What name did J.K. Rowling use for the protagonist of her crime-fiction series?

J.K. Rowling’s crime-fiction series centers on the private detective Cormoran Strike. Strike first appears in The Cuckoo’s Calling, published in 2013 under Rowling’s pen name Robert Galbraith.

Strike is a former Special Investigation Branch investigator in the British Army. After leaving military service, he works as a private detective in London. The character’s physical injuries, financial pressures and complicated personal history are recurring elements of the series.

Robin Ellacott begins as Strike’s temporary secretary and gradually becomes a central investigative partner. Their professional relationship develops across multiple cases, while the novels examine murders involving writers, publishers, artists and other public figures.

Robert Galbraith is the author name, not the detective’s name. Newt Scamander belongs to the Fantastic Beasts stories, while Harry Potter is the protagonist of Rowling’s earlier fantasy series. Cormoran Strike therefore identifies the investigator at the center of the crime novels.