The Cuckoo’s Calling (kindle here) part 4 and 5 are combined because I accidentally finished it. I, well, wasn’t crazy about it. SPOILERS AHEAD. DEAD AHEAD.
Well, we found out the murderer. And I’m kind of annoyed about it. Making the murderer the person who hired the detective feels like a cheat and a gimmick, not a smart subversion of reader expectations.
Things did get a little juicier in the last parts. The pace picked up, and I read a little faster. Poor Rochelle is tossed over the edge, just like Lula was. Strike finally gets into some tough spots, even though one is with an elderly woman confined to a bed.
But the glimpse of celebs and some exciting detective work (I mean, a little bit at least) doesn’t make up for an ending (and middle?) that fell flat. I like an altercation with the killer as much as the next person, but why on earth would Strike, who is recently injured, has one leg, and has taken off his prosthesis, sit around his office and wait for Bristow to come do him in? I know he was a boxer, but what did he really expect to happen?
Rae Nudson 