The Cuckoo's Calling

“The buzz in the street was like the humming of flies.”

The first line of the novel uses simile to compare photographers and news outlets to insects. Their appearance outside of a crime scene denotes the parasitic nature of paparazzi, as they flock like “flies” to a corpse. This macabre comparison also sets the tone for the rest of the novel, for many of the characters are at odds with media.

“Then the final, filthy scene, after Charlotte had tracked him down in the early hours, to plunge in those last few banderillas she had failed to implant before he had left her flat; his resolution to let her go when, after clawing his face, she had run out of the door; and then that moment of madness when he had plunged after her—a pursuit ended as quickly as it had begun, with the unwitting intervention of this heedless, superfluous girl, whom he had been forced to save, and then placate.”

In this moment, Strike outlines his relationship with Charlotte, describing their last moments together and implying that they are representative of their broader relationship. Although Strike does not outline the specifics of their fight, the reader gets context for his appearance, mood, and living situation, with the added benefit of adding suspense as the reader worries for Strike’s well-being. This line also establishes what he thinks of Robin before he gets to know her, revealing a constraint in their professional relationship that Robin must overcome.

“The man sitting opposite him was delusional, if not actually unhinged.”

Before discovering that Lula is John’s adoptive sister, Strike initially doesn’t believe that John has any relation to Lula. This thought is revealed as foreshadowing, for John’s status as the murderer reveals his cold, calculated nature and his delusional belief that he would get away with killing Lula.