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Book Review #66: The Cuckoo's Calling
Title: The Cuckoo's Calling
Author: Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling)
Genre: Mystery
Thingummies: 4
Synopsis: A down-on-his-luck private eye gets hired to look into the "suicide" of a superstar model.
Thoughts: The prose starts purple. It lightens as we go along, but the prologue's air is as thick with adjectives as it is with snow.
Once things got moving, though, I appreciated the lyricism of the prose. Purple writing, after all, is as much part of the noir tradition as troubled, mysterious, beautiful women.
This is an incredibly intricate plot that all comes together beautifully in the end. A little too beautifully, to be honest. When Galbraith pulls the big reveal, it's obvious that all the clues were there all along. But for all that the hints were there, the resolution seemed so out of character for the murderer that it kind of left me cold. It worked on a logical level but not necessarily on an emotional one. And I'm not really sure what reason our detective had for isolating his suspect for the inevitable monologue and attempted murder--other than he wanted monologues.
But I liked the main characters so much that I'm willing to let that pass. Some characters are just enjoyable to be with. Strike is just woebegone enough for us to pity him, but keeps it together enough for us not to feel contempt. Robin is spunky but three dimensional, with her own interior life. She falls into the girl sidekick archetype but not the stereotype. Their relationship is knotty and human and endearing. The overall effect is charming.
Author: Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling)
Genre: Mystery
Thingummies: 4
Synopsis: A down-on-his-luck private eye gets hired to look into the "suicide" of a superstar model.
Thoughts: The prose starts purple. It lightens as we go along, but the prologue's air is as thick with adjectives as it is with snow.
Once things got moving, though, I appreciated the lyricism of the prose. Purple writing, after all, is as much part of the noir tradition as troubled, mysterious, beautiful women.
This is an incredibly intricate plot that all comes together beautifully in the end. A little too beautifully, to be honest. When Galbraith pulls the big reveal, it's obvious that all the clues were there all along. But for all that the hints were there, the resolution seemed so out of character for the murderer that it kind of left me cold. It worked on a logical level but not necessarily on an emotional one. And I'm not really sure what reason our detective had for isolating his suspect for the inevitable monologue and attempted murder--other than he wanted monologues.
But I liked the main characters so much that I'm willing to let that pass. Some characters are just enjoyable to be with. Strike is just woebegone enough for us to pity him, but keeps it together enough for us not to feel contempt. Robin is spunky but three dimensional, with her own interior life. She falls into the girl sidekick archetype but not the stereotype. Their relationship is knotty and human and endearing. The overall effect is charming.