Crime, Mysteries & Thrillers discussion

Nabanita wrote: "I found The Cuckoo's calling a decent thriller. whenever something comes from J.K.Rowling there is too much hype. Whether it is her harry potter series or writing under pen name. But cuckoo's calli..."
I look forward to the second book.

I agree with Christine – boring. It’s like the current fashion in bras – all padding and little tit. I’m only about 70% of the way through but I can guess who did it. I’ve stuck with it to join in the group discussions, but otherwise I would have given up early on. Long, long, tedious descriptions like reading someone else’s shopping lists describing, for example, everything one might see in a pub – as if we’d never been in one. Who is she writing for? Her level of psychological understanding is mediocre at best and her style tiresome. Having just reread Martin Cruz Smith, this is like porridge after a gourmet banquet.

Her attempt to adduce a Jamaican accent consists of spelling ‘me’ as ‘mi’ and leaving out the odd consonant. Surely the woman could afford to pay a good editor?

Why no back story about Stump? Wouldn’t it have been a lot more interesting to hear what it was he was investigating in Afghanistan? It would have made the book much more complex, given it a socio-political context, and could have alternated with an essentially boring story of a celebrity model.

I found the harry potter books riveting, entrancing, impossible to put down. What happened?

I enjoyed the characters and didn't figure it out until the end. I don't mind guessing early as long as I'm wrong and I was, many times.
Enjoyed learning a new language. I like when you can practically hear the accent.
It wasn't the easiest book to read but that's probably a good thing. Too easy, too easily forgotten. Looking forward to the next episode.

Hi, Janet, interesting. Re. the backstory, I saw it more as two mysteries in one - the Afghanistan story in separate chapters but also reaching towards a conclusion as the London story does as well. Certainly Rowling was no stranger to having lots of different things going on in the HP books. The Cuckoo is flat. It has no socio political context. The supermodel might have been a lovely young woman but her death tells us what? That her family were greedy? That she was adopted and wanted to know about her original parents? We have no insight into her thoughts and feelings except third or fourth hand, so even her life seems no more than what you might get in a glossy magazine article.

I take the point about the worldwide audience, but Martin Cruz Smith, who I mentioned, tells us a great deal about Russia, what it looks and feels like, what is going on, while setting his books very much in that complicated and changing world - AND doesn't bore us with 2 page descriptions of something which could go into one or two snappy sentences. Have you read Gorky Park?

It always seemed a shame to me that Rowling had such a 2 dimensional view of the world in the HP books. Amazing characters, good use of mythic structures and all these incredible magicians could do was fight with one another. Some were good, some were bad. No complexities. I suspect she will do something similar with this mystery series if the first one is anything to go by.

Thank you for responding to my points. I hope this reply doesn't sound too combative. I would love to discuss it further. I could give you examples, if you like.

Janet wrote: "I agree that that there is socio-economic or political context or commentary, similar to that present in Glillian Flynn's "Gone Girl" for example, lacking in the book. I loved Flynn's commentary o..."

I agree but that is the main reason I read so I found it a good introduction to her next series. This book was almost like the ground work to introduce Strike as her new character & Robin as a supporting character. If the next book does not pick up & have alittle more action I may reconsider following Strike if he becomes a series.

I've finished the book and given it three stars. Here's my review:

This reads like an homage to old school detective novels such as those written by Agatha Christie. It has many of the same ingredients, although it has been updated to make it more contemporary.

I am a fan of Agatha Christie and Rowling's Casual Vacancy (never read or seen the Harry Potter stuff), but this novel was unsatisfying. It felt too long and overwritten, and the ending was contrived and hackneyed--more Murder She Wrote than Christie. Also, the victim was never fleshed out in a way that made me care about her.

Still, there are some remarkable passages in here. Rowling is one of our most gifted writers, and I will continue to read her adult fiction. This is her first crime novel, and it never clicked for me.

Interesting discussion going on. I'm a bit late in joining I guess. But I think its better if I quote most of my review here, because I actually quite enjoyed reading this yet there were a few things that I wish were otherwise.

I would've enjoyed reading this more if it had less of Strike's personal life in it. I hope the future books of the series (if any) don't. Revealing insights to the detective's personal life through peeps of it in different books is much more preferable to readers like me who would rather have the murder and the mystery first hand and more crime solving less social drama when reading a book of the category. This is probably the same reason I didn't quite like Louisa Penny's Inspector Gamache series all that much.

But the Cuckoo's Calling was a good murder-mystery, murder-mystery wise, hence I gave it 4 stars. A lot of suspicious characters. A lot of airtight alibis and modern secured posh city housing and such. A lot of running around London and a lot of interrogations. A little too much dialogues at times, could do with a little less conversation I suppose. However that was interesting as well in different styles and looking at the crime through the suspects own voices. The theme of starting with a suicide and proving a murder was challenging and actually quite well executed. I liked the fact that everything didn't end in slam bam wham of Poirot's short time crime solving style. Liked that Strike is an organized detective when it comes to filing away details and not boasting at his razor sharp memory like Holmes or Poirot but relies on more documenting for the sake of realism that police and lawyers don't trust Private Eye work when it comes to court like Holmes or Poirot's time. More realistic, more a regular person that is. But I hope the Police begin to think of Strike as their adversary with given time (in future books i.e.).

The only major downside of the book for me was probably the overflowing amount of tag questions in every conversation! "He did, didn't he? ... Had it, hadn't she? ... Gone there, didn't they? ... Thought so, didn't she?" etc. Sometimes made me ponder if it was the latest linguistic behavior of Londoners!

Overall a very very good read for me in 2013. Rowlings is a good mystery writer, she proved it by Harry Potter series long ago. I look forward to her future mysteries. :)

[My original review is here.]

Janet wrote: "I agree that that there is socio-economic or political context or commentary, similar to that present in Glillian Flynn's "Gone Girl" for example, lacking in the book. I loved Flynn's commentary o..."

Janet wrote: "I agree that that there is socio-economic or political context or commentary, similar to that present in Glillian Flynn's "Gone Girl" for example, lacking in the book. I loved Flynn's commentary o..."

Gone Girl sounds good. I've bought the ebook. Thanks for that. I did enjoy the Cuckoo up to a point and would have done if it had been less padded out. Cheers, SH

Try Eliot Pattison if you like meaningful background.
And foreground, with him.

Speaking of multiple POV's, it's interesting to see the diverse reactions to this book. I had no idea of what it would be like going into the book and may have had low expectations, but I enjoyed it immensely. Like Andrea, I listened to it and thought the narrator was excellent and kept me engaged the entire book. I loved the characters and look forward to reconnecting with them in the next book. I also thought Strike seemed older than 34 and kept picturing Bob Hoskins, so physically different than Strike was depicted in the book. I will give it 4 rather than 5 stars, thinking the last part where Strike explains to the murderer how he figured it out went on a little too long. Overall, I really enjoyed The Cuckoo's Calling.

I can't believe it took me till this long to finish this mystery - but it was a bit long. I enjoyed it a lot and always was anxious for time to read it - I guess life just got in the way.

I really enjoyed the main characters and it was a nice look into a much younger world than I inhabit. I was not able to figure out who did it, so that was a plus.

Except for the swearing, I think my 91 year old mother will enjoy this. She reads a lot of free or 99 cent ebooks, and always comments on how much better heavily edited paper books are for her.

I am putting The Silkworm on my to be read pile. Is it getting good reviews?

This copy of the book was donated to my Friends group.
I don't know if a library copy would have been renewable considering the length of time I needed to finish it!

Leslie and Janet:

I read The Heist also.
It is a caper novel more than a mystery.
Luckily, I like both types of books!


I, too read, the first Evanovich & Goldberg book, The Heist, in hardcover last year, mostly because I love the Monk TV series for which Lee Goldberg was a screenwriter. It's a fun and humorous ride. I liked it as a fun read.

We all like different stuff. I'm reading Janet Evanovich's new series with Lee Goldberg at the same time. I find Rowling more interesting, Evanovich more stimulating. Always with at least two books going makes my reading life somehow easier. But then again, we're all different.

S.H.
I take the point about the worldwide audience, but Martin Cruz Smith, who I mentioned, tells us a great deal about Russia, what it looks and feels like, what is going on, while setting his books very much in that complicated and changing world - AND doesn't bore us with 2 page descriptions of something which could go into one or two snappy sentences. Have you read Gorky Park?

Now, here I must disagree. I found Gorky Park WAY too padded and boring and repetetive. I loved Havana Bay, a later book in the series. Different strokes for different folks!

Christine wrote: "I thought the book went on and on and on. Like I said before, I felt nothing happened in that book except the murder and getting to the end took forever. Plus, the endong was so lackluster.

I can t comment on S. king because I have no interest in the supernatural writing he does. Never liked any of the movies either. Even the Shining with Jack who is a fantastic actor. So, for me to comment on S. king would be unfair. To be honest, I don t think I ever read a single book he wrote.

Christine:
I had only read The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (in audiobook) and did not care for his writing there. I did read Joyland for a Goodreads monthly read and thoroughly enjoyed that. Not much other worldly stuff in it. You might like to try that one of his.

I, like others, was jarred by the POV hopping within the same chapter. It took me out of the book and made me think about the writer rather than the writing. Overall, I enjoyed the book (read it last fall) and will read the next.

I absolutely loved this book! I truly liked Cormoran as a character-- yeah -- it's a bit of a cliche, but he does have the missing lower leg. Not sure I've read a character with that. I read it avidly once it became available at my libary ebook - unfortunately the next one, The Silkeworm isn't at my library yet.

I sure didn't guess "who dunit" I thought it was the Uncle. LOL

I liked it more than I expected too. I do think the strongest aspect of the book is the relationship between Cormoran and Robin.

I also was able to guess the identity of the murderer (which almost never happens when I read mysteries), right before it was revealed but I don't think this is a fatal flaw.

To me, the reason why I read mysteries is my interest and engagement with the investigators (i.e. DCI Alan Banks, Harry Hole, Wallander, John Rebus, Malcolm Fox, etc) not the whodunit aspect.

That being said, these are not books I would BUY but I will glad borrow from the library and look forward to reading.

I finally read an adult book by Rowling and I actually really loved "The Cuckoo's Calling". The various POVs didn't bother me at all - I actually thought that they added to the storyline and made it a more thorough plot development. I found myself comparing this novel to Dashiell Hammett a lot. Some of the descriptions given in Cormoran's perspective made me think of Sam Spade. I'm surprised that many people had issues with the books pace - I couldn't put it down. I will definitely read the next in the series.

Mad wrote: "I liked it more than I expected too. I do think the strongest aspect of the book is the relationship between Cormoran and Robin.

I also was able to guess the identity of the murderer (which almos..."

Agreed. It's a rental.

Janet wrote: "For me it's a keeper. I would even buy The Silkworm in hardcover."

Glad to hear that! I have to really love something to buy these days.

So.....after all the discussion, how many of you are going to read Galbraith's new novel The Silkworm?

I am!

I am on the wait list...

Starting it now - any views on silkworm?

I've already read it - very captivating.