Who is the protagonist of J.K. Rowling’s Cormoran Strike 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 and former Special Investigation Branch investigator in the British Army. He operates a detective agency in London and is introduced in The Cuckoo’s Calling, where he investigates the death of model Lula Landry. His military background affects both his investigative skills and his physical circumstances.

Robin Ellacott becomes his secretary and later an important investigative partner. Their professional relationship develops across the series, while the novels present separate cases involving murder, disappearance, blackmail, and other crimes.

The character is sometimes confused with Harry Potter because both were created by Rowling, but they belong to entirely different genres and fictional worlds. Strike’s books are contemporary detective fiction for adults, and they use the author’s Robert Galbraith pseudonym rather than the J.K. Rowling name on their original covers.