Where to Start Reading Cormoran Strike
For the absolute best reading experience, you should start at the very beginning with The Cuckoo's Calling. While each novel features a standalone, self-contained mystery that is solved by the end of the book, the core of the series is the slowly evolving personal and professional relationship between Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott. Their character arcs, backstories, and personal struggles build directly from one book to the next, meaning reading them out of sequence will result in major spoilers for their lives.
Cormoran Strike Books in Order
The publication order and chronological order for the Cormoran Strike series are identical. Here is the list of books in the sequence they should be read:
- The Cuckoo's Calling (2013) – Strike is hired to investigate the death of supermodel Lula Landry, bringing Robin on as a temporary secretary.
- The Silkworm (2014) – The duo investigates the gruesome murder of an controversial author whose unpublished manuscript targeted many literary figures.
- Career of Evil (2015) – A terrifying personal threat arrives at the office, forcing Strike and Robin to confront figures from their pasts.
- Lethal White (2018) – A young man with mental health struggles claims to have witnessed a murder years ago, leading the team into the halls of Parliament.
- Troubled Blood (2020) – While visiting family in Cornwall, Strike takes on the agency's first-ever cold case: a doctor who went missing in 1974.
- The Ink Black Heart (2022) – The co-creator of a popular cartoon is murdered, drawing the agency into the complex, toxic world of online fandoms and cyber-bullying.
- The Running Grave (2023) – Robin goes undercover inside a dangerous religious cult in rural Norfolk to rescue a client's son.
- The Hallmarked Man (2025) – The eighth installment, published in September 2025, sees the detectives dive into a mystery steeped in history, heraldry, and a missing silver artifact.
- Sleep Tight, Evangeline (Forthcoming) – The officially announced ninth book in the series.
Spin-offs, Tie-ins, and the TV Adaptation
Unlike some long-running mystery series, there are no short stories, companion guides, or co-authored novellas in the Cormoran Strike universe. Robert Galbraith is a solo pseudonym for J.K. Rowling, and the narrative exists entirely within these full-length books.
However, if you want more of Strike and Robin, you can watch the television adaptation titled Strike (broadcast as C.B. Strike in the US and Canada). The television series closely follows the cases of the novels, starring Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger, and is highly praised for capturing the rich atmosphere of the books.