The Cuckoo's Calling

Cormoran Strike, Book 1

By: Robert Galbraith

Narrated by: Robert Glenister

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 audiobook. Introducing Cormoran Strike, this is the acclaimed first crime novel by J.K. Rowling, writing under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.

©2013 Robert Galbraith (P)2013 Hachette Digital

Critic reviews

" The Cuckoo's Calling reminds me why I fell in love with crime fiction in the first place." (Val McDermid)

"One of the most unique and compelling detectives I've come across in years" (Mark Billingham)

"One of the best crime novels I have ever read." (Alex Gray)

Excellent Read Great Story

Would you listen to The Cuckoo's Calling again? Why?

Wow I have finished the book and feel a little sad. The story kept me guessing right to the end. Robert Glenister told the story so well and made the characters come alive. I cannot wait for the next in in the series J K.( Robert) please hurry!!

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes it did I could not guess what had happened and loved the characters each giving their version of the other characters and events

Which character – as performed by Robert Glenister – was your favorite?

Strike himself!! He is such a well drawn character and the author has a wonderfuk creation here and can develop him as the series progresses.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Kept me on the edge of my seat if that is possible when you are walking

Any additional comments?

Next Book Please

Great new series.

At turns a compelling mystery, an insightful character study and often laugh out loud funny. Never boring.

Robert Galbraith Does Not Disappoint!

Beautiful prose, well woven plot, compelling character development. I am waiting for #2 in the series.

Really Enjoyed it, great new Detective Character

What did you love best about The Cuckoo's Calling?

I liked the lead and the sidekick...it just works!

I liked Cormoran Strike, a cranky flawed man, but who knows he is, but on the quiet is a good man.

Really liked Robyn, who knows what she wants, but finds it hard to get there.

What other book might you compare The Cuckoo's Calling to and why?

It is a detective novel...so Detective books.

Which character – as performed by Robert Glenister – was your favorite?

Cormoran Strike, really well developed character, I look forward to learning more about him as the series continues.

Any additional comments?

As everyone knows by now, this is JK's Book and it is really well written and enjoyable. It develops and intertwines the characters really well. I will definitely look forward to the next one.

An entertaining mystery

A well written, well crafted story. I enjoyed the fact that the ending, while not unusual, was sufficiently obscured to keep the book entertaining to the last word.
The use of profanities was liberal but also in keeping with the characters being portrayed in my opinion.

Great writing and a good plot

I enjoyed this book greatly thanks to fabulous narration. Also, the writing - elegant sentences and acute, rich vocabulary. There are some unbelievable aspects in the plot - like why would you awake the sleeping dogs for no good reason - and Cormoran's guesses are always accurate, but .... nothing is perfect. Overall I'd recommend it to lovers of a good whodunnit novels - although I predicted it from the start.

Brilliant and gripping!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was thrilling and gripping and kept me captivated for the full length of the story. robert Glenister narrates beautifuly and his tones, accents and portrayal of women's voices was very good.

The overall story was exciting and plausible and was a really good detective story.
Worth the read!

3.5 stars for an above average outing

I enjoy the odd crime novel and this one was no exception.

NARRATOR – The narrator does a good job with this book. His voice differentiation is great so there is no confusion. His accents are appropriate and inflections keep the story moving along without being overly dramatic. Well done.

STORY - I would not say this story held any real surprises for me, but I enjoyed it anyway. The characters were great and the suspects numerous. However half way through the book one in particular started to seem a bit more “fishy” than the others and almost gave the game away for me.

I would recommend this book to readers of light mystery books. I would listen to another if this was part of a series.

surprisingly good

when I heard this was written by JK Rowling I went off the idea of reading it but decided to persevere which I'm glad I did, The characters were great and multidimensional. The story line was full of twists and turns. The reader was also excellent. well worth a listen.

Great story

What made the experience of listening to The Cuckoo's Calling the most enjoyable?

Great charcters from JK, there will be more to come I'm sure.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Cuckoo's Calling?

Nice pace of story telling.

What does Robert Glenister bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Robert Glenister is excellent.