What was the title of J.K. Rowling’s first published story featuring Cormoran Strike?

The Cuckoo’s Calling was the first published story featuring Cormoran Strike.

The detective novel appeared in 2013 and introduces Strike as he investigates the death of model Lula Landry. The case initially attracts attention because the death is widely treated as suicide, but Strike’s investigation examines whether Lula was murdered. Robin Ellacott joins his office as a temporary secretary and becomes central to the series.

The novel was initially published under the name Robert Galbraith. Rowling’s identity was revealed later in 2013, after an analysis by linguistics experts and reporting by The Sunday Times connected the writing to her. The revelation caused a major surge in interest and sales.

The title refers to a line from Shakespeare’s King Lear, where a cuckoo is associated with taking over another bird’s nest. The following Strike novels continue the partnership between Strike and Robin, while maintaining the series’ crime-fiction format.