What is the title of J.K. Rowling’s only novel for adults set in Pagford?

J.K. Rowling’s adult novel set in Pagford is The Casual Vacancy.

Published in 2012, the book begins when Barry Fairbrother dies unexpectedly, leaving a vacant seat on the parish council of the fictional English town of Pagford. The resulting local election exposes conflicts involving class, poverty, family life and public responsibility.

The novel was Rowling’s first published work after the Harry Potter series. Unlike the fantasy novels, it is a contemporary social novel with no magic or supernatural world. Its characters are residents of Pagford and the nearby Fields estate, whose competing interests drive the plot.

The title refers to the empty council position, not to a school place or a missing character. The book was later adapted into a BBC television miniseries, which aired in 2015.