On July 13th, I read in my Facebook newsfeed that JK Rowling had published a book under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith last April. I went to Goodreads to see what the reviews said pre-revel and found an average of 4.5 stars out of 5. I immediately went to the library web site to see if I could get it. I was so quick to act on the story, there was only one person ahead of me on the wait-list.
Rowling’s first post-Potter book The Casual Vacancy was met with mixed reviews. I could see why she wanted to publish under a pen-name: so she could see how people responded to her writing, not just her name. With readers thinking The Cuckoo’s Calling was written by Galbraith, they would give an un-biased review. It appeared that it was indeed a good book.
On of the Muggle-casters noted that Rowling wrote such a good mystery with Potter, that it would make sense for her to write in the detective genre.
Rowling knows how to spin a good tale with detail to character, environment and story. The good news is that by 2/3 through the story, I forgot to think about who wrote it. I just wanted to find out “who done it.”
The story is about a model who commits suicide and then her brother hires Cormoran Strike, a down and out detective, to see if it was really murder. This book is set up to be a series with the next one to be published next year. I’m glad to enter a new world with Rowling, even if it isn’t with Harry.
