The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith

When a troubled model falls to her death from a snow-covered Mayfair balcony, it is assumed that she has committed suicide. However, her brother has his doubts, and calls in private investigator Cormoran Strike to look into the case. Strike is a war veteran - wounded both physically and psychologically - and his life is in disarray. The case gives him a financial lifeline, but it comes at a personal cost: the more he delves into the young model's complex world, the darker things get - and the closer he gets to terrible danger ...

When Robert Galbraith’s debut novel, The Cuckoo’s Calling, was released it received excellent reviews for a first-time writer, including a stellar quote from Scottish crime queen Val McDermid. Just the result, I reckon, that JK Rowling was looking for when she first decided to write her new crime series under a pseudonym in an attempt to be judged honestly, with Potter set aside for one moment. 

Sadly the secret came out too early for me to read it without knowing it was JK who had penned it, and arguably yes, it may not have read it if her name wasn’t attached, but I enjoyed it so there. There aren’t any gimmicks here, just good classic crime with a troubled crime-fighting protagonist in the brilliantly named Cormoran Strike and his trusty red-headed (had to throw that in, obvs) sidekick, Robin.

As a Londoner, I loved the setting. The novel taps into both London’s seedy underbelly and the glitz and glamour of its celebrity elite. It walks you from Strike’s dingy Denmark Street office through the sounds and smells of Chinatown to the wide streets and beautiful homes of Mayfair.

In the celebrity-obsessed world we live in these days, the idea of a famous model falling dramatically from her balcony doesn’t seem that unlikely... I can almost see the tabloid headline now. Rowling isn’t rubbing it in our faces by any means – she isn’t saying, ‘hey, look how ridiculous we all are’ but I sensed some satire here, which I like whether it was deliberate or not. It’s there for the taking if that is how you choose to read it but either way it’s a good story.

I’m not going to say that this is the most exciting, genre-busting novel of the 21st century but it’s not supposed to be. All in all, this is going to be a fun series to get involved in. Like the best crime novels, this can be consumed quickly and leave you with an appetite for the next one.

As ever with JK Rowling, she doesn’t let waffle get in the way of a great plot and solid characters. In her central female character, she has created that perfect combination of intelligence and heart, strength and vulnerability… but I’m going to restrain myself from comparing her to any other of Rowling’s strong female characters… In short, I’d get into these now before there are 100 of them – next stop, The Silkworm!

7/10