What was the title of J.K. Rowling’s first published crime novel?

J.K. Rowling’s first published crime novel was The Cuckoo’s Calling.

The novel was published in 2013 under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. It introduces Cormoran Strike, a private detective who investigates the death of the model Lula Landry. Robin Ellacott joins Strike as a temporary secretary and becomes central to the continuing series.

The book initially attracted modest attention under its pseudonym. Its sales increased sharply after Rowling was identified as the author. The revelation created major interest in the novel and made Robert Galbraith one of the most discussed author identities of that year.

The Cuckoo’s Calling is distinct from The Silkworm, the second Strike novel, and from The Casual Vacancy, Rowling’s first adult novel. Its genre is detective fiction, while The Casual Vacancy is a contemporary social novel.