Attention Harry Potter fans!  J K Rowling is writing another book series.  Don’t expect spells or castles, or even J K Rowling’s name, but you will find interesting detective fiction.

The Cuckoo’s Calling released in 2013 to good reviews but small sales.  Published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, the mystery only sold 8,500 copies before someone leaked the author’s true identity.  After that, sales took off.

The Premise

The Cuckoo’s Calling opens with the death of celebrity model Lula Landry, a biracial young woman whose life was plagued by mental illness and the stress of stardom.  The police rule her death a suicide, but her adopted brother suspects foul play.  He hires Cormoran Strike, a veteran who lost a leg in Afghanistan, to investigate.

What I Liked

Galbraith creates a compelling lead with Cormoran Strike.  He’s haunted by his past in the military police and a destructive relationship with a beautiful, vituperative woman.  Strike needs money and gladly accepts the hefty payment from his newest client, Lula Landry’s brother.  But Strike isn’t in it just for funds.  His own tumultuous childhood makes him a thoughtful, compassionate observer.  (I only wish I was privy to more of his investigative deductions!)

Strike hires Robin, a smart and efficient temp who he cannot afford for longer than two weeks, to help him get his struggling business stabilized.  Neither one of them discusses the fact that Strike lives in his office.  Robin’s capable sleuthing and social skills keep Strike afloat.  When she gets an offer for a better paying job, Robin struggles between her passion for detective work and financial stability.

But these aren’t the only interesting characters.  Galbraith aptly sketches several distinct, realistic, and interesting people to serve as suspects in the mystery, including a gay fashion designer and a drug muddled young movie star.

What I didn’t like

Although the writing style was easy to read, the pace moves slowly, with many key plot points revealed through dialogue, not action.  I’m all about character development and good dialogue, but sometimes things dragged.

Also, I had no idea who the killer was until the end of the novel.  That could be a praise for the story, except I would have felt more involved if I had a better idea where Strike was headed with his conclusions.  At the end of the novel, Strike spends ten pages (literally, I counted) explaining the case.  It felt like a lecture.  I would have liked him to clue me in earlier.

That said, I must share two caveats: First, I rarely read mysteries, so perhaps this is the typical format for the genre.  Also, I read at night, about an hour after my brain has flared its last brilliant burst, and perhaps I didn’t catch clues I should have.  I distinctly remember two scenes in which Strike says, “She didn’t realize how much information she gave me,” and I thought “What did I miss?!”  But I was too tired to reread.

The story behind the story

As Rowling explains on the Robert Galbraith website, she hoped to keep the truth about her authorship of The Cuckoo’s Calling a secret for longer.  She wanted to write in a new genre, free from expectations and open to honest criticism.  However, she decided early on that if the world discovered the novel’s true author, she would donate the royalties from The Cuckoo’s Calling  to ABF The Soldiers Charity.  This London-based organization helps active and retired servicemen  with debt relief, mobility, and access to education.

Rowling/Galbraith intends to write more novels for the series.  The Silkworm is already out; my friend Rachel warns that it is more gory than The Cuckoo’s Calling. BBC One plans to turn the novels into a television series.

Have you read any of Rowling’s books for adults? How do you like them?  If you read mysteries, can you comment on the typical structure for that genre?

Thanks!

Julia