“How easy it was to capitalize on a person’s own bent for self-destruction; how simple to nudge them into non-being, then to stand back and shrug and agree that it had been the inevitable result of a chaotic, catastrophic life.”

How easy.

This phrase struck home while skimming the pages of what seemed like one of the most brilliant crime novels ever, making a brief chapter glimpse turn into four hours of solid reading.

“The Cuckoo’s Calling” is a read that will leave you sadly satisfied.

From New York Times bestselling author Robert Galbraith, also known as J.K. Rowling, comes a fantastical murder mystery unlike anything she has ever written.

If anything, you wish you could ask for a more masterful plot from the author, but at the same time you know there’s no more to be said.

With heavy set detective, Cormoran Strike, and his accidental secretary, Robin, charging head strong into what seems like a closed murder case, the novel throws you deep into the drama of the Landry and Bristow family as well as the mysterious murder of the gorgeous supermodel, Lula Landry. From severe family accusations to deep hidden secrets that have been pushed down for over a lifetime, every character harbors dark memories that play an intricate role in the novel.

Dark pasts aren’t something that can be escaped in this book, if anything they mean everything to the characters and their pasts. From secret family that could sully the clean reputation that the big time Landry’s worked so hard to build, to the withering elderly who leave so much to be taken advantage of, there is so much corruption, tragedy and mystery that by the end you want to throw the book across the room.

Strike could definitely be considered the modern day Sherlock Holmes, with his sharp intellect and observations, not to mention his trusty Watson-esque sidekick, Robin. The duo fights crime like Batman and Robin, sneaking into hidden compartments and murder scenes, as well as taking down the villain when it truly counts.

If you can breeze through several episodes of Criminal Minds, then this book is right up your alley.

Action. Suspense. Thrill.

Those three words only breach the surface of how much power is packed into each page, how much mystery and corruption surrounds Strike’s wealthy clients. Only one phrase consistently comes to mind when I think of this novel…

“A silent darkness comes to light.”