"The cuckoo's calling" by Robert Galbraith aka J.K. Rowling (of Harry Potter fame).
Lula Landry, a mixed race adopted child of white parents and herself a very famous model, falls from the balcony of her apartment in the middle of a chilly winter night and dies. After investigations the police declare it as suicide. But her adopted brother is not convinced. He engages a, once brilliant, now broke and loser, detective Cormoran Strike and his latest temporary assistant cum secretary Robin to investigate.
Strike starts to investigate the case and puts the details together meticulously & methodically. There is a witness claiming it to be a murder but police prove that she was lying. Then there is another murder.
Who is the murderer? Her druggie boyfriend? Her gay friend and fashion designer? Her co-model and friend? Her poor lady friend who has undergone treatment for mental illness? Her mother? Unknown stalker? An American rapper? Why was she murdered? Was she murdered?
Author has based the novel on the backdrop of fashion world. The lives and affairs of rich and fashionable are brought to the fore. The artificialness, hollowness, and addiction to drugs and publicity is shown effectively. The book employs foul language. The f*** word appears at least a thousand times in the book.
JK Rowling has taken her time to develop the plot. She has given a lot of attention to details. The buildup to the climax is slow. You neither get excited not bored. Sometimes I could feel influence of Agatha Christie due to attention to detail.
I was able to guess the murderer but not the modalities of murder.
Although the book is not in the same league as Harry Potter, it's a good book. Recommend reading.
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