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![The Cuckoo's Calling: Cormoran Strike Book 1 by [Robert Galbraith]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/514UbJqL2SL._SY346_.jpg)
The Cuckoo's Calling: Cormoran Strike Book 1 Kindle Edition
Robert Galbraith (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
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'The Cuckoo's Calling reminds me why I fell in love with crime fiction in the first place' VAL MCDERMID
-----
Now a major BBC drama: The Strike series
When a troubled model falls to her death from a snow-covered Mayfair balcony, it is assumed that she has committed suicide. However, her brother has his doubts, and calls in private investigator Cormoran Strike to look into the case.
Strike is a war veteran - wounded both physically and psychologically - and his life is in disarray. The case gives him a financial lifeline, but it comes at a personal cost: the more he delves into the young model's complex world, the darker things get - and the closer he gets to terrible danger . . .
A gripping, elegant mystery steeped in the atmosphere of London - from the hushed streets of Mayfair to the backstreet pubs of the East End to the bustle of Soho - The Cuckoo's Calling is a remarkable book. Introducing Cormoran Strike, this is the acclaimed first crime novel by J.K. Rowling, writing under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.
*** The latest book in the thrilling Strike series, TROUBLED BLOOD, is available to pre-order now! ***
-----
PRAISE FOR THE STRIKE SERIES:
'One of the most unique and compelling detectives I've come across in years' MARK BILLINGHAM
'The work of a master storyteller' DAILY TELEGRAPH
'Unputdownable. . . Irresistible' SUNDAY TIMES
'Will keep you up all night' OBSERVER
'A thoroughly enjoyable classic' PETER JAMES, SUNDAY EXPRESS
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherSphere
- Publication date18 April 2013
- File size2109 KB
Product description
Review
From the Publisher
Book Description
Review
"Robert Galbraith has written a highly entertaining book... Even better, he has introduced an appealing protagonist in Strike, who's sure to be the star of many sequels to come.... its narrative moves forward with propulsive suspense. More important, Strike and his now-permanent assistant, Robin (playing Nora to his Nick, Salander to his Blomkvist), have become a team - a team whose further adventures the reader cannot help eagerly awaiting." (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times)
"Rowling switches genres seamlessly...a gritty, absorbing tale." (People (3.5/4 stars))
"An extravagant, alien, fascinating world for its characters to explore...great pleasures." (Slate)
"I couldn't stop myself from thoroughly enjoying The Cuckoo's Calling... The book's real magic is in Rowling's distinctive descriptive prose." (Carole E. Barrowman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
"THE CUCKOO'S CALLING reminds me why I fell in love with crime fiction in the first place." (Val McDermid, bestselling author of The Vanishing Point) --internet
This book is so well written that I suspect that some years down the road we will hear the author's name is a pseudonym of some famous writer. Lots of description made one feel like another occupant in the scene. You could feel the weather, the tension, the pain, the atmosphere in the gatherings. The Audible version had great accents. It is a wonderful mystery with a surprise ending, and I look forward to more by the same author --internet --This text refers to the hardcover edition.
About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : B0091LLCTM
- Publisher : Sphere (18 April 2013)
- Language : English
- File size : 2109 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 561 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: 1,972 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Robert Galbraith’s Cormoran Strike series is classic contemporary crime fiction from a master story-teller, rich in plot, characterisation and detail. Galbraith’s debut into crime fiction garnered acclaim amongst critics and crime fans alike. The first three novels The Cuckoo’s Calling (2013), The Silkworm (2014) and Career of Evil (2015) all topped the national and international bestseller lists and have been adapted for television, produced by Brontë Film and Television. The fourth in the series, Lethal White (2018), is out now.
Robert Galbraith is a pseudonym of J.K. Rowling, bestselling author of the Harry Potter series and The Casual Vacancy, a novel for adults. After Harry Potter, the author chose crime fiction for her next books, a genre she has always loved as a reader. She wanted to write a contemporary whodunit, with a credible back story.
J.K. Rowling’s original intention for writing as Robert Galbraith was for the books to be judged on their own merit, and to establish Galbraith as a well-regarded name in crime in its own right.
Now Robert Galbraith’s true identity is widely known, J.K. Rowling continues to write the crime series under the Galbraith pseudonym to keep the distinction from her other writing and so people will know what to expect from a Cormoran Strike novel.
https://robert-galbraith.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CormoranStrikeNovelsOfficial
Twitter: @RGalbraith
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Top reviews from Australia
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COVID SUCKS !!!!!
Great story, fantastic characters and written with the up most Grace and style - a bloody fantastic read!
I was gobsmacked on learning the identity of the killer.
I found i had clear images of Strike's office and also the murder scene premises.
My only criticism is that early chapters became tedious within the various interviews. I would have preferred alternate ways of presenting us with all the information.
I have already embarked on the second book.
Top reviews from other countries

My agent had suggested it previously, but now I was ready.
In his book 'On Writing, Stephan King suggests that all authors should do two things to improve their craft: read and write, a lot.
I was interested to see how JK Rowling under the pseudonym of Robert Galbraith (sorry if this is a plot spoiler for you), would handle the transition from writing for children to adults.
I'll tell you how well she managed it: I became so engrossed in the first of the series of Cormoran Strike detective novels that I forgot about studying her work and just enjoyed it.
You don't need me to summarise the story, after all, that's what the back cover is for, but I will say that I am in awe of Galbraith/ Rowling. I have not since reading 'Love in a time of Cholera' by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, found another author who makes a detailed description of the 'mundane' as entertaining as Galbraith.
it's an unbelievably tricky skill to walk the tight rope between superfluous and necessary description (I know all too well, often falling the wrong side).
I still don't l know how she does it, but now I'm too busy reading the strike novels solely for pleasure to care.
PS: I sent the book to my dad in Cornwall who is now also hooked!
Enjoy.
Matt :)


Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 July 2019
My agent had suggested it previously, but now I was ready.
In his book 'On Writing, Stephan King suggests that all authors should do two things to improve their craft: read and write, a lot.
I was interested to see how JK Rowling under the pseudonym of Robert Galbraith (sorry if this is a plot spoiler for you), would handle the transition from writing for children to adults.
I'll tell you how well she managed it: I became so engrossed in the first of the series of Cormoran Strike detective novels that I forgot about studying her work and just enjoyed it.
You don't need me to summarise the story, after all, that's what the back cover is for, but I will say that I am in awe of Galbraith/ Rowling. I have not since reading 'Love in a time of Cholera' by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, found another author who makes a detailed description of the 'mundane' as entertaining as Galbraith.
it's an unbelievably tricky skill to walk the tight rope between superfluous and necessary description (I know all too well, often falling the wrong side).
I still don't l know how she does it, but now I'm too busy reading the strike novels solely for pleasure to care.
PS: I sent the book to my dad in Cornwall who is now also hooked!
Enjoy.
Matt :)


Having said that...I prefer Corm.
Seriously, how does JK do it? She has a masterful grasp of plot, character, pacing, the works. I am also constantly amazed by how good she is at coming up with character names!
The story is artful in it’s simplicity. Model dies after hurtling from a balcony, did she fall or was she pushed? Add a complex cast of starry, shallow, money hungry, a-moral characters and you have a great yarn ahead of you.
The main reason it’s so compelling is the man himself, Cormoran Strike. It’s hard to create a detective without being cliched, and somehow JK has done it. Who knew a one legged army vet with a penchant for beautiful, psychotic women would be so interesting to read about. I also love Robin, who manages in this book to be wide eyed and eager without going full Enid Blyton.
Stellar as always. I recommend it to everyone.
(Special mention to Robert Glenister, best audiobook reader I’ve ever heard)

The story focuses on Cormoran Strike and his P.I business. He is asked by a former class mate's brother to investigate the death of his sister, who was a supermodel and which the police have decided was a suicide. We then go along with Cormoran as he investigates her death.
I did this like this book, it was a good read and Rowling weaves quite a few different plot points together well and we get to know the both Cormoran and Robin quite well, as there is a lot of their backstory in the book. The plot isn't massively complicated though and while there are a few twists and turns as the events unfold, it all feels a bit underwhelming in the end.
I found there was also a little bit of spitefulness in Rowling's writing style too, towards many of the characters, mainly the female ones and the celebrities, while there seems to be hints of outward dislike to Rowling's press in the book. I can't really put my finger on exactly what it was, but there seemed to be an edge of smugness and spitefulness while Rowling is narrating scenes involving them.
I will be reading the next book in the series as I am intrigued enough by the characters of Cormoran (even though he seems to be a copy of Hagrid, less the half giant part of course) and Robin.

Unfortunately, this is *not* a good detective story. It is a very mediocre one, with a plot that owes much to the infinitely superior 'An Unsuitable Job for a Woman'. The characters are unappealing: Strike reminds me of Cracker-without-the-charm (which may be because Galbraith/Rowling is rewriting Hagrid who was also played by Robbie Coltrane) and her only way of letting us know that Robin isn't nice-but-dim is to repeatedly tell us 'she asked intelligently', 'she looked round intelligently', 'she listened intelligently', &c. Honestly, the lady doth protest too much.
So I'm now going to let my friends and colleagues sing the praises of this series to high heaven and reveal as many spoilers as their hearts desire -- no skin off my nose: I won't be wasting my time reading any more of this disappointing series. Ms Rowling should, I feel, stick to children's fiction which is where her true talents lie.

The last time I read something by J.K.Rowling was years ago when I read the Harry Potter books to my son - who absolutely loved the series and I enjoyed reading them to him; however, when the author moved to writing adult fiction I must admit I had no real interest in reading them. This was, for me, a fairly average crime novel: the plot was not hugely original (and I had little difficulty working out who the perpetrator of the crime was), the troubled detective with a messy private life is one we've seen many times before, and some of the supporting characters were rather stereotypical. That's not to say there weren't parts to the novel that interested me and kept me entertained, but the plaudits on the book's cover and on the inside pages ("wonderfully fresh and funny"; "one of the must unique and compelling detectives I've come across in years"; "unsurprisingly excellent"and so forth) led me to expect more from this than it actually delivered. I do have a couple of the sequels in this series which I bought together with this particular title for my son who is now old enough to read adult novels and expressed an interest in the Cormoran Strike books (although the excessive amount of four-lettered words has made me reluctant to hand them over!) and as I've now bought them I may well read them at some point, but I have other books that I am more excited about reading before I start on these.
3 Stars.