Cormoran Strike is the fictional detective at the center of J.K. Rowling’s crime-novel series.
Strike first appears in The Cuckoo’s Calling, published in 2013 under Rowling’s pseudonym Robert Galbraith. He is a private detective in London and a former Special Investigation Branch investigator in the British Army. His military background contributes to his investigative skills and to the physical challenges he faces after losing part of a leg.
Robin Ellacott becomes an important professional partner in the series. Their working relationship develops across several investigations, while each novel presents a separate major case. The books combine detective plotting with an ongoing narrative about Strike, Robin, and their personal and professional lives.
Cormoran Strike should not be confused with the author name Robert Galbraith. Galbraith is Rowling’s publishing pseudonym; Strike is the character whose cases drive the novels. The series is distinct from the Harry Potter books in genre, setting, audience, and fictional universe.