Picked it up because of a reading challenge, got hooked because I work in publishing (yeah somehow hadn't ever read a synopsis of this one...shame on me) and was pleasantly surprised in the end! Didn't read Cuckoo's Calling so I honestly can't compare it to anything other than the mainstream mysteries I've read, but all in all it kept you guessing right until the end. 
 Spoiler? Actually, I had a MINOR issue that Strike didn't think to interview the neighbor. If Leonora can't go anywhere without Orlando, and the neighbor (can't remember her name) is the only one who ever watches her when Leonora goes out, wouldn't she have had to babysit for the murder to occur? I get it, it's not actual evidence, but still! Eh, doesn't matter.