She's Bringin' Fiction Back

{Sung to the tune of JT's Bringin' Sexy Back. You're welcome for getting that stuck in your head.}

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith J.K. Rowling

Ladies and Gentlemen, she's back in business.  I don't know why J.K. Rowling decided to publish a book under a pseudonym, but whatever, because it worked and she's back with some excellent fiction.  Let us never have another Casual Vacancy situation.

I am supposed to be studying.  I am supposed to be finishing the 3rd book in the Game of Thrones series.  I am supposed to be turning the upstairs into a livable space.  But what have I been doing?  READING.  NON STOP.  500 pages in less than a week because I couldn't put it down.  Stayed up way later than I should have in order to finish it last night and will now be dragging all day, but it was worth it.

The Cuckoo's Calling is a murder mystery told from the perspective of private detective, Cormoran Strike, and his assistant, Robin.  Supermodel Lula Landry throws herself out her window in the beginning of the book, on a snowy London night.  But was it really suicide?  Strike's investigation leads him into the illustrious world of supermodels and actors and rappers, which he must navigate with the same level of skill that he did in the dangerous military situations in Africa and Afghanistan.  He is not your typical P.I. and this is not your typical suicide.

I was expecting non-stop action, like a Bond movie or the Bourne series, but this read is academic.  The reader follows Strike through all of his interviews (as he tries to work out his crazy personal life) while he pieces together the puzzle of what happened.  The characters are interesting and the plot is complex.  I had my suspicions about whodunnit but this book kept me wondering until the very last pages!  It was well done and I'm hoping we see more of Strike's adventures in the future!

Happy Reading!  Another cup of coffee, please...