Book Review: The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith

Comoran Strike is an ex-army private detective trying to get his new business off the ground when an old acquaintance brings him a high profile case to investigate. Lula Landry is one of the top models of her time when she falls to her death from her 3rd story balcony. The police investigate and rule the death a suicide, but Lula's adoptive brother is never satisfied with that explanation and hires Strike to dig deeper. Strike takes the case due to his great need of funds in spite of its huge press following, and begins putting together the pieces of this troubled girl's life little by little. Lula had a history of mental illness which greatly contributed to the suicide claim, but anyone who knew her personally found that to be very out of character at that time in her life. Strike peels back the layers of secrets surrounding the fateful night bringing out the real killer in the end.

I will confess that the only real reason I wanted to read The Cuckoo's Calling is because I found out that Robert Galbraith is a pseudonym of J. K. Rowling. I just had to read it and find out how her writing has developed and translates to an adult audience, and I was not disappointed. In fact reading this validated my love of the Harry Potter books as being more than just a teenage obsession - the writing is just so well done. Rowling really can weave an interesting and multi-faceted mystery, keeping things interesting the entire time. I read this very quickly simply because I had to find out what happened next. Cormoran Strike comes off as a very Sherlock-y character, quirky and very smart while still being real and lovable. While I still can't decide how I feel about who the killer really is, I loved the rest of the book so much that I'm ok with it regardless. This is a great mystery that will draw you in and keep you guessing all the way til the end. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.