All the events in The Cuckoo’s Calling take place in 2010
7th January: Lula Landry spends her last full day alive. John Bristow visits her in the morning. Bryony Radford does her and Ciara Porter‘s makeup. She goes to Uzi nightclub, has an argument with Evan Duffield, and leaves.
8th January: Lula Landry falls to her death in the early hours. Eric Wardle and Roy Carver are at the crime scene. Robin is at the kitchen sink in Masham and hears the news on the radio; Matthew is over for the weekend.
21st February: Rochelle Onifade‘s birthday. Lula had asked Guy Somé to make her something nice for this day.
17th March: Photos are wiped off Lula Landry’s laptop, later found by Spanner.
Sunday, 28th March: Cormoran and Charlotte break up; Strike walks across London to his office through the night. Matthew and Robin have dinner at a Thai restaurant. Matthew proposes to her at the Statue of Eros in Piccadilly Circus. (Mentioned in Part 1, Chapters 1 and 2)
Monday, 29th March: Robin arrives on Denmark Street and starts working for Strike as a temp. John Bristow comes to Strike as a client. Strike goes to the Tottenham for a few pints of Doom Bar; he calls, Anstis, Shanker, and Wardle. Robin spends the day reading bridal magazines, talking to friends on the phone, and tidying the office desk; she finds a confidentiality agreement form which she signs and places on Strike’s desk. Strike goes to ULU to shower, goes shopping for a camp bed and essentials, then goes to an Italian restaurant where he drinks more beer. Strike arrives back at the office by 8pm. (Part 1, Chapters 2 to 7)
Tuesday, 30th March: Derrick Wilson has agreed to meet that Friday. Robin reads articles on Lula Landry out loud to Strike, who is sorting through his Hook file (No. 12). They look through Lula’s funeral photos and see Freddie Bestigui, Tansy Bestigui, Ciara Porter, Guy Some, and Deeby Macc. They watch a YouTube clip of a Deeby interview talking about Lula’s death. Charlotte texts Strike, acting unusually and suspiciously civilised. Strike and Robin go for a walk to Kentigern Gardens. Strike shows off. That night, Robin and Matthew argue about Strike. (Part 2, Chapters 1 and 2)
Friday, 2nd April: Strike goes to Charlotte’s flat on Holland Park Avenue to collect his few possessions. He interviews Derrick Wilson at the Phoenix Café in Brixton. Strike agrees to keep Robin on for another couple of weeks. (Part 2, Chapters 4 to 7)
Saturday, 3rd April: Strike watches the Arsenal vs Spurs match. Lucy rings him. He does some paperwork whilst listening to Tom Waits. He grabs a meal from Chinatown and heads back to the office where he continues to work, changing the Tom Waits CD to an Elbow one. (Part 2, Chapter 8)
Sunday, 4th April: Strike goes back to ULU to shower. He gets the Tube to Hammersmith Broadway, and goes to St Elmo’s Hostel for the Homeless. He walks to The Blue Anchor, passing Hammersmith Bridge, and has a pint and reads the paper. Robin is at dinner with Matthew and his friends at The Windmill. (Part 2, Chapter 9)
Monday, 5th April: Strike goes to the night clubs Barrack and Uzi, and later meets Wardle at the Feathers, near Scotland Yard. (Part 2, Chapter 10)
Tuesday, 6th April: Strike goes to Cipriani to interview Tansy Bestigui, in the presence of Ursula May and John Bristow. (Part 2, Chapter 11)
Wednesday, 7th April: It starts to rain in London. (Part 3, Chapter 1)
Friday, 9th April: Robin wraps Jack’s birthday present for Strike. Robin attends the third of the week’s ‘proper’ interviews. Wardle sends Lula’s file and Strike goes through it. (Part 3, Chapter 1)
Saturday, 10th April: Strike attends Jack’s 7th birthday party at Lucy’s house. He uses their DVD player to watch the CCTV footage from the night Lula died. (Part 3, Chapter 2)
Sunday, 11th April: Bristow calls Strike. Strike goes to ULU to shower. Wilson calls and gives Strike Rochelle’s surname. Strike drinks Tennent’s. (Part 3, Chapter 2)
Monday, 12th April: Strike and Robin go to Vashti, where Strike is impressed by her getting information from the shop assistant. Strike meets Bristow at the Serpentine Bar and Kitchen in Hyde Park. He later goes to Wong Kei to meet Spanner. (Part 3, Chapters 4 to 7)
Tuesday, 13th April: Strike finds Rochelle at St Thomas’s (the day of Rochelle’s therapy group is referred to twice in the text as Thursday, but the timeline makes it clear it should be Tuesday). They go to McDonald’s. Lucy is at the office chatting with Robin when he gets back. (Part 3, Chapters 8-10)
Thursday, 15th April: Strike goes to ULU, then goes to meet Guy Somé at his office. (Part 4, Chapter 1)
Thursday, 22nd April: Strike goes back to St Thomas’s to try and catch Rochelle again but is unsuccessful. (Part 4, Chapter 2)
Friday, 23rd April: Strike returns from Starbucks (possibly the one on Charing Cross Road) to find Spanner in the office. Strike and Robin go to Kentigern Gardens, as Freddie Bestigui is away. (Part 4, Chapters 2 and 3)
Saturday, 24th April: Strike tells Peter Gillespie over the phone to get off his fucking back. (Part 4, Chapter 4)
Sunday, 25th April: Strike watches the news. (Part 4, Chapter 4)
Monday, 26th April: Strike meets Marlene Higson at the Ordnance Arms in Canning Town. Robin tells Strike that Charlotte is engaged. Strike goes to the Tottenham and drinks eleven pints of Doom Bar before being rescued by Robin. (Part 4, Chapters 4 and 5)
Tuesday, 27th April: Strike wakes up with a massive hangover and goes to ULU to shower and use the pool. Strike goes to the photoshoot to interview Ciara Porter and Bryony Radford. After Ciara takes him to the nightclub to meet Evan Duffield, the three of them go to Duffield’s place. Strike then goes to Ciara’s and sleeps with her. (Part 4, Chapters 6 to 8)
Wednesday, 28th April: Robin and Strike discuss what they’ve been doing (but Strike withholds certain details from the previous night). Wardle rings Strike to tell him they’ve found a body in the Thames. Strike meets Wardle and Carver at the morgue, where he identifies Rochelle. Strike asks Graham Hardacre for a favour. (Part 4, Chapters 9 to 11)
Thursday, 29th April: Strike goes to Pinewood Studios to see Freddie Bestigui. (Part 4, Chapter 12)
Friday, 30th April: Wardle calls Strike. (Part 4, Chapter 13)
Monday, 3rd May: Strike and Robin attend Rochelle’s funeral and the wake at The Red Lion in North London. (Part 4, Chapter 13)
Tuesday, 4th May: Strike goes to Franklin Row, Chelsea, to meet Yvette Bristow. Strike and Wardle meet in the Feathers. Bristow shows up at the office. Strike is taken to hospital. (Part 4, Chapter 14, to Part 5, Chapters 1 and 2)
10 days later, Friday, 14th May: Strike meets Jonah Agyeman in the Tottenham. (Epilogue)