JK Rowling's post-Potter books have been interesting. It's not just that she is no longer writing fantasy stories, but that she approaches different books differently. The Potter books were about creating a magical world and about complex plotting and mysteries. The Casual Vacancy was about suburban intrigue and small mindedness.

The Cuckoo's Calling is about investigation. The story is not especially involved (certainly not compared to something like The Maltese Falcon or Farewell My Lovely), and it focuses on a fairly small number of people.

While the book does create a fully fleshed detective/receptionist combo, and a pretty good mystery, it is most interesting for it's portrayal of a very methodical detective. Unlike most fictional detectives, Cormoran Strike takes copious notes, reviews things in detail, collects evidence doggedly without constant intuitive leaps, and builds his case slowly. I really like that.

I still hope that someday Rowling will write another book in which she creates the sort of complex stories of the Potter series, but on its own terms, I quite enjoyed this one.