Strike and a fallen Cuckoo

I figured it was finally time to blog my two-cents. Overall, I thought it was an alright, average read. I probably would not rush out and buy the next one, but I would add it to my ever growing to read list on Goodreads. As far as actual writing style and voice, Rowling is awesome. Her stories have a nice flow, all her sentences, paragraphs and chapters are concise and she knows how to pen a good read. She also really loves to use the adjective, pregnant. Which most people probably would not notice, but I just spent the last couple months re-reading all the Harry Potter books. So, it kind of jumped out at me. Anyways, lets continue.

Strike is a good character. He is very realistic and has just enough baggage to make him interesting but not too broody. And I think Rowling left him at a point, where should more books follow, there is room for growth. I also liked how she balanced his hardness out with Robin's accepting nature and support. I look forward to seeing how the relationship develops but I honestly hope it stays platonic. I like how they work as a team, but I find their individual lives interesting and merging them in to a romantic relationship would take that away.

Now as for the mystery, I had my suspicions but I didn't guess the killer. Some of the clues were so minuscule and in the end I was sitting there thinking: "For real! I was suppose to catch that?!" I like mysteries that play out more naturally. When it is time for the big reveal the detective and I our on the same page. But in this case, we weren't. Strike's big reveal really turned me off. The point of a mystery is piecing it together as you read. Taking notice of the clues and learning with the detective. I don't like reveals were the character's have to explain every little thing that happen resulting in so and so being the murderer. That is what Strike did. I think it takes away from the suspense and is unbelievable. If I was accused of murdering my brother and sister, I would not stand there for twenty minutes so someone can explain how I did it. I know how I did it. I was there, no recap needed. I feel those pages could just have been put to better use. Like character development or setting up for a sequel.

If she does chose to continue this as a series, I hope it shadows Harry Potter in suspense and well-crafted, complex story lines minus the five page reveal. Allowing us to be a detective with Strike instead of an observer.

Thoughts on Cuckoo's Calling

I liked that I didn’t figure out who did it until the end, that is why I can never watch most whodunits on TV, I always figure it out in the first 10 minutes.

I thought that Rowling did a good job writing an adult novel. I know that this wasn’t her first one, but I know that her other book wasn’t received well.

I have never really been a mystery novel fan, but I kept wanting to read on and see what was going to happen and find out who the killer was. So I applaud her for keeping my interest, I might just have to pick up some more mystery novels in the future.

I don’t know how many books Rowling plans on putting into this series but I felt that she paced this one very well and didn’t try to squeeze too much into it. The relationships were on a more realistic pace for me. A lot of trilogies try to fit in too much, and then it seems too fast and unrealistic.

I also wanted to talk about how this book was published! I think it speaks volumes about the publication industry. I did some research on this so bear with me. Basically J.K. Rowling sent in the manuscript for this book under the pseudonym of Robert Galbraith. I don’t know if it is because her first adult novel, The Casual Vacancy, didn’t do as well. Or simply because she wanted to see what would happen. According to an article that I had read there were only 1500 copies printed, and while it received great reviews the sales were just ok. Once they revealed that J.K. Rowling was the author it shot to the top of the best sellers list.

I feel like it gives no hope for new authors, what if this guy had been real? He supposedly had an amazing book, but he wasn’t famous. Could his book have been great? Who knows. But it does make one wonder whether a name is all you need to succeed in the world of best selling novels.

Cuckoo for Cuckoo

Ok, so like Katie, I guessed all the way to the end about the killer. As far as whodunits go, that's a big thing for me, not figuring it out too early. I'm sure everyone has seen me praise The Devil Drinks Coffee for the same reason.

It was good overall. All the people Stike interviewed seemed to have their own version of Lula. It was interesting seeing the differences each person had. Cuckoo seemed a fitting nickname for her. Everyone seemed to want something from her. It was like she was a shining star everyone had to touch, except John.

Rowling did an excellent job defining her characters, which isn't surprising given the world she created in Harry Potter.

As far as Robin and Strike, I'm glad they didn't end up together in the end. One, given what Strike came out of in his relationship with Charlotte I don't think he'd be ready for anything serious. Two, it's really cool that Strike and Robin are slowly getting to know one another. If they do get together in a future book I would like to see it evolve naturally for them.

I was a little disappointed not to see a little more of Charlotte. The way she's described I wanted to see her pop in more, but that's probably a side story that didn't really fit in the book. 

The Cuckoo's Final Calling

I really enjoyed The Cuckoo's Calling by J.K. Rowling.  It kept me guessing until the end as to who killed Lula which I think was easy to accomplish since Strike was still interviewing Lula's family and friends to the very end of the book.  I didn't not foresee that John Bristow was the murderer especially since he hired Strike.  Part of me was thinking it was Tony but it seemed too obvious.

I'm still glad there wasn't any romance between Strike and Robin. Since this is the first book, I really just liked getting to know Strike and Robin's individual backgrounds and how they began working together. I especially liked Robin and how she continually proved herself as an asset to the case. I am curious how Robin and Matthew's relationship will develop since it doesn't seem like he approves of Robin working for Strike. I'm not against anything developing between Strike and Robin in the future though I'm not sure if I can really see them together.

After finding out that Bristow was the killer, I felt bad for Lula and her biological brother.  They never got to meet and have a sibling relationship.  Lula's adoptive family was so messed up and the lifestyle she was living was far from normal. I think it would have been good for her to have a brother to ground her especially since Agyeman didn't want any of the fame and money.

I applaud J.K. for writing a great mystery novel. I can't wait to read the next book!