What is the title of J.K. Rowling’s only novel written for adults before her Cormoran Strike books?

The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling’s only novel written for adults before her Cormoran Strike books.

Published in 2012, The Casual Vacancy is a standalone novel set in the fictional English town of Pagford. Its plot begins after the sudden death of parish councillor Barry Fairbrother, creating a vacancy and exposing conflicts within the local community.

The book marked Rowling’s first major move away from children’s fantasy. It deals with class, politics, poverty, family tensions, and addiction rather than magic or wizarding institutions. A television adaptation was broadcast in 2015.

Rowling subsequently wrote crime novels under the Robert Galbraith name. Those books include The Cuckoo’s Calling and feature Cormoran Strike, so they are separate from The Casual Vacancy even though both bodies of work are aimed at adult readers.