Todd reviewed The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (Cormoran Strike, #1)
Review of "The Cuckoo's Calling" on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Mystery isn't a genre I immediately go for, but I have nothing against. What would make me pick one up is probably one of the following: 1) an author I already enjoy, 2) a recommendation from a friend who I feel knows my taste, or 3) stumbling upon a very intriguing review. I put this on my Amazon wish list because of 1 and 3, and then 2 bought it for me! (Thanks, Sis!)
Even though the Harry Potter books are Kids' (Young Adult?) books, I always appreciated Rowling's writing style. She made that series feel accessible to a huge range of readers without feeling dumbed down. She moves that up a notch for the first Cormoran Strike detective novel. And while murder and drug use are "adult" topics, I'd have no problem with either of my Young Adult children picking this up and reading it (spoiler: they won't). It's …
Mystery isn't a genre I immediately go for, but I have nothing against. What would make me pick one up is probably one of the following: 1) an author I already enjoy, 2) a recommendation from a friend who I feel knows my taste, or 3) stumbling upon a very intriguing review. I put this on my Amazon wish list because of 1 and 3, and then 2 bought it for me! (Thanks, Sis!)
Even though the Harry Potter books are Kids' (Young Adult?) books, I always appreciated Rowling's writing style. She made that series feel accessible to a huge range of readers without feeling dumbed down. She moves that up a notch for the first Cormoran Strike detective novel. And while murder and drug use are "adult" topics, I'd have no problem with either of my Young Adult children picking this up and reading it (spoiler: they won't). It's pretty much TV-mystery-level description of anything potentially untoward (think "Castle" rather than "Law & Order: SVU") with the lion's share of the text being devoted to detectiving.
One area in which JK Rowling really shines in the Potterverse is in character development and depiction, and she definitely continues that dedication here. The main character and his immediate circle are well-rounded personalities right from their introductions.
I definitely look forward to continuing this series; it's a fun read and stands completely on its own, but I am glad to know there are at least a few more cases to get into.
