The Cuckoo's Calling Review
" After losing his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan, Cormoran Strike is barely scraping by as a private investigator. Strike is down to one client, and creditors are calling. He has also just broken up with his longtime girlfriend and is living in his office.
Then John Bristow walks through his door with an amazing story: His sister, the legendary supermodel Lula Landry, known to her friends as the Cuckoo, famously fell to her death a few months earlier. The police ruled it a suicide, but John refuses to believe that. The case plunges Strike into the world of multimillionaire beauties, rock-star boyfriends, and desperate designers, and it introduces him to every variety of pleasure, enticement, seduction, and delusion known to man.
You may think you know detectives, but you've never met one quite like Strike. You may think you know about the wealthy and famous, but you've never seen them under an investigation like this.
Introducing Cormoran Strike, this is the acclaimed first crime novel by J.K. Rowling, writing under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.
(Quoted from Goodreads.com) "
So, when this book started to be sold at nearby bookstores i saw some ( I dont know what these things called) big version of it made out of styrofoam and big posters at the entrance like the book really is a big deal. I went to some bookstores and passing the small area dedicated to this book with quick glance, i didnt recognize the writer so I didnt really interested in checking them out. i knew i read somewhere about Rowling pseudonym and how it leaked out, but I didnt make connection with the book (how could I, I only threw quick glance and by the cover it clearly looked like some mystery book, which is rather new coming from J.K. Rowling). I don't remember how I finally found out about the writer's real identity, but at that moment I knew I had to have that book.
But the book is rather expensive for a university student whose in the middle of doing a research and most of her allowance were dedicated to the research. So I waited for a discounted price at book fair or book expo held every year. So I went to Islamic Book Fair 2014 but couldnt find the book, but I get to buy her other book The Casual Vacancy for 50% off (oh, how I jump in delight). At the next book expo event, Jakarta Book Fair 2014, I went there with this book in mind and spend more that 2 hours walking around the big stadium where the event being held before i finally found the book. The discount wasn't as big as The Casual Vacancy's Book, only about 20 or 25%, but I was too happy (relief i finally find it) and just grab it. I wanted to read it the moment i reach home but I knew the moment I start to read it I just wouldn't able to put it don't and I didn't have the time to spend reading novel. I got the chance to read the book a few days ago when my sister got admitted to a hospital and I had to spend some nights with her. It took me 4 days to finish the book (Usually it took me much less time but I couldn't concentrate reading it with all the noises at the hospital).
I love the book. It has the same interesting flow as the Harry Potter series but with more adult glamour. Somehow it reminded me of Agatha Christie's books. Maybe because of the way the killer revealed, so unexpected and directly confronted, or maybe because of anything else, I couldnt put my finger on it. I love the characters. The smart but brutish Cormoran Strike with beautiful, caring, and smart assistant Robin. Its like modern version of beauty and the beast. But I dont like the idea of them being a couple. I like the little spark and how they seem to attract each other, and with Robin having a fiance it add some spice to their relationship. as I mentioned I'm fine with a little romance spark but with not with too much romance. It ruined the whole idea of batman-robin thingy. I personally think that when there is romance involved in a work relationship there will be problems follow. A couple would quarrel and they would stop seeing or talk to each other for some time and there will be some drama before they will resume where they left off. That would be too much drama in a detective story.
Even though I love the characters I think Robin is too perfect. How is it that she could make a very useful (too useful) assistant. she's attractive, smart, know a lot of thing, good actress, quick-witted. It seems like Strike cant do anything without her.. I cant really grasped her character somehow. I cant predict how she would think or respond in a certain situation. On the other hand I love Cormoran Strike. He's unlike any other lead characters. He doesnt have a popstar look. He's a giant with hair issues, but really smart, an Oxford dropout. He's a perfect balance. And I can understand him. He also make a good detective. A detective need to be either charming or intimidating to manipulate other into giving them information since they don't have authority like police officer.
Story-wise, I have no complain at all. It build perfectly, it end with an unexpectedly ending perfect for a detective story. It made me want to read the next book (which sadly i have to wait for quite a long time for the book to get to Indonesia). I really recommend it even to people who doesn't like reading detective or mystery books and I give 4 star out of 5
I upload ebook version of this book for those who want to check the book out. But I suggest you to buy the book. even without the discount it still worth every cents..
Mediafire link: pdf, epub