Bookends: The Cuckoo's Calling

Written under the pseudo-name, Robert Galibrath, JK Rowling's The Cuckoo's Calling is her first mystery novel in what I honestly hope is a long series. Like most people my age, I grew up with Harry Potter and Jo is basically royalty, but I wasn't a huge fan of her first post-Potter novel, A Casual Vacancy. I think I got 60 pages in and didn't know what was happening so I bailed. But you know, I really like her and I wanted to support her so when I found out she was going to start writing mystery novels I was like "yeah, okay, I see you," and I've never been a crime/mystery novel person so I was really reaching here and trying to show Jo how much I love her. But plot twist, it was amazing.

I legit couldn't put it down. Also I couldn't stop picturing the cop from Bridesmaids as the main character, Cormoran Strike. He's like a friendly giant version of the cop guy who's real name I'm going to Google later and put here -->Chris O'Dowd<. Anyway, so basic plot line, Strike is a struggling private investigator who, with the help of this temp assistant (who I think is basically Emily Blunt) is hired by a rich guy to look into his famous fashion model sister's suicide. Rich guy thinks she was murdered, cops have witness saying she didn't, it was basically ruled suicide and case closed. I don't think this is a plot spoiler, because it's a novel based on the idea that this suicide isn't really a suicide but pLoT SpOiLeR like 50 pages in Strike is like "yo I don't think this was a suicide" and I'm like "yeah, obvs if this book ended and it turns out she really did just kill herself I'd be pissed that I wasted this much of my life reading this book."

I kept thinking I knew who the killer was but I every time Strike interviewed or investigated a new character I changed my mind and was so sure it was them, but it NEVER was. Even down to the last 20 pages I had no clue who did it, which was kind of an amazing feeling because a lot of the time I can kind of see endings coming. For example, about halfway through reading The Fault In Our Stars I was like "oh my god, wouldn't it be ironic if *actual ending of this book* happened??" and then it DID and I mean I still cried but I was a little sad that I guessed it on accident.

But it was such a shock when the plot finally resolved that I had to re-read the very end a few times because I kept catching myself reading too quickly and missing things. I just got too excited and skipped around a bit in a frenzy. 

The book was so captivating, just the way it was written it brought back so many memories of reading Harry Potter, which I'm sure is the last thing Jo wants to hear but sorry not sorry those were the best years of my life. Even if you don't generally like mystery or crime novels I would still give this book a try. It's crafted so well and it's like Jo's already laid out the first 6 novels and know's the exact timeline of everything that's going to happen to Strike and his journey. Long story short, if you enjoy JK Rowling or honestly just a well-written book in general I would definitely pick it up and give The Cuckoo's Calling a read.