The Cuckoo’s Calling, by Robert Galbraith

(Of course, we all know by now that’s just an ill-advised pseudonym for J. K. Rowling…)

Hulking, disreputable-looking private eye Cormoran Strike is pretty much at the end of the road. His gorgeous girlfriend has kicked him out for the final time, he’s out of clients, he’s deeply in debt, and his prosthetic leg is giving him hell. As he contemplates living in his office, up the steps to his door comes comely and competent Robin, sent by a temp agency that assumes he wants to replace the departed secretary. Strike neglected to tell them he simply can’t afford one anymore.

Unnerved by the unexpected appearance of a pretty girl eager to work for a private investigator, Strike excuses himself to the back office. After pulling himself together, he marches back out to explain the mistake. But in the meantime, Robin has organized the desk, straightened the reception area, taken a few phone calls, and ushered in a well-heeled client.

Robin continues to make herself indispensable as Strike launches into his new case: the death of a supermodel, known informally to her cohorts as “Cuckoo,” that the police have ruled a suicide. Her brother hires Strike to prove it was murder.

J. K. Rowling

And so we enter both the glamorous and seamy side of London’s fashion scene. Interwoven subplots carry us off in all directions: family secrets, legal conflicts, suspicious friends and fans, scandal, etc. Rowling, as we well know, knows how to blindside her readers!

But the end is satisfying, even though issues remain unresolved with Robin’s fiancé. After all, it wouldn't be realistic if things were too tidy!

I would have to say that it’s a romping good read, even though the magic is missing. I never felt as pulled into this adventure as I was into Hogwarts. But then, there will never be the equal of Harry Potter.

The Casual Vacancy

J. K. Rowling's big novel about a small town 

Once more Rowling’s keen insights and well-explored characters produce a stirring and absorbing read. But first, you are wondering, what the heck is a "casual vacancy?" Glad you asked. A direct quote, printed at the start of Part One:

6.11 A casual vacancy is deemed to have occurred:

             (a)  when a local councillor fails to make his declaration of

                  acceptance of office within the proper time; or

             (b)  when his notice of resignation is received; or

             (c)   on the day of his death…

(Charles Arnold-Baker, Local Council Administration, Seventh Edition)

And by the by, People, the “councillor” to which Spell-Check objects is the fault of Mr. Arnold-Baker, not me!

J. K. Rowling

So now you know, and we’re all on the same page.

Pagford is a small, picturesque town with proper, traditional values. But as we all know, proper, traditional folk are rarely as they seem. So when Councilman Barry Fairbrother (yes, Rowling still has her penchant for descriptive names) dies unexpectedly, his vacant seat triggers an immediate polarization of the community. Rich are at war with the poor. Wildly profane teenagers are at war with their parents. Wives vs. husbands; teachers vs. students, and on and on. It’s clear it will all culminate in tragedy, but it happens horribly and in a most unexpected way. It’s also clear that while kids run rampant through its pages, this is a novel for adults. Just so you know.

The blurb on the back cover says: “blackly comic, thought-provoking, and constantly surprising.” It is that.