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Series · mystery
Cormoran Strike
The Cormoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith has 8 known books (8 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with The Cuckoo's Calling (2013). The latest book with a fully recorded publication date is The Hallmarked Man.
- Books
- 8 known books (8 novels)
- Published
- 8
- First published
- 2013
- Status
- ongoing
- Shelved under
- Mystery & Crime
- Last checked
Start here: The Cuckoo's Calling (2013) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
The Cuckoo's Calling
The Cuckoo's Calling opens the Cormoran Strike series, first published in 2013. It introduces the one-legged Afghanistan veteran turned private detective and his temp secretary, Robin Ellacott, whose talent for surveillance and deduction Strike doesn't yet fully recognize. The Silkworm follows it in the series.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cuckoo's Calling - Book 2:
The Silkworm
The Silkworm is the second book in the Cormoran Strike series, published in 2014, continuing the slow-burn partnership between Strike and Robin as J.K. Rowling, writing as Robert Galbraith, works London's publishing world into a classic puzzle-box mystery.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Silkworm - Book 3:
Career of Evil
Career of Evil is the third book in the Cormoran Strike series, published in 2015, and turns the case personal as someone from Strike's own past begins targeting him and Robin directly.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Career of Evil - Book 4:
Lethal White
The fourth Cormoran Strike book, Lethal White, runs 656 pages. It follows Career of Evil and comes before Troubled Blood in publication order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Lethal White - Book 5:
Troubled Blood
Troubled Blood is the fifth book in the Cormoran Strike series, published in 2020. Like the rest of the series, it's an old-fashioned puzzle-box mystery -- a decades-cold missing-persons case -- dressed in very contemporary detail, and one of the longest entries yet.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Troubled Blood - Book 6:
The Ink Black Heart
The Ink Black Heart is the sixth book in the Cormoran Strike series, published in 2022. It runs 1072 pages.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Ink Black Heart - Book 7:
The Running Grave
The seventh Cormoran Strike book, The Running Grave, runs 1120 pages. It follows The Ink Black Heart and comes before The Hallmarked Man in publication order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Running Grave - Book 8:
The Hallmarked Man
The eighth Cormoran Strike book, The Hallmarked Man, runs 896 pages, continuing Robert Galbraith's pattern of books growing steadily longer and more ambitious as Strike and Robin's slow-burn partnership carries into its latest case.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Hallmarked Man
About the Cormoran Strike series
Cormoran Strike is a one-legged Afghanistan veteran turned private detective, working London's less glamorous end of the trade out of a cramped Denmark Street office, when his temp secretary Robin Ellacott turns out to have a genuine gift for surveillance and deduction. Written by J.K. Rowling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, the series is old-fashioned detective fiction at heart — proper puzzle-box mysteries with red herrings, closed suspect lists and a satisfying reveal — dressed in very contemporary London: the fashion industry, tabloid politics, social media pile-ons, cult psychology and celebrity culture all get the forensic treatment across the books, and each one runs 500-900 pages, closer to a doorstop than a quick read.
What keeps readers coming back is the slow-burn relationship between Strike and Robin, which develops with real patience across the whole series rather than being resolved or abandoned early, alongside a genuinely twisty mystery in every volume. It's for readers who like their crime fiction meaty, character-driven and willing to earn its ending, and who don't mind waiting — Galbraith writes roughly one book every two years, and the books have grown steadily longer and more ambitious as the series has gone on.
Frequently asked questions
How many Cormoran Strike books are there?
Eight novels are published, from The Cuckoo's Calling (2013) to The Hallmarked Man (2025). A ninth, Sleep Tight, Evangeline, was announced in February 2026 but has no release date yet.
What order should I read the Cormoran Strike books in?
Publication order, starting with The Cuckoo's Calling. The Strike/Robin relationship and Strike's personal history develop continuously across the series, so reading out of order spoils a lot.
Is Cormoran Strike written by J.K. Rowling?
Yes. Robert Galbraith is a pseudonym J.K. Rowling uses for this series, revealed shortly after the first book's 2013 publication.
How many Cormoran Strike books will there be in total?
Rowling has said she envisions the series running to around ten books, which would mean two more after Sleep Tight, Evangeline.
Do I need to read the Cormoran Strike books in order?
Yes, more than most detective series. Each case is self-contained, but Strike and Robin's relationship, families and personal arcs carry forward and build cumulatively from book to book.
If you like the Cormoran Strike series
Reading order last verified .