J.K. Rowling’s crime novel The Cuckoo’s Calling appeared under the name Robert Galbraith in 2013.
The novel introduced private detective Cormoran Strike, a former military police investigator, and Robin Ellacott, who becomes his temporary secretary. Their first case concerns the death of model Lula Landry, which police have classified as suicide.
The book was initially published without Rowling’s authorship being publicly known. Robert Galbraith was presented as a former Royal Military Police investigator, but the pseudonym was later revealed to belong to Rowling. After the disclosure, sales increased sharply and later editions identified Rowling as the author.
The Cuckoo’s Calling launched the Cormoran Strike series. Rowling continued publishing subsequent entries under the Galbraith name, keeping the crime-fiction identity distinct from her Harry Potter authorship while allowing readers to know the connection.