What is the name of the detective at the center of J.K. Rowling’s Robert Galbraith novels?
Answer
Cormoran Strike
Cormoran Strike is the detective at the center of J.K. Rowling’s Robert Galbraith novels.
Strike first appears in The Cuckoo’s Calling, published in 2013 under Rowling’s pseudonym Robert Galbraith. He is a private investigator in London and a former Special Investigation Branch investigator in the Royal Military Police. His military background contributes to his investigative skills and to the physical injuries he carries.
Robin Ellacott becomes Strike’s temporary secretary and then his professional partner. Their working relationship is a continuing thread across the series, alongside individual murder investigations. The books combine traditional detective plotting with longer character arcs.
Cormoran is an unusual name, drawn from the Cornish giant Cormoran in folklore. It should not be confused with famous detectives such as Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot or Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes; those characters belong to different fictional universes.