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| JK Rowling publishes crime novel under false name | JK Rowling publishes crime novel under false name |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| JK Rowling has spoken of the "liberating experience" of adopting a nom de plume after it was revealed that the Harry Potter creator was behind a critically acclaimed crime novel published under the name Robert Galbraith. | JK Rowling has spoken of the "liberating experience" of adopting a nom de plume after it was revealed that the Harry Potter creator was behind a critically acclaimed crime novel published under the name Robert Galbraith. |
| The Cuckoo's Calling, billed as the debut novel of Galbraith, a pseudonym for a man with a background in the army and the civilian security industry, won praise from crime writers and critics who hailed the author as a new force in the genre. | The Cuckoo's Calling, billed as the debut novel of Galbraith, a pseudonym for a man with a background in the army and the civilian security industry, won praise from crime writers and critics who hailed the author as a new force in the genre. |
| Writing in the Guardian last week, Val McDermid, the acknowledged queen of the pyschological thriller, described the book as embracing "the best of traditional mystery fiction, private-eye pace and the kind of writing that reminds me why I love this genre". | Writing in the Guardian last week, Val McDermid, the acknowledged queen of the pyschological thriller, described the book as embracing "the best of traditional mystery fiction, private-eye pace and the kind of writing that reminds me why I love this genre". |
| However, it appears that for some it was a bit too accomplished for a debut novel, which led the Sunday Times to investigate and reveal the writer's true identity as Britain's best-selling author of all time. | However, it appears that for some it was a bit too accomplished for a debut novel, which led the Sunday Times to investigate and reveal the writer's true identity as Britain's best-selling author of all time. |
| Rowling expressed regret that she had been found out. "I had hoped to keep this secret a little longer because being Robert Galbraith has been such a liberating experience," she said. "It has been wonderful to publish without hype or expectation, and pure pleasure to get feedback under a different name." | Rowling expressed regret that she had been found out. "I had hoped to keep this secret a little longer because being Robert Galbraith has been such a liberating experience," she said. "It has been wonderful to publish without hype or expectation, and pure pleasure to get feedback under a different name." |
| The book, about a war veteran turned private investigator called Cormoran Strike, and described by the publisher as based on Galbraith's "own experiences and those of his military colleagues", has sold 1,500 copies in hardback since it was released in April. | The book, about a war veteran turned private investigator called Cormoran Strike, and described by the publisher as based on Galbraith's "own experiences and those of his military colleagues", has sold 1,500 copies in hardback since it was released in April. |
| Also showering praise on the book was another crime writer, Mark Billingham, who described Strike as "one of the most compelling detectives I've come across in years". | Also showering praise on the book was another crime writer, Mark Billingham, who described Strike as "one of the most compelling detectives I've come across in years". |
| It had long been suspected that Rowling was working on a crime novel. When it was announced that the editor of her first book for adults would be David Shelley, who counts McDermid and Billingham among his authors and comes from a background steeped in crime and thriller writing, the Guardian books writer Alison Flood was so sure it would be a crime novel that she wrote: "Bet you a Harry Potter proof that I'm right." | It had long been suspected that Rowling was working on a crime novel. When it was announced that the editor of her first book for adults would be David Shelley, who counts McDermid and Billingham among his authors and comes from a background steeped in crime and thriller writing, the Guardian books writer Alison Flood was so sure it would be a crime novel that she wrote: "Bet you a Harry Potter proof that I'm right." |
| In the event Rowling's first published book for adults was The Casual Vacancy, based on a parish council dispute in the parochial town of Pagford, which was released to much hype in October last year. It soared to the top of the fiction charts but attracted mixed reviews. | In the event Rowling's first published book for adults was The Casual Vacancy, based on a parish council dispute in the parochial town of Pagford, which was released to much hype in October last year. It soared to the top of the fiction charts but attracted mixed reviews. |
| A clue to why Rowling decided to adopt a pseudonym for The Cuckoo's Calling might be gleaned from the reception to her first post-Potter novel. Jonathan Ruppin of Foyles said at the time: "No doubt there will be reviewers who have already decided to pour vitriol upon [The Casual Vacancy] no matter its merits." | A clue to why Rowling decided to adopt a pseudonym for The Cuckoo's Calling might be gleaned from the reception to her first post-Potter novel. Jonathan Ruppin of Foyles said at the time: "No doubt there will be reviewers who have already decided to pour vitriol upon [The Casual Vacancy] no matter its merits." |
| Rowling's sales from the Harry Potter series amount to more than £237m. | Rowling's sales from the Harry Potter series amount to more than £237m. |
| The second Cormoran Strike book is to be published next year, although this time it can expect a great deal more fanfare. | The second Cormoran Strike book is to be published next year, although this time it can expect a great deal more fanfare. |
| What the critics said about The Cuckoo's Calling | |
| Every time I put this book down, I looked forward to reading more. Galbraith writes at a gentle pace, the pages rich with description and with characters that leap out of them. I loved it. He is a major new talent – Peter James, crime writer. | |
| Just once in a while a private detective emerges who captures the public imagination in a flash. And here is one who might well do that … There is no sign that this is Galbraith's first novel, only that he has a delightful touch for evoking London and capturing a new hero. An auspicious debut – Geoffery Wansell, Daily Mail. | |
| In a rare feat, Galbraith combines a complex and compelling sleuth and an equally well-formed and unlikely assistant with a baffling crime in his stellar debut … Readers will hope to see a lot more of this memorable sleuthing team – Publishers Weekly. | |
| Laden with plenty of twists and distractions, this debut ensures that readers will be puzzled and totally engrossed for quite a spell – Teresa Jacobsen, Library Journal's mystery debut of the month. | |
| A scintillating debut novel … Galbraith delivers sparkling dialogue and a convincing portrayal of the emptiness of wealth and glamour – Marcel Berlins, the Times Saturday Review. | |
| This debut is instantly absorbing, featuring a detective facing crumbling circumstances with resolve instead of cliched self-destruction and a lovable sidekick with contagious enthusiasm for detection … Kate Atkinson's fans will appreciate his reliance on deduction and observation along with Galbraith's skilled storytelling – Booklist. | |
| The plot could have come from an Agatha Christie novel and yet The Cuckoo's Calling is absolutely of today, colourfully written and great fun – Daphne Wright, Bookoxygen.com. |