Love it .

J.K. Rowling shows she's more than a one trick pony here. A very successful whodunnit and an interesting detective to boot.

I have to admit that I had put this book off for a long time when I found out that Robert Galbraith was a pseudonym for J.K. Rowling. I had liked her Harry Potter books at the beginning, although the terrible grammar made my head spin at times, but ended up putting that series aside when I connected some subtle dots between some characters of Tolkiens Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. I didnt like it. And so I lost respect for her as an author. But that was my opinion that was not shared by everyone and I accept that. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion right? I dare say yes.

And then this year I was asked by a lovely lady if I would read The Silkworm for their book site and so I said Sure because she has given me other fantastic books to read and I trusted her judgement perfectly. And not to mention, if I want to be an unbiased reviewer I cant be picky, now can I? So I decided to start from the beginning and read The Cuckoos Calling because as far as Im concerned you cant read a second book in a series without reading the first. There could be some important information in there and it gives you more time to get to know the characters of those stories. And I wasnt disappointed!

My first impression of the book was one of annoyance. The sentences seemed to go on forever and have so many commas that made it rough to read having to go back to the beginning of the sentence to figure out what I had just read. I might have been in the wrong frame of mind, or have read too many books where sentences are shorter and less theatrical: like as if I was watching a dramatic play or something. But after a while I got into the flow of it and the sentences started to run smoothly, the description painted a clearer picture and ultimately I got dragged into those poetic sentences.

Strike was a fascinating character but at the beginning he didnt stand out much at all. Nothing set him aside from Joe Blow down the road and so he kind of melted into the background for a bit even though the whole story was based around him. But as the story went on, I got to know him a bit more, even found myself liking him. He doesnt like to stand out in a crowd, hes calm, quiet and very perceptive. So my initial thought of him of blending into the background is himdown to a T. And no matter how Galbraith tried to make him look unattractive to the reader, I completely forgot about his scruffiness, bulky size and receding hairline. Those (except for the limp) were the last things I would associate with Strike.

The story itself was a fantastic read. I myself, have never read many mystery novels having stopped short of them by reading mystery crime ones like those written by Kathy Reichs. And so this was my first real taste of a mystery and I was along for the ride. At so many turns you could second guess the ending but only be thrown off course by something else. And so the tragedy of becoming a detective myself was realised. I hadnt a CLUE who was the killer and yet, I shouldnt have, shouldnt I? The answers were probably written right there in front of me and yet I was enjoying the book so much I couldnt see it. That was the brilliance of this story: the killer could have been ANYONE, literally, anyone! It was brilliant!

So two thumbs up to Robert Galbraith for a wonderful novel and the next one (I imagine) is going to be just as great!