The Cuckoo's Calling

Public Service Announcement: Robert Galbraith = J.K. Rowling, of Harry Potter fame and the almost-singlehanded ensurer of the continuation of the love of reading in the Millennial Generation. Pretty sure most people know that already but just in case, I wanted to put it out there. Knowing that really affected my expectations of this book – whether that's good, bad, or indifferent I'm really not sure.

The Cuckoo's Calling (1st in the Cormoran Strike series, 2013) is Rowling's attempt at a detective novel aimed at fans of hard-boiled crime. I had such ridiculously high hopes for this book! Which, I am happy to report – I found mostly met and justified. Overall I think “hard-boiled” is a bit overstated, as Rowling (I can not refer to her as Galbraith, so help me) seems to shy away from anything particularly descriptive as far as violence or sex, though the language is colorful at times.

We're first introduced to the secondary main character, Robin – I can't think of her in anything but that term, because while yes, there are technically TWO main characters, Robin and Strike, Robin is decidedly in the background.

Robin might be a pretty girl, but she could not hold a candle to the woman he had just left.

From Charlotte he had learned that the kind of money he had never known could coexist with unhappiness and savagery.

When her mouth puckered into hard little lines around the cigarette, it looked like a cat's anus.

“I usually, like, ricochet off the bouncers and they have to push me in.”