The cuckoo's calling - Robert Galbraith

***The 7th novel in the Strike series, THE RUNNING GRAVE, is coming in September 2023. Pre-order now and be the first to read it***

'The Cuckoo's Calling reminds me why I fell in love with crime fiction in the first place' VAL MCDERMID

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Now a major BBC drama: The Strike series

When a troubled model falls to her death from a snow-covered Mayfair balcony, it is assumed that she has committed suicide. However, her brother has his doubts, and calls in private investigator Cormoran Strike to look into the case.

Strike is a war veteran - wounded both physically and psychologically - and his life is in disarray. The case gives him a financial lifeline, but it comes at a personal cost: the more he delves into the young model's complex world, the darker things get - and the closer he gets to terrible danger . . .

A gripping, elegant mystery steeped in the atmosphere of London - from the hushed streets of Mayfair to the backstreet pubs of the East End to the bustle of Soho - The Cuckoo's Calling is a remarkable book. Introducing Cormoran Strike, this is the acclaimed first crime novel by J.K. Rowling, writing under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.

*** The latest book in the thrilling Strike series, TROUBLED BLOOD, is out now! ***

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PRAISE FOR THE STRIKE SERIES:


'One of the most unique and compelling detectives I've come across in years' MARK BILLINGHAM

'The work of a master storyteller' DAILY TELEGRAPH

'Unputdownable. . . Irresistible' SUNDAY TIMES

'Will keep you up all night' OBSERVER

'A thoroughly enjoyable classic' PETER JAMES, SUNDAY EXPRESS

Robert Galbraith is a pseudonym for J.K. Rowling, bestselling author of the Harry Potter series and The Casual Vacancy. The previous six Strike novels, The Cuckoo's Calling, The Silkworm, Career of Evil, Lethal White, Troubled Blood and The Ink Black Heart topped the national and international bestseller lists and the series has been adapted for television, produced by Bront Film and Television.

The Cuckoo's Calling reminds me why I fell in love with crime fiction in the first place
Val McDermid

One of the most unique and compelling detectives I've come across in years
Mark Billingham

One of the best crime novels I have ever read
Alex Gray

Everytime I put this book down, I looked forward to reading more. Galbraith writes at a gentle pace, the pages rich with description and with characters that leap out of them. I loved it. He is a major new talent
Peter James

Just once in a while a private detective emerges who captures the public imagination in a flash. And here is one who might well do that . . . There is no sign that this is Galbraith's first novel, only that he has a delightful touch for evoking London and capturing a new hero. An auspicious debut
Daily Mail

In a rare feat, Galbraith combines a complex and compelling sleuth and an equally well-formed and unlikely assistant with a baffling crime in his stellar debut . . . Readers will hope to see a lot more of this memorable sleuthing team
Publishers Weekly, starred review

Laden with plenty of twists and distractions, this debut ensures that readers will be puzzled and totally engrossed for quite a spell
Library Journal

A scintillating debut novel . . . Galbraith delivers sparkling dialogue and a convincing portrayal of the emptiness of wealth and glamour
The Times, Saturday Review

Utterly compelling . . . a team made in heaven and I can't wait for the next in the series
Saga Magazine

The detective and his temp-agency assistant are both full and original characters and their debut case is a good, solid mystery
Morning Star

The plot could have come from an Agatha Christie novel and yet The Cuckoo's Calling is absolutely of today, colourfully written and great fun
Bookoxygen.com

Galbraith demonstrates superb flair as a mystery writer
Birmingham Post

This debut is instantly absorbing, featuring a detective facing crumbling circumstances with resolve instead of clichd self-destruction and a lovable sidekick with contagious enthusiasm for detection . . . Kate Atkinson's fans will appreciate his reliance on deduction and observation along with Galbraith's skilled storytelling
Booklist

The most engaging British detective to emerge so far this year . . . An astonishingly mature debut from Galbraith, it marks the start of a fine
crime career
Daily Mail online

Rowling is a formidable storyteller . . . the plot is tightly moulded and told
Mark Lawson, The Guardian

A sharply contemporary novel full of old-fashioned virtues . . . wonderfully fresh and funny. I hope this is the inauguration of a series that lasts long enough to make Harry Potter look like a flash in the pan
Jake Kerridge, The Daily Telegraph

The appeal of The Cuckoo's Calling doesn't depend at all on Rowling's prior status. All credit to her: she has created a really good series here. Strike will be back
Evening Standard

Rowling's descriptions of contemporary London are excellent
Mail on Sunday

It should come as no surprise that her first foray into crime fiction is so accomplished . . . a brilliant depiction of London life . . . at heart it's an engrossing and well-crafted who-dunnit. Unsurprisingly excellent
Sunday Mirror

It's probably best, for the moment, to forget Robert Galbraith's real identity; this is a very good book in its own right
Independent

Her crime debut beguilingly shows that she can renounce magic and yet be magical
Sunday Times

An accomplished piece that thoroughly deserves its retrospective success
Financial Times