Book Review: The Writer by James Patterson and J.D. Barker

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The Writer by James Patterson and J.D. Barker  was published on March 17, 2025. It opens with Detective Declan Shaw at a closed subway station trying to work up the nerve to commit suicide when he receives a call from his partner about a break in and homicide at the home of a true crime author. Shaw makes his way to the crime scene to work the case, and in a turn of events, Declan comes under scrutiny in another case loosely connected to this new case. I received an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Writer  from NetGalley and Little , Brown, and Company for free in exchange for my honest review. I'm appreciative that my request for this book was approved. With this story opening with the main character trying to commit suicide, I almost didn't go any further with the book. However, I am glad I stuck with it as it took me on a fantastic ride and had my emotions all over the place. There were so many twists and turns that just when I thought I had it all figured out, there was ...
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Book Review: The Cuckoo's Calling (Comoran Strike, #1) by Robert Galbraith

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The Cuckoo's Calling (Comoran Strike, #1) by Robert Galbraith opens with Comoran Strike working as a private investigator in London, England. When John Bristow hires Comoran Strike to investigate the death of his sister Lula Landry, a famous supermodel, Strike is thrown into the world of celebrities as he investigates the case.

I read this book for one of the book clubs I was in, and had I not been in the book club, I'm not sure if I would have picked up this novel or not. When it was released it became public knowledge relatively quick that Robert Galbraith was actually J.K. Rowling writing under a pseudonym. It didn't really surprise me that she used one as I'm sure she wanted the book to be reviewed more honestly and not compared to her Harry Potter book series for children.

While I did enjoy The Cuckoo's Calling immensely, it did follow the typical formula for books in the mystery and thriller categories. I expected a lot more from J.K. Rowling, so I didn't give it as many stars as I would have had it been a debut novel for an author. But, don't get me wrong, I completely lost myself in the story and found it extremely binge worthy, and I enjoyed it so much that I've bought some of the other books in the series.

There were some things I had to look up as I was reading this book because I couldn't quite catch the meaning of certain things, even in the context of the book. One such thing was the use of "suppurating skin". I found out that it meant "discharging pus", and I think it would have flowed better had she just used the latter instead. And even though the British and Americans both speak English, I thought it was interesting that they say "clean their teeth" instead of "brush their teeth". Then, Galbraith/Rowling used a description of "paunchy man with a face the color of corned beef", and I thought that this was a really strange way to describe a character.

I'd also like to mention that they updated the cover of the book to tie in with the television series on Cinemax. Where I don't mind the revised cover, I really like the original cover the best. However, I will give the television series, 'Strike', a try once I've read all the books in the series.

All in all, I enjoyed The Cuckoo's Calling (Comoran Strike, #1) by Robert Galbraith and gave it three out five stars. If you enjoyed this book, I recommend Kiss The Girls and Make Them Cry by Mary Higgins Clark. 


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