I am one of the few people
who adored The Casual Vacancy, JK Rowling’s long awaited and highly criticized follow-up to the series that made her a household name. I found it to be an exceptionally smart, if slow, character study; a story that took forever to capture my attention, but that I wound up deeply invested in. The Cuckoo’s Calling, Rowling’s next attempt (under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith), was similarly paced, but seems to have more broad appeal than The Casual Vacancy. The Cuckoo’s Calling is a fantastic read, starring an intriguing and likeable detective and his seemingly quiet assistant.
Cormoran Strike is a veteran and a detective who is down on his luck. With debt collectors at his door and a crazy ex-fiancé, he lives on the floor of his detective agency. His financial situations forces him to walk rather than pay for a cab, despite the extra pain this causes him due to a war accident that left him with an artificial leg. Robin Ellacott, his temporary office assistant, is quietly excited to be working in a detective’s office; the closest she’s ever come to her secret desire to solve crimes. With an unused degree in psychology, she has moved to London to live with her fiancé, and is working as a temp while interviewing for more lucrative positions. Neither Robin or Cormoran know that one case is about to change the course of their careers. When John Bristow comes into the office asking Cormoran to look into the high-profile death of his famous sister, Cormoran sees an opportunity to get out from under the weight of his debts, and Robin sees an opportunity to show her natural talent for detective work. What they don’t expect, is to anger everyone from the police who had originally deemed the death a suicide, to their own client, all while walking down a dangerous and winding path.
Rowling has an unparalleled ability to create complex and interesting characters and to let them create the moments that define her work. Her strongest talent, as any of us who loved the Harry Potter series knows, is her ability to create an ensemble of complex and relatable characters. In Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott, Rowling has created yet another fantastic, albeit far more adult, team. In fact, in a recent interview, Rowling called Robin the most likeable character she has ever written. I can see where Rowling is coming from – while Robin isn’t necessarily the most interesting individual, she has the appeal of the quietly agreeable.
I would highly recommend the Cormoran Strike novels, whether or not the reader enjoyed any of Rowling’s other work. In fact, if the name JK Rowling is enough to scare a non-Harry Potter fan off, you can always just use the pseudonym and feign ignorance. In any case, you’ll want to follow this up by reading her next novel and the next chapter in the Cormoran Strike series, the Silkworm.
Competitive Non-Fiction 