Harry Potter Fans Should Give Cormoran Strike Series a Chance

Seven years ago this month saw the publication of the seventh and final Harry Potter book, culminating an almost decade-long journey fans experienced with the Boy Who Lived. 

But many fans are unaware that J.K. Rowling has recently begun a new chapter in her literary career as the author of a detective-mystery series. 

That is because when writing this series Rowling uses the pseudonym Robert Galbraith rather than her real name. The pseudonym is a combination of her political hero Robert F. Kennedy and her childhood fantasy name Ella Galbraith. Rowling says she began writing under this new name because she wanted to go back to the beginning of her writing career when she could write without "hype or expectation". 

The series features the detective duo of Cormoran Strike, a private investigator and war veteran who got his leg blown off in the War in Afghanistan, and his secretary and assistant Robin Ellacott. The first book in the series, "The Cuckoos Calling", involves the investigation in the apparent suicide of a world supermodel, while the latest book in the series "The Silkworm" (which came out last month) see Strike and Robin trying to find a missing author. Rowling says she is already halfway through writing the third book in the series, which will involve the return of soldiers, and has already figured out the plot for the fourth book. She also plans to write more than seven books in the series. 

Though not nearly as popular as the Potter series, the Cormoran Strike series have been fairly successful in their own right. "The Cuckoos Calling" has sold over 1.1 million copies in print, audiobook, and digital formats, and "The Silkworm" has already sold 87,000 copies in its first month. 

If you love mystery novels, I highly recommend reading "The Cuckoos Calling". Not only will it entertain you and keep your mind active, but the ending will totally blow you away. It is an ending that deserves comparisons to works done by Agatha Christie, another mystery author from Great Britain. Although "The Silkworm" did not have as shocking a conclusion as its predecessor, it is still an entertaining read, especially since Strike and Robin have become characters that are hard not to love. 

While Rowling may initially be seen as a newcomer to the mystery genre, if you look closely at the Potter series, you would find that each book involves some type of investigating. Even Rowling herself has said that they are "in many ways whodunits in disguise". 

Recently Rowling published a short story featuring a 30-something Harry and his friends on the Pottermore website. But rather than anticipate for another short story or book or movie featuring the Boy Who Lived, I think it would be an even better idea for Potter fans to give Rowling's new series a chance.