The Cuckoo's Calling

De: Robert Galbraith

Narrado por: Robert Glenister

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

Recklessness and Bravado

Cormoran Strike is the aptly named detective/hero of Robert Galbraith's debut novel "The Cuckoo's Calling" (2013). 'Comoran' is a giant of Cornish legend, and Galbraith's investigator is both physically and mentally huge. Strike is also wounded - he lost part of a leg in Afghanistan, and jettisons a fiancé at the beginning of the book.

Strike inadvertently finds a Temporary Solution in Robin Ellacott, an amazingly tactful and resourceful transplant to London. Her first day of work, Robin ushers in a rabbity John Bristow, the brother of Strike's childhood friend, Charlie. Bristow's sister, supermodel Lula Landry, died months before after falling from a balcony in the upscale high security building she lived in, and Bristow doesn't believe it was a suicide.

Strike and Robin investigate in modern day London, from free rehab clinics and homeless shelters to the top homes and boutiques of London's titled class.

I loved the British English - 'crisps' sounds so much more elegant than 'potato chips'; 'bog' is definitely more descriptive for a bathroom in a pub; and who doesn't like 'mobile' instead of 'cell phone'? Some of it mystified me - 'pork scratchings' turned out to be 'pork rinds' if you live most of the United States, and chicharrones if you live in California; and 'digestives' are biscuits. What really through me was 'Electric Lane'. It took some Google research and an inquiry to an ex-pat friend to figure out it was an actual street name, not special parking for hybrid electric cars. These detours made the book more enjoyable for me, especially since Robert Glenister's narration gave me the pronunciations.

The "who dunnit" was well plotted, and the answer was never easy.

I am aware, of course, that Robert Galbraith is a pseudonym for J.K. Rowlings, but I'm respecting her choice to write under another name. "The Cuckoo's Calling" is a different genre than the "Harry Potter" series, and Galbraith's language and descriptions are very different than those in Rowling's "Harry Potter." Galbraith is a more mature writer. I hope this is a 'Cormoran Strike #1.'

I'd also like to give props to my fellow Audible reviewers Tracey of Danville, AR and Deborah of Burbank, CA who found this Audible book and loved it before the secret author was revealed. I'm following both of them now, hoping that I won't miss any more gems like "The Cuckoo's Calling" just because I haven't heard of the author.

[The title of this review is from a line in this book. If you found this review helpful please let me know by pressing 'helpful.' Thanks!]

Very Solid Mystery

I thought every cliche associated with the genre was being played out: The down and out detective on his last (leg)s, creditors, no clients, just broke up with his girlfriend, a temporary receptionist who is part girl Friday, the suspicious suicide of a famous and beautiful model, and a wealthy client with issues. Hammitt and Chandler had to be spinning in their graves. Who would take on such a daunting task of rewriting a classic format. Robert Galbraith (a pseudonym) has his wounded war vet private eye in London. First, I read widely in this genre and am not afraid to put a book down at any time. I did not put down this one (came close in just the first few pages). Cormoran Strike is an interesting character to follow. This is obviously the first book in a new series.I am suspicious the next books may take a totally different swing, so I may follow it just to see where it does go.
The cast of characters, while a few were interesting, were, to coin a phrase, the usual suspects. The novel really picks up with the second suspicious suicide so I'll give the author credit for taking a genre on head on and holding his own.

In other words - Cuckoo's Calling is basically a good story, well-written, with engaging characters, excellent dialogue and an interesting setting. However, I'm not fond of the kind of ending where everything unravels mostly in one long monologue. There were a couple of clangers that made me wince--cliches inserted in the plot that really added nothing but unnecessary words. Rowling, of course, is an imaginative and capable story teller, but I'm hoping that in her future novels, she will find a less tedious way to wrap things up. I've seen this style of "monologuing" in several movies that could have been so much more if handled differently.

An extremely well written book

This was the first book I've ever read by Rowling, I'm sorry but nothing about Harry Potter has ever appealed to me enough to read it. This book really showed me why her writings so far have done so well. I was extremely impressed by the way this book was written; the characters were well developed, the plot was well laid out, and the loose ends were tied up at the end. I really look forward to her next Galbraith novel.

Well Done, Ready for More

Any additional comments?

Loved the character driven plot. Hope we'll hear more (a series!) from Strike and Robin.
And c'mon, admit it. You pictured Robbie Coltrane as Strike, right?

A stunner...even the second time around!

With the release of the fourth entry in the Strike series upon us, and a desire by a friend to read it together...I asked for permission to get caught up with the series and reintroduce myself to Cormoran, Robin, Wardel and the lot. Upon reading this book for a second time - and starting off on "The Silkworm" soon after - I appreciate that these books can serve as stand alones, but also make an effort to connect to the previous in the serious for those new to the series.

As I worked through it a second time, with a faint notion of who I remembered to be Lula Landry's killer, it afforded me the opportunity to truly listen and engage in the story and see the connecting dots that led to the resolution. For the majority of the book, even though it was my second time, it kept my attention - when really, it's just a standard, typical private investigator novel. But Strike, Robin, and all the suspects are unique characters who are written in a way to pull you into the story. The only drawback was some of the narration was a bit annoying - everyone who wasn't Strike seemed to have a cockney accent!

The story is immersive - and you're immediately drawn into the central mystery Strike is investigating. Did Lula Landry kill herself...or was it murder?! Each suspect, witness, or periphery character adds more to the central mystery or to the background of Strike, an amputee war veteran who is a bit down on his luck in life, work and love. We meet him first as he's welcoming his temp, Robin Ellicott to his office. Their relationship is unique...albeit a bit cliche - but never bordering on a will they or won't they - but more a mature relationship between trainer and protege. I remember as I read this the first time hoping that Galbraith (JK Rowling...duh) didn't go down the tried, true and TIRED route of having them sleep together. It would mess up the unique chemistry between the two. With Robin in the picture, we see more of Strike's soft side, which makes him a multi-dimensional, nuanced character.

JK Rowling is known for creating a colorful wizarding world, but she paints as a colorful world in London with her diverse, unique characters. They are well written, and as we've come to expect, Rowling is very descriptive, although never being overbearing. It's an intense novel, but written with her light touch. She makes a dialogue and exposition heavy book exciting because the characters jump off the page.

After her first attempt at a non-Harry Potter book, "A Casual Vacancy", I think some people questioned her ability to write an adult novel that takes place in the real world. With this one, she sets the stage for a strong and successful series with compelling leads and the potential to entertain and engage readers for years to come as Robert Galbraith.

Excellent

I bought this book out of curiosity knowing it was written by JK Rowling and was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the story line and the narrator. She has an excellent writing style which was very easy to listen too. There is a little bit of language that some people may find offensive but which seemed to be used appropriately. Overall I absolutely enjoyed listening to this book and hope that it is the first in a series featuring Mr Strike and Robin.

The Dismal Reviews Are Horribly Biased

I have to admit that the dismal one star reviews put me off this book for awhile. It helps to separate the fact from fiction. Does this book have a lot of f-bombs? Yes. However, and I am not a fan of cursing, the mode of speech represents a fairly accurate rendition of much of the lower class places in London. It reminded me of a similar style to that featured in Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels by Guy Ritchie. Deal people...times change.

The reviews regarding gender dysmorphia and transphobia have no bearing on this work of fiction. That is a 'political or 'social' pyre whose flames are being fanned by those who have some sort of agenda and should be taken off-line. Gay characters are featured as part of the storyline.

There was one review which said the author introduces to many unnecessary characters. They honestly must be used to being spoon-fed the amoeboid brained, single themed cat yack of one liner pulps found at Tescos. There are 22 characters which are broken into reasonable social groups. Each plays a part to lay some crucial portion of the story down from their point of view. Half the fun is watching how Strike logically separates out the truth from the fanciful fiction or outright lies.

There is one major faux pa which I thought were both sweet and yet slightly patronizing. Being myself a large and rather unattractive man, with two legs mind you, I can honestly say from experience that as such no super model is going to ever take you home...ever...beer goggles just don't come in that dark a shade, mores the pity.

really enjoyable!

I loved every minute! Reallynjoyed the characters! the ending caught me by surprise. what a great writer!

Interesting mystery; great listen!

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

Eventually; there are so many other books to read or listen to that it would be a long while before I'd listen to it again. If I had it in print, I'd probably read it again.

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

Yes; it definitely kept me interested so that I finished the book in about 3 or 4 days. Part of that is due to the narrator, and partly due to the complexity of the characters and the desire to find out if my suspicions as to whodunit were correct. Kept me guessing up to the end, but not in a completely surprised way.

What about Robert Glenister’s performance did you like?

I loved his variety of character voices and his accent! Very soothing and interesting. He did a great job of distinguishing between characters and keeping the tone appropriate to the situations in the book. Like listening to an adult book by Jim Dale. I listen to all of Jim Dale's performances, but he does mostly children's books (which I also love), so I was quite happy to find a narrator that I consider somewhat on par with Jim Dale for adult genres. That being said, Jim Dale still tops my list of "people I'd listen to if they read the phone book."

Any additional comments?

I jumped on the "OMG Robert Galbraith is JK Rowling?!?" bandwagon, but was not expecting Harry Potter Book 8. I was just happy to see she's still writing, since she was slammed so much for Casual Vacancy! This is a good ole drugstore mystery - sort of a beach/rainy day/airport read. I really appreciated the attention to detail in creating the characters' stories - it made me care about what happened and I was interested enough to finish the book and hope for more. It would be great to see more of Cormoran Strike and Robin, and I hope there will be future installments.

Wow

Where does The Cuckoo's Calling rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It was interesting, not something I typically read...
Ranking would be top 10

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

Yes listened to it straight thru.

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

All

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Where I found out, lulu was waiting for here brother.

Any additional comments?