What was J.K. Rowling’s first published book written as Robert Galbraith?

The Cuckoo’s Calling was J.K. Rowling’s first published book written as Robert Galbraith.

The crime novel was published in April 2013 and introduces Cormoran Strike, a private investigator, and Robin Ellacott, who becomes his temporary secretary. The case concerns the death of model Lula Landry, which police initially regard as suicide.

The book was initially credited to Robert Galbraith, presented as a former Royal Military Police investigator. In July 2013, a linguistic analysis and reporting by The Sunday Times identified Rowling as the author. Rowling confirmed the revelation, explaining that she had enjoyed publishing without the immediate expectations associated with her established name.

The disclosure rapidly increased sales and attention for the novel. It also established a separate identity for Rowling’s continuing detective-fiction work. The later Strike novels retained the Robert Galbraith credit, while The Casual Vacancy had already been published under Rowling’s own name.