What is J.K. Rowling’s first published book for adults called?

J.K. Rowling’s first published book for adults is called The Casual Vacancy.

The novel was released in 2012, five years after the publication of the final main Harry Potter novel. It is set in Pagford, a fictional English parish whose residents become embroiled in a dispute over a vacant seat on the local council. The vacancy follows the death of Barry Fairbrother, whose views had influenced a contentious local issue.

The story uses a large ensemble cast rather than a single fantasy hero. Rowling explores the public and private lives of adults, teenagers, families, and officials, showing how a local political disagreement affects people across different social positions.

The novel is sometimes confused with Rowling’s later adult books in the Cormoran Strike series. Those detective novels began with The Cuckoo’s Calling in 2013 and were written under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. The Casual Vacancy, by contrast, was published openly under Rowling’s own name.