The short review:
The Cuckoo's Calling is a generic private detective mystery. The mystery, involving the suicide of a model, is unremarkable and the killer's identity is obvious well before it is revealed. The plot trudges along and is exhausting at times (must we really know about EVERY day?). The writing in general is good and kept me engaged enough that I finished the book. I am curious about the forthcoming sequels; maybe she will have honed some of her mystery writing skills. C+
The long review (SPOILERS AHEAD!):
I realize that the above review is practically blasephemous. Robert Galbraith, as everyone now knows, is J.K. Rowling, the writer and creator of the Harry Potter series. The Harry Potter series is important to the world and to my life in particular, making J.K. Rowling something of a hero of mine. She is a great writer, who is capable of creating interesting, complex characters and intricate plots (mysteries included). So I am baffled as to why Cuckoo was so mediocre. Let me outline a few of the things I didn't like.
The cast of characters:
Let's say you are going to write a mystery about the murder of a model. Who would your characters be? well, the model, of course. She must be beautiful and young. But what else? Probably broken in some way, sweet but damaged. And who would surround her, be her friends/family/suspects? Well, a designer, probably flamboyant, who loved the model as his muse. Probably a handful of other models, beautiful, vacuous and viciously competitive and jealous. Maybe also throw in some sycophantic hangers-on, and some shady family that came out of the woodwork when our model became famous. All those people are there.
And let's take a look at our private detective. Cormoran Strike (great name!), an ex-military, bastard son of a rock star with a prosthetic leg. He is overweight and loves a pint (or seven) at the local pub. Strike's a great detective, but his business and social life are a mess. He has a go-getter of a temporary assistant who accurately predicts his needs; he begrudgingly likes her.
None of these characters sound new or interesting to me, for several reasons. First, the use of fame and celebrity. This is the cheapest and laziest way to make a character interesting. Famous characters automatically come preloaded with personality quirks and a subset of supporting people that the writer hardly has to develop. The famous person is usually a megalomaniac drug addict or well-meaning but clueless and oblivious to the devious characters that surround them. The papparazzi is an easy way to fill plot problems; like, 'oh, well the PAPPARAZZI took this picture and that's how we found out (insert revelation here)!' And also Strike's deadbeat, rock star father is a convenient plot solution, as it becomes a conversation starter with several of the FAMOUS people he needs to question. Why can't he just use his brains and skills as an investigator? Why can't his father be....anything else? does he even need a father? Unless the rock star dad will be used as a central plot in a sequel, which just further proves my point.
Ironically, the character that bothered me most was also the least seen: Cormoran's ex-girfriend, whose name...escapes me right now. She is appears only briefly, but many pages are devoted to Cormoran wallowing in misery over their break-up. She is beautiful and comes from a wealthy family. Beyond that, however, she seems like the worst person ever, making it hard to empathize with Cormoran at all. I just didn't believe it, that they would be together, much less for several years.
The meandering
I will be quick: I feel it is unnecessary to describe the events of every. Single. Day. I realize that the story takes place within a short amount of time and I also realize that a lot needs to happen within that timeframe. But all the waking up, and meals, and weekends and then...Monday! OH. MY. GOD. I found myself skimming over paragraphs--pages, even--to get back to anything plot-related.
Cuckoo feels like an exercise to me, and Rowling dutifully checked all the boxes on a 'How to Write a Crime Novel' checklist. I just hope that now that she knows she can do it, she will mix up the ingredients a bit and create the intricate plots and character development of which I know she is capable.
