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The Cuckoo's Calling is our September Additional Read, voted by the members of this group.

Book Summary:
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, and creditors are calling. He has also just broken up with his longtime girlfriend and is living in his office.

Then John Bristow walks through his door with an amazing 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.

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As this is a mystery novel, any theories / discussion on the who-dunnit, please use spoiler tags

So we all know by know (or if you didn't where have you been?) that this has been written by J.K. Rowling, writing under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. Did you have any pre-conceived idea of what the book would be like because of it?

How do you read mystery novels? Do you just go with the flow and read or do you play detective and try to work it out before the reveal?

I found out about J.K. Rowling being the author of this book from GR LOL, I expect it to be a well-written story with a complex building of the characters (these were features I have found the most distinctive in her books so far).

When it comes to reading mystery novels, I usually try to find out who done it by following the clues, but I tend to omit some important ones, and very often I find the ending surprising LOL.

I'm waiting impatiently to start reading this book, but I'm little behind with my other reads, so I will get to it next week :)

Similar to Anima, I just expect the book to be well written. I like J.K.'s writing style.

I try to play detective too. Sometimes I can figure it out early on and other times I'm surprised. I'm curious to see how it goes with J.K.. I'm expecting to be surprised.

I'm still waiting on the library, so I'm going to have to start this one late too. Hopefully, it comes in soon. I have a hold on every available format.

i'm going to read it

I just got the book today. Usually I try to guess the twist before it's revealed with detective/mystery books, but then I get lost in the story and forget to put all the clues together. When the reveal happens there is a flashback in my mind of all the details I should have paid more attention to, but didn't.

I'm excited to start this book. Only 100 more pages of the book I'm currently reading and I can begin.

I started reading this book a couple of months ago and got about a quarter through it and stopped reading. It didn't grab me, but I am going to start it again after I finish "The Passage". Maybe I'll get further along this time.

Like Kristie and Anima I expected the writing to be top notch, the plot to be imaginative, and the characters to be well developed. Beyond that, I had no other expectations. I don't read crime novels too often, but when I do I prefer not to play detective too much. I like being surprised and caught up in those big reveal moments.

I have to say I don't really play detective, I don't see the point when the writer has control over when and what clues you get to read. So I just go with the flow and enjoy the read.

At the end of part one Strike has taken on the case after meeting with John Bristow. If you were Strike would you have taken on the case? If so, did you think there was any clues in his account of her last movements?

I think if I were Strike I would have taken the case and probably for the same reasons that he did - because John's brother was Strike's friend from childhood.

I think there were probably clues in John's account but I didn't go back and re-read it after I finished the novel.

For me, the one thing that stuck out was (view spoiler)[ that there was no photographers outside when it happened. Who tipped them off so that they would leave? I would have been trying to speak to some of them to find out where it came from. (hide spoiler)]

Yeah, that was very intriguing. It was probably one of the reasons that Strike took the case on as well. That was just too coincidental to overlook.

I'm getting the feeling that Strike doesn't like confrontation that much. Although he is a bit of a loner and and outsider, he seems to have a desire to keep the water calm. I think it was (view spoiler)[Bristow's outburst that pushed him into taking the case. He needed the money and Bristow made a scene, so he gave in. I probably would have too. Proving it was suicide would be just as good for Bristow's heart and mind as proving him right. (hide spoiler)]

Lynn, the same thing you mentioned stuck out for me too. It is probably the most intriguing fact so far.

End of part two and we've heard three significant accounts of the evening of Landry's death. From the security guard / driver, from the police detective and upstairs neighbour.

Do you have any theories or just confused?

Upstairs neighbour was just confusing! So many lies, why? However like Strike I do believe that she heard something.
I didn't like the driver and don't trust him.

On a general note, I'm really enjoying the book so far .... how about everyone else?

I've definitely now got to the point where there's so many threads (maybe clues) flying about that I've given up trying to work it out and just reading for the enjoyment.

That's exciting! I can't wait to get to this one. Come on library....

At this point I had a couple of theories but I was very confused. Like you Lynn, I just sat back to enjoy the ride. :)

Kristie wrote: "That's exciting! I can't wait to get to this one. Come on library...."

Me too...still waiting, it's a long waiting list

I got to 52% earlier today and I've had my first 'I think it's ..... who did it'

I had a lot of those. :)

Lynn wrote: "I've definitely now got to the point where there's so many threads (maybe clues) flying about that I've given up trying to work it out and just reading for the enjoyment."

Me too! Well, I'm trying to give up being the detective. :) At the beginning it felt as though it really was suicide, but now there are so many angles to look at this that it really could have been anyone!

Lynn wrote: "I got to 52% earlier today and I've had my first 'I think it's ..... who did it'"

I had a "I think it's.....who did it" last night at around 65%ish through.

I just downloaded this book from the library and am very excited to start reading it this weekend!

I'm in 2% only, but I'm already hooked. I really like the narrating style (I've recently read a lot of first person narrative and this is a nice change :)), and I find the descriptions of characters very suggestive. So far I'm not disappointed by the writing style :)

This is my first experience reading JK Rowling (I know shame on me with three boys) and was so looking forward to it. I'm only 23% in but I'm not loving it. For me, the only character I'm interested in is Robin. I'm sticking with it hoping I get drawn in along the way.

Renee...I hope it gets better. I want to read it...(whispering) and I've never read a Potter book. It seems like sacrilege to say that in goodreads.

Renee wrote: "This is my first experience reading JK Rowling (I know shame on me with three boys) and was so looking forward to it. I'm only 23% in but I'm not loving it. For me, the only character I'm intereste..."

lol - It might be good that you haven't read HP yet because you can not compare them that way. However, if you do read YA, I would recommend reading HP at some point. It was a great series. :) I haven't been able to get to this one yet (library holds...), but I did read The Casual Vacancy and found that she really showed the dark side of her characters. They were not really people you'd want to be around. I'm not sure if this one's the same way.

Scott... I love your sense of humor! I hope it gets better too.

Kristie, I don't know.. I feel like I'm missing something. I feel like the characters haven't drawn me in. Despite the efforts to describe them, there's not much to sink my teeth into and make me feel for them (maybe with the exception of Robin). I feel like if you were to take away the vocabulary and wordage you're left with a run of the mill whodunit- eh

Ahh...yes. It's hard to get into a story when you can't connect or relate to the characters on some level. If you just don't care about them, you tend to not care about the story. Hope it gets better.

I've just started reading it and I have to say, Im liking it so far :O)

Renee wrote: "This is my first experience reading JK Rowling (I know shame on me with three boys) and was so looking forward to it. I'm only 23% in but I'm not loving it. For me, the only character I'm intereste..."

Renee, I hope you will be pleasantly surprised with how the character development unfolds. I'm about 80% through the book and I'm enchanted with the characters. Their experiences unfold the same way the mystery unfolds and it does take time to warm up to them. I am hoping the slowness is due to introducing a character for the first time. And although I'm not finished with the book yet, I hope there will be a follow up book. Unfortunately Robin is, to me, the most underdeveloped character and I suspect the author is saving her continued development for a second book. Maybe that's just wishful thinking. I'll update when I'm finished with the book.

Taylor, good to hear. I haven't given up on it yet. Hopefully this weekend I'll become a bit more connected with it all.

Taylor, thanks for sharing, it gives me hope :), I finished the first part yesterday, and I have a similar feeling as Renee, it is a skillfully written cosy mystery so far. Still, I like it a lot, as I'm a fan of cosy mystery genre and I really love the way J.K. is writing, I especially appreciate her descriptions. All the same, I understand that sometimes it is not enough to get to the book. I will definitely continue reading and even if I'm fairly early in the book, I already hope for sequel :)

I have read all the Harry Potter books and would not know this is the same author by the writing. Nothing negative about that in anyway because I am, definitely, enjoying this book. I really like the character Strike and his side kick, Robin!!!

Taylor wrote: "Unfortunately Robin is, to me, the most underdeveloped character and I suspect the author is saving her continued development for a second book. Maybe that's just wishful thinking. I'll update when I'm finished with the book. "

That's exactly how I feel.

I'm 88% in and it's now getting to the nitty-gritty of it all. Off back to reading .......

So I've finished and did not call who the killer was at all! Good job I don't really try to work these things out because I suck at it lol

I really enjoyed reading this book and looking forward to getting to know Strike and Robin more in the next book.

I'm like you Lyn. I suck at following clues even on t.v. Crime shows. Having not read many crime novels, I thought I would just read it. I am only 18% through and I find myself wondering 'who done it.' I am thoroughly intrigued. I picture Strike as an Australian celebrity (whom I won't name because I'm sure everyone has their own image of Strike). It is keeping me company through my recovery from pneumonia and it's amazing really, I cannot go to work and I cannot seem to concentrate enough to do uni work, but I can seem to read this novel. Thanks for this book!

Glad to hear the book is keeping your company Diane. I hope your recovery is a speedy one.

I'm starting this one today!! :)

Lynn wrote: "So I've finished and did not call who the killer was at all! "

Lynn, I was the same way. I did go through a period of suspecting (view spoiler)[ John, but I kept thinking, "No way. If he did it then why would he approach Strike in the first place?" That didn't make sense so I pushed him out of my head and then was completely surprised when he showed up in Strike's office in the end! (hide spoiler)].

On the whole I thought she wrote it very well and I was still surprised!

I also went through a brief period of suspecting (view spoiler)[John. As well as thinking about how that CCTV footage totally fell off the radar and maybe wasn't that important after all. Too bad I didn't think about the CCTV footage while I was wondering why John would want the case opened up again if he killed Lula. (hide spoiler)]

I also suspected (view spoiler)[Guy for a minute. Thinking that maybe Guy was actually her brother and was angry and hurt that Lula would participate in a commitment ceremony with Evan, but even I knew that was a total stretch. I really liked his character (he felt very developed for only being in the story for a short period of time) and enjoyed the time Strike spent with him. (hide spoiler)]

Overall, I felt this was a well crafted mystery and it was nice not being given full disclosure into what Strike was thinking. He would notice something or perform an action and the reader had to guess what conclusions he was coming to. This kept me from trying too hard to figure out the mystery and let me enjoy the ride.

I also hoped that the story wouldn't end with (view spoiler)[ some random person coming out of nowhere as the killer. Her biological brother seemed to come out of nowhere though. It was a little odd to me that he fled the scene and never told anyone he saw her "jump." But at least he wasn't the killer. (hide spoiler)] So I was pleased.

I'm now nearly a third of the way through this book and I feel the style of writing lends me to believe that it is written by a female in the descriptive way it is written. I was going to give examples but I'm not sure how to use the spoiler alert thing, yet. Maybe I am thinking this way because I know it's written by a female, but I'm curious as to how others feel about this. I'm still loving this book.

Diane, you do spoilers by writing the following:
< spoiler > Write your text here < / spoiler >

However you need to write it without all the gaps.

I finished yesterday, and the person of the killer was a mild surprised to me, I was suspected it for some time, but overall, I loved this book. I think that J.K. did a great job, both with the storyline, and while developing her characters. I'm really looking forward to reading the next installment :)

@Diana, that is a really interesting observation, I was so concentrated on the plot and imagining the story, that I didn't notice any specific hints that the book was written by a female writer, but now, when you mentioned it, I'm curious about your examples :)

All 4 star ratings so far (with one 5 star rating), good feedback so far :)

I finally finished this book and Taylor, I agree, I was pleasantly surprised (or relieved) that the story developed and became more interesting as it went on. I was so close to abandoning this book for most of the first half. It's because of this discussion that I saw this book through. I agree with your thoughts on Robin. I too feel like we're left wondering what's in store for her future.

Glad you kept with it Renee and (kinda) enjoyed it.

I'm at 27%. It's a bit slow but I'm getting into it.

Thanks Lynn. Even though this book wasn't my favorite, it was the first time I've participated in a group read with goodreads and I've been enjoying the process.