Which London-based detective is the protagonist of J.K. Rowling’s Galbraith novels?

Cormoran Strike is the London-based detective who protagonists J.K. Rowling’s Galbraith novels.

The character first appears in The Cuckoo’s Calling, published in 2013 under Rowling’s pseudonym Robert Galbraith. Strike runs a private detective agency in London and investigates cases ranging from a celebrity death to complex criminal conspiracies.

Strike is a former Special Investigation Branch investigator in the Royal Military Police. He left military service after losing part of one leg in Afghanistan, a detail that shapes both his physical life and his work. His military background also gives him investigative experience.

Robin Ellacott becomes central to the series as Strike’s temporary secretary, then investigative partner. The novels are contemporary crime stories rather than fantasy, and their setting, professional vocabulary, and mature themes distinguish them from Rowling’s books for younger readers.