with the writing style. Very different from her YA books-- but that aside, I know I would have enjoyed this book even if I had not known who it was. I was drawn to checking it out because I knew she penned them, but I didn't love it BECAUSE it was her, if that makes sense.
Anyway-- take a chance with this. It was great. I loved it.

Good solid book

Great narration! Solid story with characters that were real and likable. There were even a few twists and turns to keep you guessing. Anglophiles will love it.

I didn't figure out who did it.

That is rare and high praise. The story had interesting well-drawn characters and a plot that was unpredictable. The descriptions of the settings were very evocative.
Adding to the quality of the listening is an excellent narrator who created distinctive voices for a myriad of characters--men, women and people with different accents. A great read!

Fun to listen to

Excellent narration. This story was very enjoyable even if it was a little stereotypical. Your typical crime novel with fun believable characters. I think it wouldn't have been as entertaining without the different voices for each character.