Book Review: Robert Galbraith's The Cuckoo's Calling and The Silkworm

I love a good detective novel— probably due to my early exposure to Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys, and I've always felt that there is nothing like a mystery to stimulate my imagination and draw me in. I always obsess over gathering clues to solve the crime myself starting on page one. Someone once told me that writers always introduce the person who committed a crime in the first few chapters of a story. Even though I don't always figure out who is guilty for myself, there's no better rush than that of a great reveal at the end of the novel.

Robert Galbraith's (aka JK Rowling) two crime thrillers The Cuckoo's Calling and The Silkworm lead readers down a twisting, suspenseful road until the crime is solved— and the criminal is always the least suspected person.

Both books are excellent, although I think The Cuckoo's Calling is a bit better as it is less graphically violent than The Silkworm (which occasionally made me lose my appetite to be honest). This is a surprising turn to the gruesome dark side by the author of the Harry Potter series. The novels are centered around the work of detective Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin, who set out to prove the police wrong in two different murder cases. Interspersed within the narratives are the captivating sub-plots Rowling is famous for, namely the budding friendship between the detective and his assistant.

I read each book in two days, despite their length, as I really couldn't put them down. Rowling is a master of page-turners and captivating plot lines.

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

xoxo