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The Cuckoo's Calling    by John Galbraith Amazon.com order for
Cuckoo's Calling
by John Galbraith
Order:  USA  Can
Mulholland, 2013 (2013)
Hardcover, CD, e-Book
* * *   Reviewed by Lyn Seippel

Twenty-five year old Robin Elliot is hired by Temporary Solutions to work as a temp for Cormoran Strike, a private detective. Arriving at his office, she runs straight into a giant of a man and is in danger of being thrown down a flight of metal stairs, until he catches her and pulls her to safety. He is Comoran Strike, her new employer.

Strike is a complicated man with a complicated past. Although he is broke, without a current case, and had no intention of hiring a new temp, he soon realizes he is lucky to have Robin. Not only can she spell and punctuate, she's also smart and shows initiative.

Fortunately a client arrives soon after Robin. John Bristow believes his sister, supermodel Lula Landry, was murdered three months ago. The police are calling Landry's fall to her death in front of numerous paparazzi suicide. Strike thinks they are probably right but agrees to take the case because of a long ago connection with Bristow's brother Charlie.

The characters make this noir-style mystery. If you like slam-bang, jump-to-the-next-scene mysteries, you might not like the pace. I enjoy most types of mysteries and don't expect them all to be told in the same way. This one suited the characters and I look forward to the next in the series.

That said, I wonder how many people overlooked this book because of the weak title before realizing Galbraith is a pseudonym for J.K. Rowlings.

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