History Literature / TheCuckoosCalling

* YourCheatingHeart: Several examples appear throughout the story, but the majority of them eventually turn out to be made up yarns spun by the press.
** Duffield bought into the media speculation surrounding Lula and Deeby Macc and outright accused Lula of planning to have a tryst with him during their final conversation. He's show to be wrecked with guilt over this in the present.
** After his explosive argument with Lula, Duffield spent the night sleeping over at Ciara's Porter's home. Following her death, he's accused of heartlessly cheating on Lula on the eve of her death.
** [[spoiler:Tony Landry is sleeping with Ursula May, wife of the other senior partner at his law firm. John uses this information to force Tony into giving him an alibi on the day Lula died.]]

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Nothing Lula's two biological maternal half-brothers, who were also taken from their mother by social services. InUniverse she passed up on her mother's desire to track them down as well due to being more interested in her father.

* ChekhovsGun: Strike is receiving weekly death threats from a former client, usually threatening him with a knife. The murderer makes use of this by attempting to kill Strike in this way, hoping that the former client will be blamed for this.
** The personalised hoodies which Guy gifts Deeby Macc, as one of them winds up being the a vital piece of evidence that ties the killer to the crime scene.

* LovableAlphaBitch: Lula may have let fame go to her head, but witnesses tend to remember her as kinder than your typical troubled starlet.

* TheSchlubPubSeductionDeduction: The ugly Cormoran met his volatile and beautiful ex-girlfriend Charlotte when he daringly chatted her up at a student party, after which she publicly dumped her fellow BlueBlood Jago Ross for him. She later admitted that she initially slept with him to get back at Ross for a perceived transgression, having stepped into the wrong party intending to commence OperationJealousy with the first man who approached her. [[AvertedTrope Averted]] though with Cormoran and [[spoiler:supermodel Ciara Porter]].

* TheSchlubPubSeductionDeduction: The ugly Cormoran met his volatile and beautiful ex-girlfriend Charlotte when he daringly chatted her up at a student party, after which she publicly dumped her fellow BlueBlood Jago Ross for him. She later admitted that she initially slept with him to get back at Ross for a perceived transgression, having stepped into the wrong party intending to commence OperationJealousy with the first man who approached her.

* TheSchlubPubSeductionDeduction: The ugly Cormoran met his volatile and beautiful ex-girlfriend Charlotte when he daringly chatted her up at a student party, after which she publicly dumped her fellow BlueBlood Jago Ross for him. She later admitted to him that she initially slept with him to get back at Ross for a perceived transgression, having stepped into the wrong party intending to commence OperationJealousy with the first man who approached her.

* DrinkOrder: Whether he's interrogating witnesses, setting up information swaps with the police, or simply relaxing, Strike will order a pint of Doom Bar, a Cornish ale that reminds him of home.

* InformedFlaw: Virtually everyone describes Ciara Porter as a combination of DumbBlonde and AlphaBitch. When Strike meets her, she's a bit fluffy, but is otherwise perfectly pleasant and one of the few people to be completely honest with him. She even quotes some Oscar Wilde and mentions she has a place to read English at Cambridge. [[TropesAreTools This is very likely intentional,]] showing how the media tends to feed on itself and perpetuate its own rumor mill.

* OnceMoreWithClarity: When [[spoiler:John Bristow]] first meets Strike, he breaks into hysterical tears when recalling [[spoiler:the day Lula was first brought into the family]]. At the time, the reader assumes that the tears are due to [[spoiler:remembering his dead sister]]. Much later, during TheSummation, Strike brings up those hysterics again — only this time he muses that they stemmed from [[spoiler:John remembering the day that he once again was sidelined by his family in favour of his sibling]].
* OnlySaneMan: [[spoiler:Lula's half-brother]] turns out to be the only one related to her who isn't messed up in some way. [[spoiler:Cormoran speculates that this is why she called him to visit her the night she died. She'd just learned that her adopted brother might be a murderer and wanted to be with the last relative she could trust.]]

* AmbiguousDisorder: It becomes clear towards the end of the novel that [[spoiler:John Bristow]] is not exactly right in the head. Cormoran offers a few suggestions as to what is wrong with him during TheSummation, but [[GenreSavvy recognizes that]] [[NotThatKindOfDoctor after all, he's a military man turned private detective, and not a psychologist, and feels that the police will do a better job diagnosing him.]]

* KavorkaMan: Cormoran Strike looks like a boxer who’s had his nose broken too many times, is incredibly hairy, lost half his leg and, at the time of the story, is overweight. And yet, his on-again, off-again girlfriend Charlotte is described as supermodel gorgeous and over the course of the story [[spoiler: he has sex with an actual supermodel ''without even trying''.]]

* MamasBoy: John Bristow. Distressing his dying mother is a sure way to send him into barely concealed hysterics.

* MyBelovedSmother: Lady Bristow spoils and smothers her children. Subverted for [[spoiler: John -- the fact that his mother ''didn't'' smother him, compared to Charlie and Lula, is implied to be a major factor behind his insanity]].

* ThePasswordIsAlwaysSwordfish: The passcode to Bristow's safe is, naturally, [[spoiler: the date he murdered Charlie.]] Strike alludes to this, saying it would be the first code he'd try.

* {{Profiling}}: John Bristow puts a special emphasis on a black man filmed acting suspiciously around the scene and time of his sister's suspicious suicide, nicknamed The Runner. His uncle Tony, who has had a great influence on the boy, is a total bigot. [[spoiler:But actually, Bristow knows perfectly well who The Runner is -- the guy with a legitimate claim to Lula Landry's inheritance -- and is trying to frame him.]]

* OnceMoreWithClarity: When [[spoiler:John Bristow]] first meets Strike, he breaks into hysterical tears when recalling [[spoiler:the day Lula was first brought into the family.]] At the time, the reader assumes that the tears are due to [[spoiler:remembering his dead sister]]. Much later, during TheSummation, Strike brings up those hysterics again - only this time he muses that they stemmed from [[spoiler: John remembering the day that he once again was sidelined by his family in favour of his sibling.]]

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: A mild example -- Bristow persuades aloof celebrity witnesses to talk to Strike with copious bribes/tip-offs that Strike is the son of a rock star.

* SmarterThanYouLook: Ciara the glamorous, long-legged fashion model, also has a chance to "read English at Oxford" that she is putting off to model. Strike can't conceal his surprise when he hears this. Later in the same conversation she drops an Creator/OscarWilde quote.
* StealthPun: After their CrashIntoHello, wherein Strike saves Robin from toppling backward by grabbing her chest, he states that it'll be easy to remember her name. He had been intended to refer to "Batman and Robin" but refrained, not thinking it very respectful. Robin blushes anyway. Why? Presumably because she [[AccidentalInnuendo thinks he means]] that she's a Robin redbreast.[[note]]This may lead to UsefulNotes/SeparatedByACommonLanguage for American readers, since a robin is only called "robin" in America.[[/note]]
* StiffUpperLip: Despite all the difficulties Strike is experiencing, he maintains some degree of discipline in confronting his demons. Its notable that most of his struggles are external, while his internal conflict is somewhat minimal.

* StrongFamilyResemblance: Averted with Strike, who looks nothing like his famous father. Played straight for [[spoiler:Lula Landry - who inherited most of her supermodel features from her biological father. Her half-brother also shares these features, as her shocked killer discovers.]]
* TheSummation: In [[SignatureStyle traditional Rowling fashion]], [[TalkingIsAFreeAction Cormoran delivers this over the course of pages while alone with the killer, who makes no real attempt to stop him until he's done outlining all his points]]. Though Strike does lampshade that an innocent man would have left in a rage long before he was done - it's highly implied that the killer was hearing him out to try and find out what evidence Strike had on them.
** Cormoran actually does this twice, though the first time, he's not actually confronting the killer but attempting to [[spoiler:get Freddie Bestigui to cooperate as a potential witness]]. [[RedHerring Though at this point, the reader is in the dark about Cormoran's actual plans]].
* SweaterGirl: In the first chapter Robin is described as "curvaceous"; in the third chapter Strike notices that she is wearing "a snugly, even seductively fitting cream sweater."

* WhoNamesTheirKidDude: "Cormoran Strike" - justified given his mother's... eccentricities.

The beautiful model Lula Landry [[DrivenToSuicide jumps from a balcony]] in a case that temporarily dominated the UsefulNotes/BritishNewspapers. [[TimeSkip Three months later]], we meet [[AwesomeMcCoolName Cormoran Strike]], a ShellShockedVeteran turned [[HardboiledDetective private eye]] who is dead broke and suffering through a messy breakup. Robin Ellacott, a new temp, has just arrived at his doorstep when Strike gets a new client: John Bristow, adopted brother of his former childhood friend Charlie and of Lula Landry. John remains unconvinced that a woman with such a bright future ahead of her would take her own life, and, with no one else to turn to, Bristow implores Strike to help him find out what really happened.

* AmbiguousDisorder: It becomes clear towards the end of the novel that [[spoiler: John Bristow]] is not exactly right in the head. Cormoran offers a few suggestions as to what is wrong with him during TheSummation, but [[GenreSavvy recognizes that]] [[NotThatKindOfDoctor after all, he's a military man turned private detective, and not a psychologist, and feels that the police will do a better job diagnosing him.]]
* AnimalMotifs: Lula Landry with the titular cuckoo--a bird that is abandoned by its parents in another bird's nest, where it will often grow large and strong at the expense of its siblings and even its new caregivers.
* AnyoneCanDie: It's J. K. Rowling, people. [[spoiler: Amazingly, she shows surprising restraint by killing off only one major character, [[TheConfidant Rochelle Onifade]], obviously excluding Lula's PlotTriggeringDeath.]]

* BigScrewedUpFamily: The Bristow / Landry family.

** Tansy is expecting a very substantial divorce settlement from her husband in exchange for [[spoiler:not revealing the true location of where she overheard Lula Landry and her killer - as that will cause his domestic abuse to come to light.]]
** [[spoiler:Rochelle]] is blackmailing [[spoiler:John]] regarding the existence and whereabouts of [[spoiler:Lula's will.]]

* BlindingCameraFlash: Strike escorts Ciara into a club through a gauntlet of paparazzi--"Strike's retinas were in sudden, dazzling whiteout." After they make it through the door of the club Ciara compliments him on his sense of direction.

* CassandraTruth: The main reason that Lula Landry's death was ruled a suicide was because Tansy's statement was deemed by police to be entirely false. Strike's investigations reveal that [[spoiler:she was telling the truth about overhearing Lula arguing with a man before she fell - but lied about ''where'' she heard it due to her husband's bulling her into silence.]]

** [[spoiler:Tony Landry correctly deduced that Charlie's death was not an accident, and that John was the one who pushed him. However the Bristows refused to believe him and cut all contact in the wake of his accusations.]]

** The personalised hoodies which Guy gifts Deeby Macc, as one of which winds up being the a vital piece of evidence that ties the killer to the crime scene.
* ClusterFBomb: J. K. Rowling's post-Potter career is filled with these. Pretty much every character swears at some point, but probably the biggest culprit of all is [[GayBestFriend Guy Somé]].
* TheConfidant: Rochelle Onifade is the only person Lula guarantees will never blab about her to the press. [[spoiler: Nonetheless, she's kind of a gold-digging scumbag, and the trope is ultimately subverted when she's shown to indeed be selling Lula's secrets -- just not to the press.]]

* DefectiveDetective: Strike is a war-wounded amputee with a tempestuous on-and-off relationship, death threats from a former client and debt up to his eyeballs. Although what sets him apart is that he is surprisingly free of internal strife and self-destructive personality demons. All of his problems are external, not internal.
* DetectivePatsy: A classic example in [[spoiler:John Bristow.]]

* DisposableFiance: [[spoiler:Matthew is presented as one, but as of the end of the novel, he's still with Robin - if unhappy about her career path.]]

* BeAsUnhelpfulAsPossible: Freddie Bestigui, [[spoiler: with good reason]].

* BookEnds: Robin and Strike are living bookends. Robin is introduced entering into an engagement while Strike is introduced exiting one. Even more tellingly, said events happen within 24 hours of each other.

* TheConfidant: [[spoiler:Rochelle Onifade]] is the only person Lula guarantees will never blab about her to the press. [[spoiler: Nonetheless, she's kind of a gold-digging scumbag, and the trope is ultimately subverted when she's shown to indeed be selling Lula's secrets -- just not to the press.]]

* CrashIntoHello: How Robin meets Strike. He hastily prevents her from plunging head-first into the stairwell... by grabbing her boob. [[spoiler: The romantic elements between them never actually rise above subtext, although Strike frequently notices her body.]]

%%* {{Deuteragonist}}: Robin Ellacott.

%%* LonelyRichKid: Lula.

* ThePasswordIsAlwaysSwordfish: The passcode to [[spoiler: Bristow's]] safe is, naturally, [[spoiler: the date he murdered Charlie.]] Strike alludes to this, saying it would be the first code he'd try.

* StealthPun: After their CrashIntoHello, wherein Strike saves Robin from toppling backward by grabbing her chest, he states that it'll be easy to remember her name. He had been intended to refer to "Batman and Robin" but refrained, not thinking it very respectful. Robin blushes anyway. Why? Presumably because she [[AccidentalInnuendo thinks he means]] [[spoiler:that she's a Robin redbreast]].

* {{Yandere}}: ''Charlotte.'' Which Strike fully appreciates, while still not being able to let go of his obsession with her.

* SmallRoleBigImpact: Deeby Macc is mentioned a lot, by almost every character and his impending arrival at Lula’s building [[spoiler:proves instrumental in the way the murder was committed]]. However, the closest he comes to appearing in the flesh is a Website/YouTube interview that Cormoran and Robin watch.

* SpoilerTitle: Cuckoo chicks [[spoiler:kill their adoptive siblings by pushing them out of the nest]]; similarly, [[spoiler:John Landry pushes both of his siblings to their deaths]].

* StrongFamilyResemblance: Averted with Strike, who looks nothing like his famous father. Played straight for [[spoiler:Lula Landry - who inherited most of her supermodel features from her biological father. Her half-brother also shares these features, as the her shocked killer discovers.]]

** Tansy is expecting a very substantial divorce settlement from her husband in exchange for [[spoiler:not revealing the true location of where she overheard Luna Landry and her killer - as that will cause his domestic abuse to come to light.]]
** [[spoiler:Rochelle]] is blackmailing [[spoiler:John]] regarding the existence and whereabouts of [[spoiler:Luna's will.]]
** [[spoiler:John blackmails Tony into giving him an alibi the day Luna died by threatening to out his affair with Ursula May to her husband.]]

* CassandraTruth: The main reason that Luna Landry's death was ruled a suicide was because Tansy's statement was deemed by police to be entirely false. Strike's investigations reveal that [[spoiler:she was telling the truth about overhearing Luna arguing with a man before she fell - but lied about ''where'' she heard it due to her husband's bulling her into silence.]]
** Luna Landry's biological mother is convinced that Luna would never have become a supermodel if she inherited her father's ears. When Robin and Comoran are looking at a picture of her [[spoiler:half-brother]], it's noted that his handsomeness is offset up his almost comically large ears.

* StrongFamilyResemblance: Averted with Strike, who looks nothing like his famous father. Played straight for [[spoiler:Luna Landry - who inherited most of her supermodel features from her biological father. Her half-brother also shares these features, as the her shocked killer discovers.]]

** Duffield bought into the media speculation surrounding Luna and Deeby Macc and outright accused Luna of planning to have a tryst with him during their final conversation. In the present he views this as his biggest mistake.
** Duffield also spent the night Luna died sleeping over a Ciara's Porter's place after his argument with Luna. Following her death, he's accused of heartlessly cheating on Luna on the eve of her death.
** [[spoiler:Tony Landry is sleeping with Ursula May, wife of the other senior partner at his law firm. John uses this information to force Tony into giving him an alibi on the day Luna died.]]

* [[spoiler:CainAndAbel: John actually kills ''both'' of his favoured siblings.]] Magazines apparently take note.

* DefectiveDetective: Strike is a war-wounded amputee with a tempestuous on-and-off relationship, death threats from a former client and debt up to his eyeballs.
** Although what sets him apart is that he is surprisingly free of internal strife and self-destructive personality demons. All of his problems are external, not internal.
* [[spoiler:DetectivePatsy: A classic example in John Bristow.]]
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Robin Ellacott.

* TheGhost / SmallRoleBigImpact: Deeby Macc is mentioned a lot, by almost every character and his impending arrival at Lula’s building [[spoiler:proves instrumental in the way the murder was committed]]. However, the closest he comes to appearing in the flesh is a Website/YouTube interview that Cormoran and Robin watch.

* LonelyRichKid: Lula.

* OnceMoreWithClarity: When [[spoiler: John Bristow]] first meets Strike, he breaks into hysterical tears when recalling [[spoiler:the day Lula was first brought into the family.]] At the time, the reader assumes that the tears are due to [[spoiler:remembering his dead sister]]. Much later, during TheSummation, Strike brings up those hysterics again - only this time he muses that they stemmed from [[spoiler: John remembering the day that he once again was sidelined by his family in favour of his sibling.]]

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney[=/=]ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: A mild example -- Bristow persuades aloof celebrity witnesses to talk to Strike with copious bribes/tip-offs that Strike is the son of a rock star.

* TwentyMinutesIntoThePast: The novel was published in 2013 but is set in April-May 2010, with events from the leadup to the 2010 general election mentioned in passing.

* [[spoiler:John blackmails Tony into giving him an alibi the day Luna died by threatening to out his affair with Ursula May to her husband.]]

* OnceMoreWithClarity: When [[spoiler: John Bristow]] first meets Strike, he breaks into histerical tears when recalling [[spoiler:the day Lula was first brought into the family.]] At the time, the reader assumes that the tears are due to [[spoiler:remembering his dead sister]]. Much later, during TheSummation, Strike brings up those hysterics again - only this time he muses that they stemmed from [[spoiler: John remembering the day that he once again was sidelined by his family in favour of his sibling.]]

* OnceMoreWithClarity: When [[spoiler: John Bristow]] first meets Strike, he breaks into histerical tears when recalling [[spoiler:the
day Lula was first brought into the family.]] At the time, the reader assumes that the tears are due to [[spoiler:remembering his dead sister]]. Later, during TheSummation, Strike brings up the hysterics again - only this time he muses that they stemmed from [[spoiler: John remembering the day that he once again was sidelined by his family in favour of his sibling.]]

* StrongFamilyResemblence: Averted with Strike, who looks nothing like his famous father. Played straight for [[spoiler:Luna Landry - who inherited most of her supermodel features from her biological father. Her half-brother also shares these features, as the her shocked killer discovers.]]