What was the first published book credited to Robert Galbraith, J.K. Rowling’s pen name?

The first published book credited to Robert Galbraith was The Cuckoo’s Calling.

The Cuckoo’s Calling was published in 2013 as a crime novel and introduced private detective Cormoran Strike. The plot begins when model Lula Landry dies in a fall from a London apartment, and Strike is hired to investigate whether her death was really suicide.

The book initially appeared under the name Robert Galbraith. After the author’s identity was revealed, Rowling confirmed that she had written it. The disclosure brought a sharp increase in sales and drew attention to the distinction between publishing under a pseudonym and publishing anonymously.

The novel’s sequels continue the professional and personal partnership between Strike and Robin Ellacott. The series includes The Silkworm, Career of Evil, Lethal White, Troubled Blood, The Ink Black Heart, and The Running Grave. The Cuckoo’s Calling is therefore the starting point of Rowling’s detective fiction, not her first novel overall.