At first, I was hesitant about reading The Cuckoo’s Calling; I was prepared to dislike it. After all, how could anything compare to the magical world of Harry Potter? But after reading the first chapter, I was hooked.
For a world full of muggles, J.K Rowling manages to create characters full of magic. Cormoran Strike is a war veteran running, and living in a failing detective agency that has a grand total of one customer. Then, two people enter his life. He might be too old for an owl and a letter to Hogwarts, but he’s not too old to go rushing off into a world of mystery and intrigue. Robin Ellacot seems like a godsend; she’s resourceful, beautiful, and a wonderful “Dr. Watson,” especially since John Bristow arrives with a new case and a lot of cash. John Bristow brings with him his theories about how Lulu Landry, his adopted sister, really died. He doesn’t think Lulu Landry, nicknamed the Cuckoo, fell to her death; he thinks she was pushed. And with that, readers are stupefied as they are dragged into the dark and psychotic paradigm of the glamorously rich world of the Cuckoo.
J.K Rowling goes undercover herself, using the pseudonym Robert Galbraith to debut her first crime novel, The Cuckoo’s Calling. The author’s true skill lies in creating brilliant worlds and characters. Each character brings a new point of view and vivaciousness to the novel, be it the sharp tongued gay designer Guy (pronounced Gee), or Lulu’s birth mother, whose love for Lulu is really a cover-up for her own desires for fame and fortune.
Cormoran Strike himself is the 21st century counterpart of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poriot. Both have wounds from their military police days, and both rely on very thorough investigations. He takes scrupulous notes and has the ability to notice important details that allow him to make the shocking conclusion about Lulu Landry’s “suicide.”Cormoran’s satirical attitude will have readers laughing and cheering for him throughout the novel .
The book in general starts out slow, almost sleepy, appropriate to the beginning of the detective’s search. However, it speeds up and readers are captivated, creating crazy theories on their own. Each character brings a new point of view, and Rowling leads readers in one direction, then turns on her heels and walks into an entirely different dimension, making readers quiver in anticipation for the magnificent conclusion.
