3.5 stars. This time of year usually has me craving mysteries and I’d been meaning to get to J.K. Rowling’s pseudonymous series. The Cormoran Strike series written under the name of Robert Galbraith centers on ex-military policeman Strike and his new assistant/secretary, Robin. They’re called on to investigate the mysterious death of ultra famous supermodel, Lula Landry. Her death was officially ruled a suicide by the police months ago, but many of her friends and family just can’t believe she would choose to end her own life.
Rowling obviously has a great mind for intricate plots. The entire Harry Potter series is some of the most intricate plotting I’ve ever read and her talent shines through in the mystery genre. The Cuckoo’s Calling is everything you’d want in a mystery: a hard on his luck detective, a talented assistant playing stand in for the reader, clues scattered throughout the narrative, a weirdo cast of suspects, and an ending confrontation that puts all the clues together. This was a longish book, but it didn’t really feel long to me. The journey through the mystery was the most satisfying part of the book. So enjoyable that the ending couldn’t quite live up to it. It was perfectly fine, but a bit of a letdown after the high-flying lead up.
I’ll definitely be checking out the sequels and probably on audiobook since the narrator, Robert Glenister, was fantastic. Rowling really has gotten lucky with her narrators hasn’t she? Glenister was perfection.
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