So, it would have been much, much better, were I not so far behind on keeping up with my reading, to print a review of this book when I actually read it, in May, rather than after the news broke about the identity of the writer behind the pseudonym Robert Galbraith…none other than Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling.
All I can do now is swear that I read this in May, having no idea who Galbraith was other than the scant facts in his fictional bio (which made it sound like the pseudonym was to disguise his past military background rather than identity as possibly the most famous writer in the English language!), and that these notes are contemporary with my original reading:
The Cuckoo’s Calling is so, so good—the first suspense novel I’ve read in a while that I’m wishing would turn into a series rather than surprised and mildly annoyed to find out it has. It’s smart, tricky, well-constructed and well-edited—I had a few places where I thought I’d caught Galbraith (or his copy editor, which as you know is something of an avocation for me) out in an big error but it turned out to be a subtly laid clue—and a pull-the-rug-out ending that felt entirely justified.
I will be slightly disappointed if the series works its way round to romance between the main characters, PI Cormoran and his “Girl Friday” Robin in book 2 (if there is one), but their tentative, professional-but-affectionate relationship, not to mention the remaining loose ends of their personal lives (Robin’s dropping out of college, Cormoran’s mother and rock star father and stray siblings, etc.) make me optimistic. Yes, the book tends to be a little over-intricate at times, awash in details, but on the other hand most of them actually turn out to be relevant so it’s hard to quibble in the end.
on and off book 