What was the title of the first Cormoran Strike novel?

The Cuckoo’s Calling was the first Cormoran Strike novel. It was published in 2013 under the name Robert Galbraith, later revealed to be a pseudonym used by J.K. Rowling.

The story begins when model Lula Landry dies after falling from a London apartment balcony. Her brother hires private detective Cormoran Strike to investigate, despite the police treating the death as suicide. Strike works with Robin Ellacott, who becomes central to the series.

The title draws on the cuckoo, a bird associated with laying eggs in other birds’ nests. That image relates to the novel’s themes of identity, family, public image, and hidden relationships. The book combines a traditional investigation with detailed attention to London’s social and media worlds.

The series continued with The Silkworm, Career of Evil, Lethal White, Troubled Blood, The Ink Black Heart, and The Running Grave. The novels have also been adapted for television as Strike.