Cormoran Strike, our main character, is colorful and lovable. He's a private detective who deeply in debt and without any clients, has no way to pay. He's lost a leg serving in Afghanistan. Besides that, he's just broken up with his fiance and has no place to live.
First, a temporary secretary, Robin, walks into him (literally) and while she's very efficient, Strike doesn't know how he's going to pay her.
Then, John Bristow walks in, and suddenly things are looking up. He's willing to pay well for Strike to look into the death of his sister, Lula Landry, the famous fashion model who committed suicide three months ago. John is certain that her death is not a suicide and wants Strike to find her killer.
There are many potential suspects, and Strike is very good at his job. He picks through the evidence and looks carefully at every aspect. Robin turns out to be very helpful and she loves her job, even though she is looking for something permanent. These two make a great team.
I didn't know who did it. I love that in a mystery. I had suspects, and even though the reader learns everything as Strike does, it still isn't easy to put together.
The plotting and characterizations are superb, as you would expect from Rowling. The descriptions are well written and interesting, but for a who-done-it, I just got a bit impatient to find out!
The narrator, Robert Glenister, is excellent. His voices are subtle, but enough to tell who is talking. The setting is England, and his accent is appropriate. I'm more tolerant of long descriptions when listening rather than reading, so I thoroughly enjoyed The Cuckoo's Calling in audio form.
There are at least two more books in the Cormoran Strike series, and I'm planning to continue. The Cuckoo's Calling is also a good one to recommend to my high school mystery/detective fans.
Published by Mulholland Books, 2013, Hachette Audio
Copy obtained from the library
464 pages
Rating: 4/5
I'm glad this was good. Everyone seems to like Rowling's mystery series.
ReplyDeleteAh, glad to hear that the characterizations are still great, I haven't been able to bring myself to read any of her adult stuff, not sure why except feels like such a big departure, which is probably necessary for her as a writer but harder for me as reader
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