The Cuckoo's Calling
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4.2 • 448 Ratings
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
Published under a pseudonym, J. K. Rowling's brilliant debut mystery introduces Detective Cormoran Strike as he investigates a supermodel's suicide in "one of the best books of the year" (USA Today), the first novel in the brilliant series that inspired the acclaimed HBO Max series C.B. Strike.
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, creditors are calling, and after a breakup with his longtime girlfriend, he's living in his office.
Then John Bristow walks through his door with a shocking 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.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
This droll, absorbing mystery became a bestseller when it was revealed that the book’s author, Robert Galbraith, was actually a pseudonym for Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling. Wounded veteran turned private investigator Cormoran Strike is hired to investigate the apparent suicide of supermodel Lula Landry. Aided by his sharp new secretary, the down-on-his-luck detective delves into the garish world of London’s nouveau riche to discover the shocking truth about Lula’s last days. Rowling’s crisp prose, colourful characters, and dark humour make The Cuckoo’s Calling an irresistible detective story.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In a rare feat, the pseudonymous Galbraith combines a complex and compelling sleuth and an equally well-formed and unlikely assistant with a baffling crime in his stellar debut. When office temp Robin Ellacott reports for work, she's unprepared for the shabby office or the rude greeting she receives from London PI Cormoran Strike. Soon after, John Bristow arrives and asks Strike to look into the putative suicide of his adopted, mixed-race sister, supermodel Lula Landry. Strike reluctantly agrees, even though the police have concluded a high-profile investigation. A decorated Afghan vet with an artificial lower leg, Strike begins a meticulous reinvestigation that leads him into a world of celebrities and wannabes, as well as deep into Landry's sad rollercoaster life. The methodical Strike and the curious Ellacott work their way through a host of vividly drawn suspects and witnesses toward an elegant solution. Readers will hope to see a lot more of this memorable sleuthing team.
Customer Reviews
Kept in suspense
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the story, the prose, the gliding English. When is the next one?
The cuckoo's calling
It was a great read. I was sad when I read the last of it as I realized that as much as I wanted to hurry to pick it up and continue reading it, it would quickly end my great pleasure of coming home with anticipation to see what was going to happen next!!!
Loved the book
It was a great read....kept your interest all thru...
Loved the detail and the people in the story were
So well done.....thanks.....