Hey ForeverBookers,
Earlier on, I finished “The Cuckoo’s Calling” by Robert Galbraith and I really, surprisingly enjoyed it!
“The Cuckoo’s Calling” is a crime novel by Robert Galbraith also known as JK Rowling. This was very different from Harry Potter but still great! The Cuckoo’s Calling is a modern day crime novel focused on the death of a model. The MMC, Cormoran Strike is a funny fool but he’s very lovable. The FMC, Robin is a very astute young woman that just wants a break in life. She has a rather controlling fiancé, it gets revealed in later books (I know this from the TV series)!
4 Stars!
I enjoyed the character dynamics, more than the plot itself, which was still good but any murder/mystery follows the same path, I feel. I loved seeing Strike, our investigator, engage with Robin, his new assistant and others in the plot. It was good to see Strike’s personality shift from the negative man at the beginning, who doesn’t have much of a life, living at his office instead of at home with his troublesome girlfriend, Charlotte. This relationship is over at the beginning of the book, but Strike keeps trying to convince himself that things will change or more to the point she’ll change. We don’t see much of her in this book. I wonder if we’ll see more of her in the next books? The actual plot is easy enough to follow, the model, Lula Landry, is found outside at the bottom of her flat, dead! How did she end up there? I’ll let you read for yourself but it’s a good, if simple plot. Anyone could read this and enjoy it, I feel. I’m not normally a crime fan and I found the plot engaging.
I read “The Cuckoo’s Calling” for a one readathon. It was:
Reading Rivalry - Genre Highlight - Mystery - “The Cuckoo’s Calling” is a mystery novel whereby our MMC, Cormoran Strike and his new assistant, Robin have to work out WHO killed a young model. Can he?
There are some potentially triggering things that are revealed in the plot of “The Cuckoo’s Calling” to some people. I don’t get triggered by anything but just as a precautionary warning.
Spoilers Below…
“So the accountant thinks Cuckoo might’ve been killed? I always called Lula ‘Cuckoo,’” he added unnecessarily.
“Yeah. John Bristow’s a lawyer, though.”
The designer, Guy Somé, one of the many suspects is asking Strike whether Lula or Cuckoo, as he called her was murdered. I think this is significant because the title of the book is “The Cuckoo’s Calling,” and this is where the nickname is brought into the plot. At this point in the events of the book, we’re not sure what happened to Lula! It’s only revealed in the last chapter of the book. This kept me hooked! John Bristow is Lula’s brother. He’s the one that contacts Strike in the first place, wanting his sister’s death investigated. Is it murder or did she jump? That’s the main question that’s brought up repeatedly in “The Cuckoo’s Calling.”
“The Cuckoo’s Calling” is a character study of what people who don’t know the facts are like. For example, “Whyd’yuhwanna talk to me, though?”
“It’s nothing bad. John isn’t sure that Lula committed suicide, that’s all.” This is when Strike finds Rochelle, one of Lula’s friends. When Rochelle ends up dead later in the book, it poses more questions to Strike and Robin. At this point we, as the reader are sure that Lula was murdered, not that she just died. Can Strike and Robin work out who the murderer is? I’ll let you read for yourself but it’s a juicy if easy plot with a few twists and turns that’ll keep you gripped.
Overall then, I enjoyed “The Cuckoo’s Calling.” It’s good to know that I can enjoy a novel that’s not my preferred genre. I believe that the plot does get somewhat romantic in later books in the series but that’s waaaaay down the line. That’s why I’m giving it 4 stars! The plot is easy because it’s not fantasy with a complicated magic system! There’s one answer we’re looking to find, not lots of different, complicated elements that make up the plot. The character dynamics added to my enjoyment of the main plot. Without those, it would have been somewhat boring in my opinion. I’m a character driven reader, so I enjoyed seeing our MMC’s and FMC’s thoughts.
Stand by for my next review, coming soon…
Comments
Post a Comment