The Cuckoo’s Calling

Book Review: The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith

I did read the Harry Potter books years ago but I wouldn’t say I’m a ‘PotterHead’ in any way, shape or form, so Galbraith being Rowling was not much of an influence over my opinion or expectations for The Cuckoo’s Calling. (Most reviews are quite harsh and I would be interested in checking the ratings before Galbraith’s identity was revealed.)

The book introduces us to Cormoran Strike, a private detective, and Robin Ellacott, his new temp secretary. Their first case together is the investigation of the death of a supermodel. Strike’s investigation style is almost old-fashioned, with Galbraith/Rowling sticking to the interview/procedural type of investigation. I enjoyed that though.

I also enjoyed Galbraith/Rowling’s descriptive style. I suppose she wrote this way for HP but honestly, I don’t remember. Both the lead characters were likeable and the supporting ones mostly horrid, which was (I assume) intended. The mystery plot was complicated enough to keep me interested but I did ‘solve’ (aka guess) a lot of the outcomes.

Okay, okay, there were a couple of corny additions. Strike’s service record and war injury are pretty much straight out of ‘Mystery Novels 101’. And Robin was, at times, a bit of a Mary Sue or, you could say, an adult Hermione.

But, sometimes, a book can be the right one at the right time and I feel like Cuckoo’s Calling fell into this category for me. I’d previously purchased the second book, so I’m straight onto it.

5 out of 5

The Love Interest

Book Review: The Love Interest by Victoria Walters

Aiden is Liv’s brother’s best friend and they have always bickered like they are siblings themselves but, in truth, Liv was instantly attracted to him when they met ten years ago. Now, Aiden is moving to teach at the same university that Liv works at, and also moving into the flat she shares with her brother. Liv’s always wanted to be a romance writer and, with all the forced proximity, Aiden soon becomes the inspiration for her book’s ‘love interest’.

This book went so close to being great.

The book within a book was one thing I disliked about The Love Interest. The writing for the actual book was solid enough throughout but I was put off by the style of the book Liv was supposedly writing. It sucked big time but everyone was sprouting how talented she was. Confusing.

Even though I liked the pop culture references, I didn’t think there were enough of them to make it a ‘thing’ in the book. Walters didn’t include any unique or original titles to capture my attention either. Pride and Prejudice, You Got Mail and Breakfast at Tiffany’s have been used far too many times already.

Walters also fell into the trap of making the book far too long. This golden page limit publishers seem to come up with is so annoying. Letting your authors waffle on about nothing is not doing them any favours.

I don’t want to be all negative though. The book was cute enough and the characters were likeable. It would probably be a great little read for a rainy weekend when you want something to make you feel warm and fuzzy.

3 ½ out of 5

The Marlow Murder Club

Book Review: The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood

I liked The Marlow Murder Club but I fell short of loving it. I think my biggest issue with it was just how similar it was to a couple of other books I’ve read.

One being Elly Griffiths’ The Postscript Murders and the other, more obvious one, Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club. Apart from the similar title of the latter (I *really* would have advised against this title), the books all have older and quirky main characters solving a murder mystery.

Judith Potts, Thorogood’s lead, is maybe a bit too quirky. Judith is a 77 year-old whisky-drinking cryptic crossword compiler who lives in her cluttered mansion on the Thames where she punts and skinny dips. Her murder club mates are Becks, the local vicar’s wife with low self esteem and cleaning fanaticism, and Suzie, a dog walker who, I thought, was the funniest of the three.

The mystery plot, unfortunately, was quite easy to solve, especially if you’re familiar with a couple of other well known mysteries. I’m not saying Thorogood borrowed but, maybe, he could have given us a bit more of a twist. Actually, his twist was more his reveal of a couple of Judith’s secrets and (sigh) neither worked for me.

I sound negative but, as I said, I liked the book and I will probably read the next in the series. I’m also a little curious about Thorogood’s other notable writing credit now – the Death in Paradise TV series (despite its popularity I’ve never seen it).

3 ½ out of 5

The Nursing Home Murder

Book Review: The Nursing Home Murder by Ngaio Marsh (Roderick Alleyn #3)

Marsh’s third Roderick Alleyn book has a very clever premise but, unfortunately, it wasn’t executed that well.

The Nursing Home Murder has nothing to do with what we would call a nursing home in 2023 but is, instead, set in what we would now call a private hospital. The victim is a patient, the Home Secretary no less, being operated upon by a few likely suspects. Of these, his ex-mistress (a nurse) and the surgeon who is love with her, are the most interesting. The others – including a politically motivated Bolshevik nurse, a sleazy doctor, a conman chemist, his haughty wife, and his scatty hippy sister – not so much.

The saving grace for me was Alleyn himself. He continues to be hilarious. As is his offsider, Inspector Fox. There’s also a very brief but funny appearance by Nigel Bathgate and his fiancee who also featured in the previous two books.

All in all, this isn’t a bad book but it wouldn’t be the one I’d recommend to anyone if I was trying to convince them to read the series.

3 out of 5

The Bullet That Missed

Book Review: The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman (The Thursday Murder Club #3)

I was a little worried that my love for the Thursday Murder Club might have started to wane with book three but, if anything, I enjoyed this installment more than the other two.

I think the zany humour escalated with The Bullet That Missed and that was what won me over. I just love the Englishness of the humour and how seamlessly the jokes are weaved through the narrative and dialogue.

The characters feel so real and so easily imagined. Ron and Joyce are my favourites but Osman manages to give each character their own moment to shine. I also really enjoyed the minor characters of Connie Johnston and Pauline. I hope Osman uses them again (I’m sure he will).

If you’re worried about the plot, it involves an ex-KGB operative, crypto currency, game shows, Polish movies and snooker. There is also a murder or two though, along with a kidnapping and money laundering to keep you guessing.

Obviously I’m going to highly recommend this. Actually, I recommend you start with book one for context.

5 out of 5 and looking forward to book four.

Sleeping Murder

Book Review: Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie (Miss Marple #5)

This book is Miss Marple number five chronologically but one of Christie’s final works prior to her death. Obviously, by this time, she was writing confidently and I think it showed.

The start of the book has a real gothic feel to it with Gwenda being haunted by visions of a strangled woman in her just-purchased home. Soon, however, she is consulting Miss Marple who offers a bit of common sense but, still, supposes the woman was indeed murdered some 18 years previous. Gwenda, her husband Giles, and Miss Marple [of course] then decide to investigate the murder.

Miss Marple features much more than she did in The Moving Finger but she still plays only a supporting role with Christie focusing much more on newlyweds Gwenda and Giles. Luckily, like the siblings in The Moving Finger, they are quite likeable and I couldn’t help but cheer them on in their snooping.

I did guess part of this mystery plot, but I wasn’t (of course) good enough to pick up on the finer details and many clues which Christie offered.

Another 4 ½ rating

The Last Remains

Book Review: The Last Remains by Elly Griffiths (Ruth Galloway #15)

Elly Griffiths is one of my favourite writers and she has, yet again, hit a home run with her latest Ruth Galloway, The Last Remains.

The mystery story revolves around a skeleton found in a building. Ruth quickly determines the bones are quite modern, meaning she is once again assisting Nelson with a murder investigation

I have enjoyed some of Griffiths’s murder plots more than others. This one seemed to be less complicated than some but, in the end, I was not as clever as I imagined myself and missed most of the clues.

But, obviously, anyone reading these books is reading them for more than the murder plot. Griffiths has put Ruth and Nelson through the wringer now for 15 books and I can see why most fans think this will be the final book featuring the characters. Even though Griffiths is not burning all her bridges by insisting it’s only the ‘last for now’, I think, from my pov, I would not recommend Griffiths fall into the Downton Abbey trap of flogging a dead horse.

I can’t recommend The Last Remains though unless you have read the previous 14 installments. This just isn’t a series which works that way. I do recommend you go back and start with The Crossing Places. Actually, I might just do a re-read myself.

5 out of 5

The Moving Finger

Book Review: The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie (Miss Marple #4)

I haven’t read a Christie for many years, so I decided I’d rectify that situation this year. And this, the first one I picked up, was a real winner.

Although this is labelled as a Miss Marple book, she really only features for a few chapters – basically a cameo – so it can definitely be read as a standalone. Instead, the main character and first person narrator is Jerry, a pilot who moves to a small English village along with his sister, Joanna, to convalesce following an accident. Upon their arrival they receive a poison pen letter and soon learn that most of the village have also received such missives. Then, of course, things escalate and Jerry is soon attempting to solve a couple of mysterious deaths.

As these things go, there’s a plethora of suspects amongst the village’s inhabitants. I had my suspicions about who-did-what and, I will admit, I was pretty much completely wrong on all counts!

Apart from the mystery plot, there’s quite a bit of a romantic subplot for both Jerry and Joanna and I loved that inclusion. (The only thing better than a mystery novel is a romantic mystery novel!)

4 1/2 out of 5

Anatomy of a Scandal

Book Review: Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan

Anatomy of a Scandal is a tense courtroom drama with a large helping of ‘Me Too’ sentimentality.

The plot centres upon the scandal of a married up and coming politician who is caught out having an affair with one of his female staffers. The scandal then intensifies and threatens to derail his career and ruin his marriage when his mistress accuses him of rape. There is minimal evidence and therefore, it all becomes a ‘he said, she said’ situation.

The story is told from multiple POVs, including the politician, his wife, and the crown prosecutor. Vaughan’s writing style is intelligent and extremely well researched. She shows an excellent knowledge when it comes to the finer details of politics, the judicial system, the press, and Oxford (which features heavily in flashback scenes).

Unlike most books, the twist doesn’t really come at the end but is revealed around the halfway mark. I certainly didn’t see it coming and actually had to flick back and re-read a few scenes once I reached this point.

I was definitely absorbed and read the book quite quickly as I was very eager to learn just how everything would be resolved. My only complaint would be that the ending wasn’t as powerful as I imagined and, subsequently, I shaved off 1/2 a star from my rating.

4 1/2 stars out of 5

Enter a Murderer

Book Review: Enter a Murderer by Ngaio Marsh (Roderick Alleyn #2)

This year I’ve decided to read the Roderick Alleyn books by Ngaio Marsh for a challenge of ‘catching up on a mystery series’ by reading an installment each month.

I have read book one and six previously, so I was already familiar with the character of Alleyn and I like him immensely. Even though it probably bears little resemblance to what Marsh describes, I have such a clear picture of what I believe him to look like, and his mannerisms, in my mind as I’m reading.

In this mystery, Marsh uses her knowledge of the theatre (she was a producer) to set a murder on the stage. The one problem with these older mysteries is that their plots have been copied so many times, you get a sense of familiarity/deja vu. I felt this with the set up of murderer replacing prop bullets with real ones during a shooting scene of a play. I guessed whodunnit quite quickly and I’ll assume this was due to the many times I’ve seen the plot done since.

Given the theatre setting, Marsh was able to include a plethora of eclectic characters. There was also the constant question of how truthful the witnesses were being. After all, when giving their statements and answering Alleyn’s questions, they could be simply acting.

Marsh also once again included the journalist character, Nigel Bathgate. I quite liked him as the sidekick and will be interested as to how many times he features in the future (I say this as I feel like no one ever seems to refer to him as they would Watson, for example).

For a book written in 1935, I didn’t find the language too difficult to follow. Most of the slang terms I’ve heard with, perhaps, the exception of ‘tight’ meaning drunk.

The only hiccup I found was Alleyn’s sexual tension with the play’s leading lady. It felt forced and seemed to crop up out of nowhere. He also doesn’t seem to be the type who would fall for the cloying damsel in distress, so to speak. I wondered if this plotline was included as some sort of request by Marsh’s publisher. *shrug*

4 out of 5 and I now have to resist picking up book three until February!