Who is the detective protagonist of J.K. Rowling’s Cormoran Strike novels?

Cormoran Strike is the detective protagonist of J.K. Rowling’s Cormoran Strike novels.

The character first appeared in The Cuckoo’s Calling, published in 2013 under Rowling’s pseudonym Robert Galbraith. Strike is a private investigator in London and a former Special Investigation Branch investigator in the Royal Military Police. His military background contributes to his investigative skills and to the physical disability he has after serving in Afghanistan.

Robin Ellacott becomes Strike’s temporary secretary and then an increasingly important investigative partner. Their professional relationship is a continuing thread across the series, which combines individual murder investigations with longer character development.

The books are adult crime fiction, not extensions of the Harry Potter storyline. They take place in a contemporary London setting and use realistic police and private-investigation contexts. The BBC television adaptation, Strike, features Tom Burke as Strike and Holliday Grainger as Robin.