The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith

To be honest, I can't believe it took me so long to read this.

I actually received an ARC of this book during a book purge and didn't think I'd have time to get to it. It was sent to me for consideration of May releases after a due date so I tossed it in a pile of books I already planned to give away and...that was that. (yes purists I know. an ARC is not a book)

When the news broke, I was like nooooooo. I was so upset. I hoped against hope I hadn't really given it away and could read it immediately. But alas.

And then...I didn't read it anyway. It took me forever to get around to reading it and I actually suggested to a group of friends that we read a book together as a way to stay in touch (lol I swear, I always have these grand ideas for staying connected with people that never work see also: The Friendly Book Nook) and I suggested The Silent Wife, but eventually we settled on this one and I'm so glad we did because I needed to read it, I enjoyed it, and it was high time!

Sorry Aarti! I don't think I actually have any deep thoughts on this book! I did enjoy it. I enjoy JKR's ability to quickly draw interesting and distinct characters and her humor in general. I loved Robin, especially, her enthusiasm for the job was adorable! I totally related. I actually thought it was a bit Sayers-esque (well I have only read Strong Poison so far!!) in that Robin did a lot of the heavy lifting in the undercover investigating. I especially loved when she tried on all the expensive clothes in the shop to get their gossip, aw.

I also liked some of the thematic explorations of fame--the idea that we can feel like we know someone when they're famous, etc. These ideas are always really interesting to me so it's fun to see a bit of it in this book. I also felt like there were several lovely passages during Strike's musings, but I read an ebook and I have yet to really figure out how to mark things in them. (in paper books I always just sort of know where things are and flip to them. SO MANY BAD HABITS) Oh! I do remember one of my favorite parts was when someone (ugh can't remember who) was talking about how people don't seem surprised by the death of someone like Lula, she sort of had it coming due to all the tragedy/missteps/lifestyle choices. But it is equally as tragic as anything else and deserving of just as much attention.

Curious for people who read...what did you think Strike's relationship with Charlotte? When she got back together with the original dude she was playing and he was all like "she's just doing this to hurt me" I felt so SAD. Just because I don't know, I hate relationships where a former relationship is always looming over everything. :( Of course, maybe he was right--the story never really made one hundred percent sense to me.

I sort of solved this one early...or I guess I should say that evidence/suggestions planted early enough made the conclusion not surprising to me. But I still enjoyed reading how it all unfolded and the various depictions of everything!

Okay, so yes I enjoyed the book. But...I don't know, I think maybe I like my crime fiction a bit darker? It's hard to explain, but this almost had the feel of being a cozy mystery despite, you know LANGUAGE. It was very enjoyable and I sped right through it, but I don't think it carries the same weight with me as some other crime/detective fiction that I like. But I still liked it and would recommend it, etc.

Anyway, share your thoughts with me! Will you read the next one? Were you like, "oh my gosh, I can't believe we didn't all know it was JKR immediately?"

PS. JKR is certainly keeping busy isn't she? Like, apparently Wild Beasts and Where to Find Them is going to be three films. There's another one of these coming out etc. I wish there was news on what's next for Suzanne Collins? Or is there and I missed it....

PPS Clearly I need to figure out how to make reviewing from an ebook work. How do you audiobook people do it??