52 pages • 1 hour read
Robert GalbraithThe Cuckoo's Calling
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2013A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Part 5 and Epilogue Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 5, Chapter 1 Summary
Wardle meets Strike at a pub, where Strike presents him with the piece of paper: Lula’s will. He and Wardle argue about securing a warrant, which Wardle thinks Strike has not presented enough evidence to justify. Back at the office, Strike’s leg pain is so intense he collapses onto the couch. Robin and Strike each other up on their discoveries. Both John and Tony have tried to contact Strike and are livid. Strike sends Robin home early so he can remove his prosthetic. He then waits for someone to visit the office, falling asleep.
Part 5, Chapter 2 Summary
Strike is woken by someone arriving, and John enters the office. He upbraids Strike for visiting his mother alone. Strike secretly begins recording on his phone, then tells John about the will he found in the lining of Lula’s handbag. He reveals that Lula left everything to her biological brother, Jonah Agyeman, who was also the man captured on CCTV footage the night of her death. Strike then accuses John of the murder and outlines his theory.
Because of the recession, the stock market shares that make up John’s trust fund have depleted, leading him to embezzle from clients. He thus needs Lula’s money both to suit his greed and to replace the money he has stolen. The night of the murder, John returned to his mother’s house and reset her clocks, pretending it was dinner time when it was actually early morning. John took a customized hoodie and gloves out of Deeby’s apartment, gifts from Guy, and wore them as he ran away from the scene of the crime.
Strike notes Lula’s friends all believed that John was obsessed with money and would often ask Lula for financial gifts. The morning of her death, they argued at her apartment about her refusal, and he stole the hoodie and gloves while Deeby’s apartment was open for alarm system maintenance. John’s alibi that he went to the office for files is false, fabricated by Alison as a favor. John then hid in Deeby’s apartment the entire day, where he developed his plan to murder Lula. Strike then describes John’s first murder—Charlie—which Tony saw happen, but no one believed him.
John waited in Deeby’s apartment until that night. When Lula returned, he removed white roses from the vase, but dripped water on the floor that Derrick later slipped on. He used the flowers to cover his face so Lula would let him in, mistaking him for Jonah. They argued until John pushed her over the balcony. Strike claims that the police are obtaining a warrant to search Yvette’s safe. John lunges at him with a knife and the two men fight. Strike gets the upper hand and Robin appears to stop him from killing John. She calls for help.
Epilogue Summary: “Ten Days Later”
Jonah is removed from his tour in Afghanistan to provide his testimony for Lula’s case. He and Strike meet at a bar, bonding over military duty before discussing the case. Jonah was shocked to learn his father had another child and was further surprised when Lula reached out to him. He watched her fall and fled, wondering if she wanted him to observe her suicide. Strike believes that Yvette told Lula the truth about Charlie’s death, and it made Lula desperate for a safe familial connection. Strike reveals that John kept Rochelle’s cell phone in the family safe, tying him to her death.
Strike ruminates on Robin’s impending departure as his secretary. He returns to the office and tells her about Jonah. She describes prospective clients. He gives her a thank-you gift of the expensive dress she admired at Vashti. When both Strike and Robin mourn the end of her contract, they negotiate a salary for her to remain. After, Strike goes to a clinic for his amputation, reflecting on the poem “Ulysses” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
Part 5 and Epilogue Analysis
The Cuckoo’s Calling climaxes with a dramatic monologue in which Strike exposes John as a murderer and thief. This is a reversal of traditional protagonist-antagonist interactions, which usually features the antagonist revealing their work to the protagonist once accused of a crime or misdeed. In this instance, Strike forsakes tradition and uses this as an opportunity to reinforce the characteristics that make him a good detective. In doing so, he clearly outlines the events of Lula’s death. This is the most notable instance in which Galbraith reinforces that The Proof Is in the Details: Strike notes all the details that led him to catch John in a moment of exceptional recall. Without these details, Strike’s accusations would be meaningless. Further, they allow legal action to be pursued against John, assuring that he is punished for his crimes.
In another deviation from tradition, Galbraith does not introduce the reader to a key player until after the main events of the novel have concluded. Jonah Agyeman, Lula’s half-brother, witnessed her death and was also part of John’s motivation to murder her. His military career and general fear of being implicated in her death led to his silence, which is not broken until Strike succeeds in solving the case. As Strike and Jonah talk following the reveal, the two men gain a sense of kinship. Their military experiences and unexpected losses enable familiarity between the two strangers, creating a relationship that is sincere yet fleeting.
Strike and Robin’s work agreement fulfills the trope of detective and sidekick. However, this moment is significant for reasons beyond cliché. By advocating to remain at the detective agency, Robin is choosing her passions. She decides to pursue what will make herself happy and, in doing so, grows as a person who is less willing to be swayed by others. This is especially poignant considering that she does so even in the face of Matthew’s derision, having enough faith in herself and her abilities to remain Strike’s secretary. In accepting her proposal, Strike shows similar growth. He acknowledges that he needs someone to help him, both in the practical components of his daily life and in thinking creatively. In doing so, he accepts that he is fallible, opening himself up to Robin’s presence as a coworker and possible friend.
Strike acknowledges his disability in the final portion of the novel. His references to his prosthetic have been infrequent, mostly tinged with frustration and annoyance. As he confronts John, he has removed his prosthetic. Although he has done so due to injury, the fact that he does not keep it on—as he has in the past when experiencing irritations with it—shows a level of acceptance for his injury. He is confident in his abilities with and without his prosthetic. In the Epilogue, Strike attends a doctor’s appointment to have his amputation examined. This is his first act of willing self-care, which shows his attempts at healing even in the face of severe emotional turmoil. His past with his injury is also linked with his past with Charlotte, for she helped him recover from his near-death experience. That he is now pursuing care on his own shows that he is trying to move on from her and focus on his significantly improved future.
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By Robert Galbraith
