Which fictional detective is the protagonist of J.K. Rowling’s crime novels?

Cormoran Strike is the protagonist of J.K. Rowling’s crime novels published under the name Robert Galbraith.

Strike is a private detective based in London. He is a former Special Investigation Branch investigator in the Royal Military Police and has experience handling difficult cases. The first novel featuring him, The Cuckoo’s Calling, was published in 2013.

Robin Ellacott initially joins Strike as a temporary secretary, but she soon becomes an essential part of his investigative work. Their professional relationship develops across the series as they examine murders, threats, disappearances, and other crimes.

Strike is not a wizarding-world character and is separate from Rowling’s Harry Potter stories. The shared author is the connection between the two bodies of work. The detective novels use a realistic contemporary setting, with London locations and police procedures replacing Hogwarts, magic, and invented wizarding institutions.