The Cuckoo’s Calling is a mystery-crime novel written by Robert Galbraith, the pen name for J. K. Rowling.    The story does not resemble Harry Potter in any way.   Reviews of the book were good so it was with no specific expectations that I read through the book.    My first response was to marvel at the quality of the writing.     There were passages that I reread just to enjoy the prose.

“But the lies she told were woven into the fabric of her being, her life; so that to live with her and love her was to become slowly enmeshed by them, to wrestle her for the truth, to struggle to maintain foothold on reality.”

The novel follows the procedural investigation by an ex-military,  partly disabled, down-on-his-luck private investigator named Cormoran Strike.   He is sleeping in his office at the start and can’t pay his rent.   Two things happen to provide a ray of hope.   He is asked to investigate the death of the celebrity Lula Landry.    The police had ruled it a suicide a year earlier, but Lula’s stepbrother wants another investigation.   At the same time, an office temp arrives and proves herself to be both bright and resourceful.    Much of the book follows Strike’s investigation – interviews, evidence, double-checking evidence, and doggedly chasing down the details of the investigation.     Lula and her connections were part of the world of fame, fortune, and celebrities.   Strike interacts with a series of self-serving, shallow people in pursuit of the truth.  There is an element of social criticism woven into the plot.    Characters are well crafted and interesting.

The story moves well and Galbraith keeps his audience wanting to read on.    The ending was a surprise and at that time I noted the ironies built into the story structure.   Overall, it is not a complex story, but that also made it an accessible and entertaining read.  Recommended – 4.7 out of 5.0 stars4.7