Book Review - The Cuckoo's Calling - Robert Galbraith
... or should I say JK Rowling. I believe Ms Rowling was most unhappy about her cover being blown. In the end I only bought this as it was the Kindle deal of the day when I looked at a time of needing some new reading material so it sat on the Kindle until I decided to read it.
It is a good detective thriller. At times early on the author seems to be over trying to sound clever I feel a bit - and it is funny that for me that came and went over the first few chapters but once settled down so I'm not having to look up too many words (that heavens for the built in Kindle dictionary) it is a good British book.
One thing of interest to me straight away is that the main hero of the book is a private dectective, ex soldier who was badly injured in Afganistan. But my interest peaked because... his office is supposedly in Denmark Street. Anyone who knows London and knows about music knows Denmark Street for ages associated with song writing, recording and now the mecca of music shops along it's short little length in the shadow of Centrepoint. Also he drinks in The Tottenham - only pub on Oxford Street - which is right outside Tottenham Court Road tube station and during the two years I worked on the top floor of Centrepoint one of my main watering holes. Funny how connections like that really draw me into the story - this has happened before...
Anyway - the plot centres on the death of supermodel which has been declared by the police etc. as a suicide. However her brother engages our hero on the basis that he doesn't believe it was and wants a fresh set of eyes on it. There is a lot of inter family politics and loads of interesting and outlandish characters brought in so you are kept guessing as you begin to agree she probably didn't jump to her death unaided. In the end there is a bit of a twist at the end but some of the outcomes are a bit too predictable and the whole thing ends with a set up for future instalments... and let's face it Ms Rowling has previous in making a success out of a long running franchise ;-)
A two thumbs up on FTUBRS*
* Furtheron Thumbs Up Book Review Scale -
lowest is both thumbs down with a frown
two thumbs down,
one thumb horizontal,
two thumbs horizontal,
one thumb up,
two thumbs up
two thumbs up with a grin!
It is a good detective thriller. At times early on the author seems to be over trying to sound clever I feel a bit - and it is funny that for me that came and went over the first few chapters but once settled down so I'm not having to look up too many words (that heavens for the built in Kindle dictionary) it is a good British book.
One thing of interest to me straight away is that the main hero of the book is a private dectective, ex soldier who was badly injured in Afganistan. But my interest peaked because... his office is supposedly in Denmark Street. Anyone who knows London and knows about music knows Denmark Street for ages associated with song writing, recording and now the mecca of music shops along it's short little length in the shadow of Centrepoint. Also he drinks in The Tottenham - only pub on Oxford Street - which is right outside Tottenham Court Road tube station and during the two years I worked on the top floor of Centrepoint one of my main watering holes. Funny how connections like that really draw me into the story - this has happened before...
Anyway - the plot centres on the death of supermodel which has been declared by the police etc. as a suicide. However her brother engages our hero on the basis that he doesn't believe it was and wants a fresh set of eyes on it. There is a lot of inter family politics and loads of interesting and outlandish characters brought in so you are kept guessing as you begin to agree she probably didn't jump to her death unaided. In the end there is a bit of a twist at the end but some of the outcomes are a bit too predictable and the whole thing ends with a set up for future instalments... and let's face it Ms Rowling has previous in making a success out of a long running franchise ;-)
A two thumbs up on FTUBRS*
* Furtheron Thumbs Up Book Review Scale -
lowest is both thumbs down with a frown
two thumbs down,
one thumb horizontal,
two thumbs horizontal,
one thumb up,
two thumbs up
two thumbs up with a grin!
I'm guessing Voldemort wasn't the main suspect?
ReplyDeleteAgreed on how if you're familiar with locale it helps with the story. Christopher Moore (who writes some pretty entertaining and fantastical books) has set many of his books on California Central Coast (his fictional town of Pine Cove is really Cambria, CA, where I have vacationed multiple times) or set in San Francisco, where I have spent a great deal of time. Like you said, it really draws you in because you can see, smell, taste, feel and hear the very city and places they're describing.
Sounds good.
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