new cormoran strike book review

International edition
Australia edition
Europe edition

Holliday Grainger and Tom Burke in the TV adaptation of Troubled Blood

The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith review – a riveting race against time

JK Rowling’s will they/won’t they detective duo return in a hefty but immersive tale of an attempted rescue from a cult

I n the 10 years since a debut crime novel entitled The Cuckoo’s Calling was published and its author – Robert Galbraith – revealed to be none other than JK Rowling , the Cormoran Strike books have, like the Harry Potter novels before them, steadily expanded in size. The hardback of 2022’s The Ink Black Heart, sixth in the series, was very nearly twice the length of that first volume, and this year’s offering, The Running Grave, is similarly hefty.

Some judicious trimming wouldn’t have gone amiss – the subplot, about the stalking of a female actor, often seems an impediment to the primary narrative – but it’s worth staying the course for an immersive and, for the most part, riveting read.

As ever, the private detective and his business partner Robin Ellacott’s personal lives are at the fore. The decade-long will they/won’t they romantic suspense shows no sign of being resolved, although Robin is increasingly ill at ease with her police officer boyfriend, and Cormoran’s ill-advised displacement activity with a “man-hungry pain in the arse” named Bijou is threatening to have serious repercussions for him and the agency. His reckless, unbalanced ex-lover, Charlotte, is intensifying her usual emotional blackmail by claiming – perhaps truthfully – to have cancer, and there are family problems to contend with, too. Elderly Uncle Ted, who did his best to protect the young Cormoran and his half-sister Lucy from the consequences of their chaotic mother’s peripatetic lifestyle, is sinking into dementia.

Against a background of all this, plus the 2016 Brexit referendum, is a tale of how the human desire for approval, validation and a sense of purpose can sometimes lead us astray. Sir Colin Edensor, a retired civil servant, approaches the pair with a request to help extricate his vulnerable neurodivergent son from the clutches of a cult. Several years earlier, Will dropped out of university to join the Universal Humanitarian Church. All attempts to dislodge him from its headquarters, a farm in Norfolk, have proved fruitless: Will has now cut off communication with his family, and his trust fund is being systematically drained.

The UHC, which presents as a benign organisation with worthy aims, has a charismatic leader known as Papa J, some high-profile followers, a lot of prime real estate, and expensive lawyers to rebut any claims of indoctrination or ill treatment. Added to which, it’s very difficult to find any former members who will discuss their time at the farm. Those who can be persuaded talk of supernatural happenings, in particular the apparition of the “Drowned Prophet”, believed to be a divine reincarnation of Papa J’s seven-year-old daughter Daiyu, who supposedly disappeared during a dip in the North Sea in 1995.

Robin goes undercover and soon discovers that, despite the chanted slogans about freedom and happiness, both are in very short supply. In a world with no calendars or clocks, let alone wifi, the undernourished disciples, exhausted by back-breaking work, are denied medical assistance if they are ill, routinely coerced into unprotected sex – referred to as “spirit bonding” – and made complicit in various crimes. Forced to agree that “black’s white and up’s down” and fearful of punishment, the participants begin, after a while, to gaslight themselves.

Posing as a rich woman who might make a donation can only provide Robin with so much protection. Before long, she has incurred the wrath of Papa J’s baleful wife, and she’s running out of excuses not to spirit bond. It’s a race against the clock to uncover enough evidence of wrongdoing – not least what really happened to young Daiyu – to persuade Will to return to his family before Robin is rumbled.

With enough jeopardy and tension to overcome the longueurs, and despite the author’s continuing predilection for unnecessary and distracting phonetic dialogue, The Running Grave is testimony to Rowling/Galbraith’s skill as a storyteller. And, as the nights draw in, it’s a pleasure to curl up with two characters who have all the pleasant familiarity of old friends.

after newsletter promotion

Crime fiction

The Best Fiction Books » Popular Fiction Books

The running grave, by robert galbraith.

The Running Grave is the 7th book in Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling)’s Cormoran Strike series , one of the most enjoyable crime fiction series out there. It features Cormoran Strike, a British war veteran-turned-private investigator, and Robin Ellacott, who starts out as a temp but becomes his business partner. In The Running Grave , Robin goes undercover to join a religious cult on behalf of a client who is worried sick about his son. The books in this series tend not to be fast-paced thrillers, but get you into the daily lives of the main characters, with the plot/mystery driving the story forward. If you haven’t read any of the books yet, it’s best to start with the first, The Cuckoo’s Calling , published exactly a decade ago.

Other books by Robert Galbraith

The cuckoo's calling by robert galbraith, the silkworm by robert galbraith, career of evil by robert galbraith, lethal white by robert galbraith, troubled blood by robert galbraith, the ink black heart by robert galbraith, our most recommended books, three eight one by aliya whiteley, the tower: a novel by flora carr, funny story by emily henry, the last murder at the end of the world by stuart turton, the tainted cup by robert jackson bennett.

Support Five Books

Five Books interviews are expensive to produce, please support us by donating a small amount .

We ask experts to recommend the five best books in their subject and explain their selection in an interview.

This site has an archive of more than one thousand seven hundred interviews, or eight thousand book recommendations. We publish at least two new interviews per week.

Five Books participates in the Amazon Associate program and earns money from qualifying purchases.

Newsletters

Site search

Israel-Hamas war
2024 election
Solar eclipse
Supreme Court
All explainers
Future Perfect

Filed under:

J.K. Rowling’s transphobic new novel sees her at the mercy of all her worst impulses

In the detective novel Troubled Blood, Rowling spends most of her time explaining why she’s mad at modern feminism.

Share this story

Share this on Facebook
Share this on Twitter
Share this on Reddit
Share All sharing options

Share All sharing options for: J.K. Rowling’s transphobic new novel sees her at the mercy of all her worst impulses

J.K. Rowling’s latest novel made headlines for generating controversy well before its US release date of September 29. That’s because Troubled Blood , the newest installment of the detective series Rowling publishes under the pen name Robert Galbraith, features a serial killer who lures his victims into a false sense of security by dressing as a woman.

Fears of a bad man in a dress are one of the main justifications for anti-trans legislation across the globe. In the US and the UK over the past few years, that’s taken the form of the bathroom bill controversies : Trans people want to be able to use public restrooms and changing rooms that correspond to their gender identity.

But opponents argue that if trans people were allowed to use the public bathrooms that corresponded to their gender identity, women and children will undoubtedly be menaced by sexual predators using this legal loophole to ogle women in their most vulnerable state. In practice, however, US states that have allowed trans people to use the facilities corresponding to their gender have seen no increase in sexual harassment or assault in public restrooms .

Rowling, however, has stated that it is “the simple truth” that allowing trans women to use women’s bathrooms will lead to violent men using those loopholes to attack “natal girls and women.” She began outlining her views on gender in a series of tweets last fall, then elaborated on them in a long essay published this June . There, Rowling perpetuated a series of outdated myths about trans people while repeatedly stating that she’s not transphobic, because she knows and likes trans people. She just also thinks that trans women aren’t real women, that they’re taking advantage of resources meant for “biological women,” and that they are enabling predatory men to commit violence against those “biological women.”

To be clear, regardless of Rowling’s personal feelings toward trans people, all of the ideas she expressed in her essay are transphobic. They actively seek to take rights away from trans people, and they treat trans identity as something that is up for debate, rather than an intrinsic part of human beings who deserve to be treated with dignity. But Rowling has threatened to sue publications who describe her and her views as transphobic, forcing at least one children’s site to issue a public apology .

So to some critics , Troubled Blood is just the latest sign of J.K. Rowling’s increasingly outspoken and retrograde ideas about gender. Others have countered that the book contains no trans characters , that detractors were judging the book without reading it, and that dismissing Troubled Blood before its publication over worries about a trope is cancel culture at its worst. What it would mean to cancel J.K. Rowling, a billionaire with theme park attractions built around her intellectual property, remains unclear. But in any case, Troubled Blood debuted at No. 1 in the UK .

I’ve read all of Troubled Blood ’s many pages, and I can say that this book is transphobic. But it’s also just not very good.

What Troubled Blood is, above all else, is an example of Rowling at the mercy of all her worst impulses.

Troubled Blood is the fifth volume in Rowling’s Cormoran Strike books, a series of noir-inflected murder mysteries. The name of the series comes from their protagonist, a grizzled army police officer-turned-private detective named Cormoran Strike, who solves crimes with his partner/obvious eventual love interest, Robin.

The Cormoran Strike books have never been perfect, but they’re usually fun. The part of writing that Rowling is best at is constructing a mystery, so her whodunnits are always absorbing and twisty. And writing under a (masculine) pen name seems to grant Rowling freedom to be playful and flippant in a way she hasn’t been since the very first Harry Potter novels. (Rowling published the first volume in the Strike series, 2015’s The Cuckoo’s Calling , in genuine anonymity. She was unmasked a few months after the book came out, but she’s continued to use her Robert Galbraith pen name for all the books in the series that have followed.)

But Troubled Blood is not fun, and it’s not playful. It feels bloated and resentful, turgid with an ethos of grim duty. It’s the writing of someone who feels she has no choice but to bring some home truths to you, the reader, and damn the consequences.

Troubled Blood also reads like nothing so much as a stylistic sequel to Rowling’s incredibly boring 2012 novel Casual Vacancy .

Casual Vacancy was a dour class satire that seemed to be animated most strongly by Rowling’s desire to be taken seriously as an author of literary fiction for adults. Troubled Blood seems to be animated most strongly by Rowling’s desire to share her political opinions on feminism and other gender issues with the world.

It features Strike and Robin setting out together to solve the disappearance of one Margot Bamborough, a feminist doctor who vanished from the world in 1974. The police strongly suspected that Margot was abducted by the serial killer Dennis Creed (the one who wears women’s clothes), but they were never able to solve the case. And now, 40 years later, Margot’s daughter Anna — a lesbian, Rowling notes with an air of triumph, as if to say, see, she’s not homophobic — has hired Strike and Robin to try to bring her closure on the mystery once and for all.

Over the course of the year-long investigation that ensues, Strike and Robin manage to establish the following: Fourth-wave feminism , with its Slut Walks and pro-porn stance, is nothing but a bunch of idiotic children having airy, academic discussions about words, while enabling the sexual assault of women and the sex trafficking of children.

In contrast, Margot’s brand of ’70s second-wave feminism was correct and righteous, except for its lamentable pro-choice stance. (All sympathetic characters in Troubled Blood , except for poor misguided Margot, are pro-contraception but anti-abortion.) Moreover, women are all bound together by their biological destiny, which leaves them in danger of being victimized by predatory men. And the most dangerous predator of all is the predator who cloaks themselves in femininity.

This final category of dangerous predators includes Creed the serial killer, who is obsessed with women’s clothing. Creed wears a wig and a women’s coat and lipstick to abduct his victims, because his disguise makes the drunk women he targets perceive him first as another woman and then as a harmless drag queen. But his interest in cross-dressing isn’t purely utilitarian. He also steals trophy garments from his victims and masturbates into them.

“I felt I stole something of their essence from them,” says Creed of his penchant for taking women’s underwear, “taking that which they thought private and hidden.” ( Per Rowling’s Galbraith website , Creed is loosely based on two real serial killers. Per the Guardian , both of them stole women’s clothes from their victims, and one of the two may have worn them, although the evidence there seems to be fuzzy.)

But there are other predators besides Creed in this most dangerous category of deceptive femininity, and one of them manages to fool Strike. “Like the women who’d climbed willingly into Dennis Creed’s van,” Strike muses of this villain at the end of Troubled Blood , “he’d been hoodwinked by a careful performance of femininity.”

This particular predator who manages to best Strike is cis. But within the world of Troubled Blood , it’s this predator’s cold-blooded and inauthentic performance of femininity that makes them monstrous. And in her nonfiction writing, Rowling has strongly suggested that she believes trans women are cold-bloodedly performing a gender identity that does not truly belong to them, and that, in the process, they are stealing away resources that exist to help what Rowling calls “biological women” cope with the world’s misogyny.

In Troubled Blood , the overt performance of gender is done with an eye to deceive, to misdirect, to harm. Cis women may experiment with their femininity — there’s a recurring motif that sees Robin test driving different perfumes as she decides what kind of woman she wants to be in the wake of her divorce — but men who take an interest in femininity are dismissed even by open-minded Robin as “camp.” Meanwhile, the good gay man who Robin lives with is clean-cut enough to get an acting job playing a straight army vet. Anna the good lesbian is non-threateningly feminine, by which Rowling usually means pretty. (When Rowling writes a woman in touch with her masculine side, the result tends to look like Harry Potter’s wicked Aunt Marge.)

And anyone in this book who wields their gender across boundaries with deliberate intent is a monster.

All of these political ideas are what Troubled Blood is, broadly speaking, “about.” They are where the narrative tension lies, where the juice of the book is. But Troubled Blood is also ostensibly a murder mystery, and the murder plot provides the skeleton from which the political ideas are hung.

So is it a good murder mystery? Not really. It is way, way, way too fucking long.

Rowling’s always had a tendency to go long and sprawling whenever the pressure is on. The Harry Potter books turned into doorstoppers with Goblet of Fire , right at the time they’d become such a phenomenon that the midnight release parties were starting. And Troubled Blood , which comes just as Rowling is beginning to speak more and more publicly about her views on gender, is even longer — it clocks in at a hefty 927 pages, with a plot stretching out across a full year.

Within that year, Strike and Robin sift their way through innumerable red herrings. Ordinarily, this is a part of plotting at which Rowling excels; she’s very good at flashy authorial sleight of hand, directing the reader’s attention this way while she seeds the information that will turn out to be vital just where you’re not looking. But in this case, the red herrings pile on so heavily and for so long that they begin to feel meaningless. There’s no pleasure to be had in trying to figure out what’s worth paying attention to and what can be discarded, because there’s just more information than any reader could possibly hold on to.

I began to feel unpleasantly reminded of that part of Deathly Hallows that turns into a long, sad, pointless camping trip where nothing happens: Are we really just checking every random tree in this forest for clues? That’s how we’re going to solve this one?

In a way, the plotting in Troubled Blood is even less satisfying. While the second half of the Harry Potter series is bloated, there’s still pleasure to be had in those books from all the genre-blending Rowling is doing. When the mystery fails, the fun of the magic and the friendships and the boarding school coziness can take over. Maybe you don’t particularly care about where Voldemort’s Horcruxes are, but there’s still magical camping and teen angst and wizarding revolutionary radios to be had, right? Maybe you’re getting distracted by the frankly wild ethics of the house-elves and their slavery, but boy, that Marauder’s Map sure is a blast, right?

In Troubled Blood , when the mystery falters and you aren’t taken by the political ideas animating it, what’s left for you to care about is the long slow-burn romance between Robin and Strike. And I do more or less want Robin and Strike to be together, in the same way I sort of vaguely wanted Ron and Hermione to be together but never bothered over it much. I definitely don’t care about Robin and Strike one-thousand-pages-of-refusing-to-talk-about-feelings much. At this point, with both of them single and both of them gazing endlessly at each other, what is even keeping them apart anymore? It’s exhausting just to contemplate.

There’s a plotline in the Cormoran Strike books that I’ve been thinking about ever since Rowling first began to talk about trans issues in public.

Other critics have already discussed the way she treated trans women in the second volume of the series, The Silk Worm . In that book, the two trans women Strike meets in the course of his investigation are ostensibly sympathetic characters, but Strike treats them as mockable. When one of them isn’t forthcoming with the information he wants, he casually threatens her with prison rape.

But what’s haunting me is a subplot from the series’s third volume, Career of Evil .

In Career of Evil , Strike’s investigation leads him to a subculture built around people who want to become physically disabled. On hidden forums, they discuss the operations they plan to get in order to manifest the disabilities they believe they already spiritually possess, and they complain bitterly that the rest of the world doesn’t understand their plight. Does anyone think they would choose to live like this, with such inaccessible and easily mocked desires? Don’t people understand that they were born with these wishes, that these desires are an intrinsic part of their identity?

Strike, who lost a leg in the war, takes this group’s obsession personally. He is incensed and offended by them. How dare they try to playact at an identity which became his so painfully, at such great cost? How dare they try to appropriate his own personal, private pain?

He has lunch with two people from the forum, and they rudely force him to pay while ordering the most expensive options on the menu. One of them is in a wheelchair. Strike at last loses his patience and pushes her out of the chair, only to find that she can walk just fine without it.

I don’t know what’s going on in J.K. Rowling’s mind or how she sees the world. But she writes about trans people the way Strike thinks about this particular subculture: as people appropriating a disability — and Rowling does write about womanhood, and its attendant dangers, as if it were a disability — that is rightfully hers. And that idea is becoming more and more central to every book she writes.

I don’t know what to do with J.K. Rowling anymore. I don’t know what anyone should do with her and her books.

I don’t believe that it’s sustainable or valuable or even really possible to ask every author you follow to enact some sort of ideologically pure, progressive worldview in every book they write. Most readers, I think, would agree with me on that . That’s part of why so many readers stuck with Rowling despite the politics embedded in the subtext of the Harry Potter novels, which have always been centrist at best , and through the increasing crankiness of the Cormoran Strike series.

I don’t think that you have to throw away the Harry Potter series to prove you’re a good person. I don’t know if it’s even possible to avoid those books: They’re so embedded into the grid of pop culture by this point that they feel like a utility, like an electric company. How do you avoid electricity every single day without becoming a hermit? How do you choose to throw out a series you grew up on, that you built beloved childhood memories around?

Every reader has to have their own dividing line between what they are willing to work with and what they are not. Every reader has to choose the way they will approach a text , and what they’re going to take out of it and what they’ll leave behind. And that’s a choice you have to make for yourself.

I’ve written positively about the Cormoran Strike books before, despite what happened to the trans women in book two and that bizarre trans-disability subplot in book three, and despite that ongoing thing where Rowling always treats fat people as inherently grotesque and probably evil. I thought the mysteries were fun, and I found it easy to ignore the politics. That was a choice I was used to making after growing up on Harry Potter , and because I am a thin cis non-disabled woman, it was easy for me to make that choice without thinking too hard about it.

But I can’t ignore the politics of Troubled Blood , and I don’t think that’s just because of all of the essays and tweets Rowling’s written over the past year. I think that’s because the politics are the only part of Troubled Blood she really cares about, and that shows in the writing.

So here is what I do know.

Troubled Blood is a book in which aesthetics have been rendered subordinate to politics. There is no “there” there besides Rowling’s political ideas. And those ideas are reactionary and hateful.

I don’t see anything left in this book worth sticking around for.

Will you support Vox today?

We believe that everyone deserves to understand the world that they live in. That kind of knowledge helps create better citizens, neighbors, friends, parents, and stewards of this planet. Producing deeply researched, explanatory journalism takes resources. You can support this mission by making a financial gift to Vox today. Will you join us?

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via

Next Up In Culture

Understand the world with a daily explainer plus the most compelling stories of the day.

Thanks for signing up!

Check your inbox for a welcome email.

Oops. Something went wrong. Please enter a valid email and try again.

Carlson gestures with one hand as he speaks into a microphone.

Tucker Carlson went after Israel — and his fellow conservatives are furious

A dairy cow with tags in each ear looks through a metal fence at the camera.

The dairy industry really, really doesn’t want you to say “bird flu in cows”

Why the case at the center of Netflix’s What Jennifer Did isn’t over yet

People stand holding signs in front of the Supreme Court building, including “Protect Trans Youth.”

The Supreme Court’s confusing new anti-trans decision, explained

Orange glowing lights blaze in the night sky over a dark city skyline.

Vox podcasts tackle the Israel-Hamas war

Alec Baldwin’s Rust, the on-set shooting, and the ongoing legal cases, explained

The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith, review: JK Rowling’s latest is fat-shaming and sexist

The Running Grave is the seventh Cormoran Strike book by Robert Galbraith (the pseudonym of JK Rowling ), which based on where it comes in the series makes it the equivalent of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows .

But while that adventure ended the Potter saga, there is every indication that the Strike books will go on forever – even if this novel has as many shortcomings as qualities to recommend it.

Let’s start with the positives. The setup here is instantly compelling – detective partners Strike and Robin are hired by a family whose son has disappeared into a religious cult on a farm estate in Norfolk. The troubled young man, Will, has cut off all contact with his family and they are worried about him.

The decision is made that Robin will go undercover, posing as a new recruit at the farm, which makes for fascinating and very tense reading, though there is a weird similarity with Harry Potter , because the farm is like a distorted, evil version of Hogwarts.

The recruits are put into groups – I kept expecting the Sorting Hat to arrange it – and they have to learn a whole new vocabulary and way of living, but instead of potions and spells there are spirit wives, free love, and a resistance to notions of family.

The cult details are horrible – the new recruits and lower-level members are forced to do manual labour, are not fed properly, and are subject to cruel and degrading punishments. Rowling is very good on the effects on the rest of the family outside the cult when one member goes rogue – the difficulties for siblings and their variable attitudes to what is going on.

But it takes 200 pages just to get Robin into the cult HQ, and that points to a major issue: The Running Grave is a total doorstopper of more than 900 pages, and seems to be suffering from the same problem as afflicted its predecessors – no-one dares to tell Rowling that it would be a better book at half the length.

There are long scenes where people are questioned – their answers infuriatingly rendered in weird phonetic speech with every “like” and “you know” included.

And there is far too much detail about Strike and Robin’s detective agency – they have clients on the go other than Will’s family, who are endlessly described, which seems neither necessary nor a good idea. When Rowling starts telling us the shift patterns of the employees you think this really is getting out of hand.

What’s more, plenty of elements simply don’t ring true. Strike is rude and unpleasant, but magnetically attractive to women, and also tabloid-famous for being a private detective, not something we are familiar with in the real world.

Characters make mistakes because they haven’t charged their phones, or because they are upset. If you are going to write 900 pages I think you could spend some time thinking of better reasons to miss something vital.

Rowling’s last book, The Ink Black Heart , looked at the kind of online pile-on she was familiar with due to her views on trans rights. The real-world parallels are subtler here, but there are still hints of commentary about our increasingly black and white public debates as she examines the idea of people being brainwashed and unable to see past the lines they are being fed.

Harry potter's legacy is already hanging by a thread — why make a tv series.

But despite Rowling’s engagement with current issues, in places the book’s treatment of women feels outdated; Rowling has, most unexpectedly, taken on the persona of a male thriller writer.

The books would fail a Bechdel Test – women characters do not have meaningful discussions that don’t involve men. Robin is an excellent, well-rounded character, but she is too much obsessed by and in awe of Strike and spends any time with friends hearing about, and worrying about, Strike.

And the unattractive women in the book are described as fat, chubby, porky, in a casual way. This made me realize that there has been a change for the better in most modern books, so Rowling comes over as judgmental: someone should suggest cutting the fat-shaming .

Somewhere, here, there is a good book, but it is hidden in a baggy and flawed outer shell. Rowling is one of our richest and most successful writers, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t need advice – or an editor.

‘The Running Grave’ is published by Sphere, £25

This is JK Rowling's seventh book as Robert Galbraith (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage)

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime Try Prime and start saving today with fast, free delivery

Amazon Prime includes:

Fast, FREE Delivery is available to Prime members. To join, select "Try Amazon Prime and start saving today with Fast, FREE Delivery" below the Add to Cart button.

Cardmembers earn 5% Back at Amazon.com with a Prime Credit Card.
Unlimited Free Two-Day Delivery
Streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with limited ads on Prime Video.
A Kindle book to borrow for free each month - with no due dates
Listen to over 2 million songs and hundreds of playlists
Unlimited photo storage with anywhere access

Important: Your credit card will NOT be charged when you start your free trial or if you cancel during the trial period. If you're happy with Amazon Prime, do nothing. At the end of the free trial, your membership will automatically upgrade to a monthly membership.

Buy new: $17.35

Return this item for free.

Free returns are available for the shipping address you chose. You can return the item for any reason in new and unused condition: no shipping charges

Go to your orders and start the return
Select the return method

Other Sellers on Amazon

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required .

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

Image Unavailable

The Running Grave: A Cormoran Strike Novel (A Cormoran Strike Novel, 7)

To view this video download Flash Player

Follow the author

The Running Grave: A Cormoran Strike Novel (A Cormoran Strike Novel, 7) Hardcover – September 26, 2023

Purchase options and add-ons.

Book 7 of 7 Cormoran Strike
Print length 960 pages
Language English
Publisher Mulholland Books
Publication date September 26, 2023
Dimensions 6.55 x 2.31 x 9.6 inches
ISBN-10 0316572101
ISBN-13 978-0316572101
See all details

Amazon First Reads | Editors' picks at exclusive prices

Frequently bought together

More items to explore

The Armor of Light: A Novel (Kingsbridge)

From the brand

Read it today

Explore the series

Visit the Store

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

About the author, product details.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mulholland Books (September 26, 2023)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 960 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0316572101
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316572101
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.52 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.55 x 2.31 x 9.6 inches
#46 in International Mystery & Crime (Books)
#88 in Private Investigator Mysteries (Books)
#317 in Cozy Mysteries (Books)

About the author

Robert galbraith.

Robert Galbraith’s Cormoran Strike series is classic contemporary crime fiction from a master story-teller, rich in plot, characterisation and detail. Galbraith’s debut into crime fiction garnered acclaim amongst critics and crime fans alike. The first three novels The Cuckoo’s Calling (2013), The Silkworm (2014) and Career of Evil (2015) all topped the national and international bestseller lists and have been adapted for television, produced by Brontë Film and Television. The fourth in the series, Lethal White (2018), is out now.

Robert Galbraith is a pseudonym of J.K. Rowling, bestselling author of the Harry Potter series and The Casual Vacancy, a novel for adults. After Harry Potter, the author chose crime fiction for her next books, a genre she has always loved as a reader. She wanted to write a contemporary whodunit, with a credible back story.

J.K. Rowling’s original intention for writing as Robert Galbraith was for the books to be judged on their own merit, and to establish Galbraith as a well-regarded name in crime in its own right.

Now Robert Galbraith’s true identity is widely known, J.K. Rowling continues to write the crime series under the Galbraith pseudonym to keep the distinction from her other writing and so people will know what to expect from a Cormoran Strike novel.

https://robert-galbraith.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CormoranStrikeNovelsOfficial

Twitter: @RGalbraith

Customer reviews

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Reviews with images

Sort reviews by Top reviews Most recent Top reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. please try again later..

Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Newsletter
About Amazon
Accessibility
Sustainability
Press Center
Investor Relations
Amazon Devices
Amazon Science
Sell on Amazon
Sell apps on Amazon
Supply to Amazon
Protect & Build Your Brand
Become an Affiliate
Become a Delivery Driver
Start a Package Delivery Business
Advertise Your Products
Self-Publish with Us
Host an Amazon Hub
› See More Ways to Make Money
Amazon Visa
Amazon Store Card
Amazon Secured Card
Amazon Business Card
Shop with Points
Credit Card Marketplace
Reload Your Balance
Amazon Currency Converter
Your Account
Your Orders
Shipping Rates & Policies
Amazon Prime
Returns & Replacements
Manage Your Content and Devices
Recalls and Product Safety Alerts
Conditions of Use
Privacy Notice
Consumer Health Data Privacy Disclosure
Your Ads Privacy Choices

In My Own Words
Younger Readers

27 April 2023

New Robert Galbraith book, The Running Grave

Seventh Strike novel to publish this September, in the tenth anniversary year of the bestselling series by Robert Galbraith.

Tuesday 26 th September sees the release of the next in the bestselling series of crime novels by Robert Galbraith. THE RUNNING GRAVE is the brand-new instalment in the highly acclaimed, internationally bestselling series featuring Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott, published in hardback, Ebook and audio editions.

THE RUNNING GRAVE will be the seventh title in a planned series of ten, the first six of which have all been Sunday Times and international bestsellers. The Strike series has been praised as ‘the work of a master storyteller’ [ Daily Telegraph ], ‘unputdownable’ [ Daily Express ] and ‘a blistering piece of crime writing’ [ Sunday Times ]; with Strike and Robin dubbed ‘one of crime’s most engaging duos’ [ Guardian ].

2023 also marks the tenth anniversary of The Cuckoo’s Calling , the first novel in the series. A year-long run of activity is planned to celebrate this milestone, including a creative consumer campaign that will revisit key elements of Strike and give readers the opportunity to share their favourite moments.

Fans will also have the opportunity to purchase a special anniversary edition of The Cuckoo’s Calling , produced with exclusive artwork, of which further details will be released later this year. As with all previous editions of The Cuckoo’s Calling , royalty proceeds of the new edition will go to ABF The Soldiers’ Charity .

‘It’s been brilliant to see the enormous success of the Robert Galbraith books over the past ten years and an honour to publish them. With over 11 million copies sold in the English language to date, the story of Strike and Robin has captured readers’ imaginations and, like so many others, I can’t wait to see what happens to them over the course of the final four books in the series.’ David Shelley, Group Chief Executive, Hachette UK

‘There are few pleasures richer than knowing a new Robert Galbraith thriller is on the way! Seven novels into the Cormoran Strike series, J.K. Rowling keeps expanding her already peerless skills in crafting drama, emotion, urgency, and capturing the infinite complexities of the human spirit—in dark and in light.’ Michael Pietsch, Chief Executive Officer, Hachette Book Group.

Pre-order THE RUNNING GRAVE here.

Privacy Overview

StrikeFans.com

An unofficial site

The Running Grave

In the seventh installment in the Strike series, Cormoran and Robin must rescue a man ensnared in the trap of a dangerous cult.

Private Detective Cormoran Strike is contacted by a worried father whose son, Will, has gone to join a religious cult in the depths of the Norfolk countryside.

The Universal Humanitarian Church is, on the surface, a peaceable organization that campaigns for a better world. Yet Strike discovers that beneath the surface there are deeply sinister undertones, and unexplained deaths.

In order to try to rescue Will, Strike’s business partner, Robin Ellacott, decides to infiltrate the cult, and she travels to Norfolk to live incognito among its members. But in doing so, she is unprepared for the dangers that await her there or for the toll it will take on her. . .

Utterly page-turning, The Running Grave moves Strike’s and Robin’s story forward in this epic, unforgettable seventh installment of the series.

On 12th January, 2023, J.K. Rowling revealed on Twitter that the title of the seventh novel is The Running Grave . She first gave us the clue “Disentangle the hanging venturer,” which happened to be an anagram for “the running grave.” The title was guessed by the Strike & Ellacott Files podcast account. The title is likely jointly inspired by the poem “ On A Friend’s Escape From Drowning Off The Norfolk Coast” by George Barker and Dylan Thomas’ “ When, Like A Running Grave “.

Pre-Release

Here is a timeline of information we received about the book before the book’s release, from posts by J.K. Rowling.

General Information

From J.K. Rowling’s Twitter header photos, we knew before the publications of the book that Norfolk locations Cromer, St John the Baptist church in Aylmerton, and the Lion’s Mouth road were to be locations in the book. Also, Rupert Court, London, was another Twitter header. She also told us on Twitter that the Italian restaurant Il Portico will be in the book and said it was one of the best Italian restaurants in London. Another of her header photos was that of an I Ching hexagram.

In a Twitter Q&A with JKR’s Barmy Books, Rowling revealed a few details about the book prior to release. She told us that we will finally meet Strike’s half-sister Prudence Donleavy , that Strike will stop smoking, and that someone will suggest therapy to Strike.

On 4th April 2023, Rowling revealed on Twitter that all the epigraphs for The Running Grave are from the I Ching/The Book of Changes.

As well as an epigraph from the I Ching, one of the book’s opening epigraphs is from the poem ‘ When, Like A Running Grave ‘ by Dylan Thomas’.

Explore the Story

The Running Grave sold 50,925 copies in the week of it’s launch, which is slightly more than it’s predecessor, The Ink Black Heart , which sold 50,738 copies in the week of it’s launch.

Many Strike fans agree on The Running Grave being their favourite novel in the series so far.

Cormoran Strike: when will book eight be released?

Find out everything to know about the return to jk rowling's cormoran strike.

JK Rowling is currently working on the eighth novel of the Strike novels - but when can we expect it to be released? Find out everything we know so far about book number eight…

The author, whose pen name for the novel series is Robert Galbraith, recently released the series’ widely praised seventh novel, The Running Grave, in September 2023. Despite this very recent publication, she has confirmed that she was working on book eight in early 2023. Following the last novel’s publication, a fan asked about progress on the new one, to which she replied on Twitter/X: “I've been working on it this afternoon!” In May 2023, she also answered a fan who enjoyed the books, writing: "That's a very lovely thing read after six hours solid work on Strike 8!"

Joanne also confirmed that things were “getting on very well” after revealing a script read for the BBC adaptation of the series in January 2024. She also revealed a hint about the book while recently sharing fan art, writing: “Indeed, happy birthday Strike. He's just turned 42 in book eight, where I'm currently working.

Robin and Cormoran have a 'will-they-won't-they' relationship

“The fan art here is fantastic and very close to the Strike I have in my head, but this is not to say I don't love Tom Burke in the role, because I very much do!”

More TV and Film

BBC drama Strike shares update on ‘wonderful’ season six, The Ink Black Heart

Death in Paradise star's new drama revealed after shock exit

Blue Lights viewers saying same thing as show returns with season 2 debut

Meet Blue Lights star Sian Brooke's famous husband and family

Midsomer Murders announces spin-off ahead of show’s return

Antiques Roadshow guest emotional and in disbelief as expert reveals 'amazing' valuation of family heirloom

Kate Garraway among names to front major returning BBC show – report

'Legendary' BBC presenter steps down from role 50 years after joining BBC

Do cormoran strike and robin ellacott finally get together in latest strike novel, the running grave, fans are saying same thing about new strike novel the running grave – but what's it all about, bbc to remake enid blyton’s famous five with famous director, 15 of the most anticipated book-to-screen adaptations coming out in 2022.

J.K. Rowling reveals the title for the seventh book in the Cormoran Strike series: THE RUNNING GRAVE

J.K. Rowling has announced the title for the seventh book in the Cormoran Strike series. The title is “ THE RUNNING GRAVE ” . This exciting news was shared on Twitter by the author, who also gave fans a clue to help them guess the title. The clue she provided was “Disentangle the hanging venturer”. It was the account for the Strike and Ellacott Files podcast who guessed it right: congratulations!

As fans of the series eagerly await the release of this new installment, many are likely trying to decipher the meaning behind the title and the clue that was given. Some may be speculating that “ the running grave ” refers to a cemetery or burial ground where a crime or mystery takes place, while others may interpret the phrase in a more metaphorical way. The clue “disentangle the hanging venturer” adds an additional layer of intrigue and has many fans guessing what it could mean in relation to the story. Update: J.K. Rowling confirmed the clue was an anagram for the title.

It’s worth noting that there is also a poem by Dylan Thomas titled “When Like a Running Grave” which could also be used as a reference for the title.

Whatever the true meaning behind the title and clue may be, one thing is certain – fans of the Cormoran Strike series are eagerly anticipating the release of “ The Running Grave ” and the new case that it will bring for the private detective to solve.

It’s not yet clear when the book will be published but it’s expected to be on late 2023 (or early 2024). We can’t wait to see what J.K. Rowling has in store for us in this new installment of the Cormoran Strike series.

Join the discussion in our forums!

BOOKISH OPINIONS

AND WHAT TO READ NEXT

Dec 17, 2021

Review of the Cormoran Strike series books 1-4 by Robert Galbraith

The cormoran strike-robin ellacott saga.

I've been listening to the fifth installment in this series, Troubled Blood , and during my many glorious hours listening to the audiobook version of the 944-page book so far, I've had time to reflect upon the fact that I haven't yet posted reviews of the other books in the series on Bossy Bookworm. Which brings us to...this post!

These are generally deep dives into mysterious, often creepy situations. This isn't a fast-paced series, yet I've consistently felt hooked on how the cases build--and on the will-they-won't-they tension between the opposites-attract duo of Strike and Robin. Plus, I find the supporting cast of imperfect, oddball, lovely characters absolutely irresistible.

01 The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith

First of all, I don't want to talk about this cover, or about movie or television tie-in covers in general. I haven't watched any adaptation of these books and I am afeared of feeling disappointed about them. Thank you for your support regarding this delicate matter.

Here's the basic premise of The Cuckoo's Calling : Cormoran Strike spent a couple of years at Oxford before enlisting in the British Army, Special Investigation Branch, Royal Military Police. After he lost his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan, he returned to London, where he's cobbled together a career as a private investigator.

When new client John Bristow asks him to investigate the circumstances of the death of his famous sister, the supermodel Lula Landry, Strike must sift through the sordid details of the ultrarich, famous, depraved, and desperate circles that surrounded Lula.

Meanwhile, the newly engaged Robin Ellacott has started work as a temporary secretary to Strike, and she brings her own emotional baggage, her natural ability for investigation, and her power as a source of begrudging personal fascination for the grumpy, closed-off Strike.

I really enjoyed this. It's a slowly built, character-driven whodunit. Galbraith's pacing pulls you along without cheap twists, and the writing is precise and wonderful, with great dialogue and character development. The ending felt set up for a sequel, which it was.

02 The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith

In The Silkworm , Cormoran Strike is asked to investigate the disappearance of novelist Owen Quine. But the short getaway his wife suspects he was seeking turns out to be something else entirely.

Quine had recently finished a new, damaging manuscript which excoriated almost everyone he knew and could have upended the lives of many people around him. Which meant there were lots of people who might want Quine to stay quiet.

Quine is found brutally murdered, and Strike must rush to determine what has happened and who was behind the killings.

Meanwhile, the Cormoran Strike-Robin Ellacott bond is strengthening; her fiance is insufferable; his ex-girlfriend is emotionally unbalanced; and it's all very intriguing.

I do love me some Cormoran Strike.

I confused a few of the players a little bit there in the middle of this one. I was glad that the potential work romance between Strike and Robin was hinted at but not consummated.

03 Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith

In the third mystery of the Cormoran Strike series, Career of Evil , Robin is horrified to receive a disturbing package...containing a severed leg. It seems to be a message for Cormoran, and he must work to determine which of four potential people from his past are responsible.

Strike thinks the police are on the wrong track, so he and Robin dive into the pasts of the other three suspects--but more upsetting events unfold.

I didn't often listen to audiobooks back when I read this one, and Career of Evil was a compelling story to take in this way--if a little tough because there was no read-skimming the gory details of the serial killer procedures and destruction. Eeeee!

I love the characters of Cormoran, Robin, and Shanker, and reading this third book cemented the fact that I'm in for this series as long as it goes.

I like that the books are long enough to delve into various twist and turns and to slowly develop the characters and their relationships without rushing or jumping into things in an unlikely rush.

04 Lethal White by Robert Galbraith

At the start of Lethal White , a young man named Billy comes to Cormoran Strike's detective office asking for help. He believes he witnessed a crime when he was a little boy, and while Billy can't recall many of the details, he's clearly been shaped by this trauma ever since its occurrence.

You might guess that Strike and Robin--now Strike's equal business partner and an indispensable member of the detective agency--can't resist trying to help Billy and working against the formidable challenge of time to uncover the truth of what occurred many years earlier. Well, you'd be correct. They take the job, which leads them through dark elements of society, government, society, and the underbelly of London.

Meanwhile, the tensions between Robin and Strike continue to bubble. They're such excellent partners, they couldn't ever jeopardize the career setup so important to each of them by becoming romantically involved-- could they ?

Lethal White is another solid installment in the Cormoran Strike series of twists and turns and double-crossing and disguises...all with the endearing undercurrent of true affection between Cormoran and Robin. This also felt less gruesome than it might’ve been, which I deeply appreciated. I didn’t see the denouement coming, but I didn’t feel manipulated either. Well done, again!

I'm currently listening to the fifth book in this series, Troubled Blood . Stay tuned for my review of that book.

BBW Book Reviews
Mystery and Suspense
Four-Star Book Review

New Cormoran Strike Book 6 Announced: The Ink Black Heart

In some cases, we earn commissions from affiliate links in our posts.

Fans of JK Rowling's Cormoran Strike series (written as Robert Galbraith) have been re-reading the series and eagerly awaiting news of the latest book in the series – and as of today, June 30th, that news has arrived.

The sixth book in the series, The Ink Black Heart , was announced earlier this year – but it was only today that the cover and synopsis were revealed. Below, we take a look at the series so far, along with what's in store for book #6.

What are the Cormoran Strike Books About?

The Cormoran Strike books begin when a temp called Robin Ellacott begins working for private detective Cormoran Strike. Based out of almost-contemporary London (they're roughly 5 years behind the real world), the struggling detective is an ex-army man with an Oxbridge education, a rock star father he barely knows, and a gorgeous but troubled ex-fiancee whose life seems to revolve around giving him grief. He's also an amputee, having lost part of a leg during his military service.

He's a bit of a mess, but he's talented, dedicated, and determined to make a success of the business. Unlike many classic male detectives, it's easy to like Cormoran Strike. When Robin Ellacott enters the picture, she's essentially the missing piece in his life – though neither of them realise it.

Robin has always harboured a secret desire to be a detective, and she was studying psychology before a traumatic event sent her life off the rails during university. She's engaged to a first-class douchebag, but as he was with her during her most traumatic times, she clings to the relationship.

The books are a mixture of medium-intensity mysteries with a lot of character development and a hint of long-game romance. The Silkworm is a bit gruesome in places, but for the most part, they're somewhere in the middle of the “cosy-gritty” spectrum.

They're especially good for those who enjoy LONG reads with a lot of personal life and character/world building along the way. If you like a pure procedural or puzzle mystery, they may not be for you.

RELATED : The Cormoran Strike Series in Order (with descriptions)

What is the Sixth Book in the Series, The Ink Black Heart, About?

Over on the official Robert Galbraith Facebook page , a cover (above) and synopsis were made public on June 30th, 2022. The book description for The Ink Black Heart is as follows:

When frantic, dishevelled Edie Ledwell appears in the office begging to speak to her, private detective Robin Ellacott doesn’t know quite what to make of the situation. The co-creator of a popular cartoon, The Ink Black Heart, Edie is being persecuted by a mysterious online figure who goes by the pseudonym of Anomie. Edie is desperate to uncover Anomie’s true identity.

Robin decides that the agency can’t help with this – and thinks nothing more of it until a few days later, when she reads the shocking news that Edie has been tasered and then murdered in Highgate Cemetery, the location of The Ink Black Heart.

Robin and her business partner Cormoran Strike become drawn into the quest to uncover Anomie’s true identity. But with a complex web of online aliases, business interests and family conflicts to navigate, Strike and Robin find themselves embroiled in a case that stretches their powers of deduction to the limits – and which threatens them in new and horrifying ways . . .

You can pre-order The Ink Black Heart at the following links:

Amazon Canada

Where Can I Watch the “CB Strike” TV Series?

As we mentioned above, the first four books in the series have already been adapted for television, airing originally on BBC One in the UK. In the UK, the series is simply called Strike , while the series is known as CB Strike in the US.

In the UK, the episodes have aired on BBC One. If you missed their original air dates and you can't find them on iPlayer or another streaming service, you can pick up the DVDs below:

Set 1 (The Cuckoo's Calling / The Silkworm / Career of Evil)
Set 2 (Lethal White)

In the US, HBO Max is now the exclusive streaming outlet for the series. You can also purchase a streaming copy of the season HERE (check the SD price rather than the default HD if you're on a tight budget). Your local public library may also have it on DVD.

Stream it on HBO Max
DVD Set 1 (The Cuckoo's Calling / The Silkworm / Career of Evil)

The fifth case, Troubled Blood, began filming not too long ago , and is expected to air on BBC One sometime in 2022/23. International distribution and dates are currently unknown, but it seems likely to end up on HBO Max in the US, given that they have the rights to the previous episodes.

Keep in mind that the seasons for the TV series are arranged differently depending on where you're watching. Instead of focusing on the number of the season, look at the mystery titles. The first four books are available, but some places list that as a mere 2 seasons, while others call each mystery a separate season.

Will You Be Reading the Sixth Cormoran Strike Novel, The Ink Black Heart?

Are you counting down the days until the next Cormoran Strike novel? We certainly are – we've placed our pre-orders and we'll be setting aside a day for nothing but reading when it comes out! Will they finally get together in book 6? We can't wait to find out…

7 New British Crime Novels to Try This Winter (2022)

A Look at Actor & Author Ben Miller’s Books

9 Wonderful Lesser-Known British Crime Series

9 Charming Mystery Novels Set in the Cotswolds

14 of the Best New British Mysteries for Autumn 2022

13 Engaging Audiobooks Narrated by Endeavour’s Roger Allam

Supported by

Review: ‘C.B. Strike’ Brings J.K. Rowling’s Detective Novels to TV

Share full article

By Mike Hale

May 31, 2018

Cormoran Strike has a more dramatic back story than your average television private eye. His dad’s a rock star, his mom was a fashion model who died in mysterious circumstances and he’s a war hero who lost his left foot in Afghanistan. In “C.B. Strike,” beginning Friday on Cinemax, we meet him as he agrees to investigate the death of a young supermodel.

The show’s interest in the wages of celebrity makes sense: It’s based on the mystery novels J.K. Rowling began writing, under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, after her “Harry Potter” books made her one of the world’s best-known authors. The seven episodes of “C.B. Strike” (called simply “Strike” in Britain, where it was shown first on BBC) are adapted from the three Galbraith novels she’s finished so far.

Anyone who comes to the series, which was written by Ben Richards and Tom Edge (Ms. Rowling is an executive producer), looking for some of the old Potter magic will be disappointed, or perhaps bewildered. Except for Cormoran’s exotic past, “C.B. Strike” is in just about every way a typical British TV mystery of the gritty-lyrical London variety. (That’s as opposed to the village, coastal, Oxford or industrial-north varieties.)

It’s in the P.I. subgenre that pairs a damaged, brooding, headstrong detective who doesn’t sweat whether clients can pay with an organized, fiscally prudent female assistant. She could get a more regular, better-paying job, but she finds the work interesting and the boss attractive. A good recent comparison would be with the British series “Case Histories,” which happened to be based on books by Kate Atkinson , to whose work Ms. Rowling’s mystery novels have been compared.

Strike is played by Tom Burke, seen in the BBC “Musketeers” series, and his new receptionist and legwoman, Robin, is played by Holliday Grainger, currently appearing in Showtime’s “Patrick Melrose.” They’re both good, particularly Ms. Grainger, who balances sardonic efficiency with intimations of smoky passion, and their interplay is the main reason to watch the show.

It doesn’t quite make up, however, for the deficiencies of the mysteries, which are convoluted in conception and prosaic in presentation. Clues fall from the sky, obtained offscreen between scenes, and amazing leaps of deduction are made. In the initial, three-episode story, “The Cuckoo’s Calling,” Strike settles into a chair near the end and runs through all the major clues in his head. It’s both his case-cracking method and the show’s attempt to convince us that there’s a coherent solution.

If you’re not a stickler for logic, “C.B. Strike” offers other pleasures. In the novels, Strike’s office — also his home, thanks to a folding cot — is set on the block called Denmark Street, once known as London’s Tin Pan Alley. The show films exteriors there, to picturesque and romantic effect. (Strike’s office is placed at No. 6, where, in real life, the Sex Pistols used to live and record.)

There’s also the British casting bonus. Excellent performers like Tara Fitzgerald (a nervous witness), Martin Shaw (a creepy uncle) and, most notably, Sian Phillips (a victim’s mother) turn up in supporting roles.

Ms. Rowling’s skill at sketching in characters translates well to the series, but it’s harder to capture the qualities of tone, atmosphere and phrasing that, in the books, make up for the looseness of the mystery plot. “C.B. Strike” is still looking for the spell that would accomplish that.

Explore More in TV and Movies

Not sure what to watch next we can help..

Even before his new film “Civil War” was released, the writer-director Alex Garland faced controversy over his vision of a divided America with Texas and California as allies.

Theda Hammel’s directorial debut, “Stress Positions,” a comedy about millennials weathering the early days of the pandemic , will ask audiences to return to a time that many people would rather forget.

“Fallout,” TV’s latest big-ticket video game adaptation, takes a satirical, self-aware approach to the End Times .

“Sasquatch Sunset” follows the creatures as they go about their lives. We had so many questions. The film’s cast and crew had answers .

If you are overwhelmed by the endless options, don’t despair — we put together the best offerings on Netflix , Max , Disney+ , Amazon Prime and Hulu to make choosing your next binge a little easier.

Sign up for our Watching newsletter to get recommendations on the best films and TV shows to stream and watch, delivered to your inbox.

an image, when javascript is unavailable

Film Adaptation of J.K. Rowling Children’s Book ‘The Christmas Pig’ in Early Development (EXCLUSIVE)

By K.J. Yossman

K.J. Yossman

Film Adaptation of J.K. Rowling Children’s Book ‘The Christmas Pig’ in Early Development (EXCLUSIVE) 49 mins ago
Johnny Depp Says He Felt ‘Strangely, Oddly, Perversely Lucky’ to Be Offered Role of King Louis XV in ‘Jeanne du Barry’ 20 hours ago
International Writing Guilds Set Out ‘Ethical Framework’ for Use of AI in Screenwriting 6 days ago

Copies of JK Rowling's new book "The Christmas Pig" displayed at Waterstone's Trafalgar Square on October 12, 2021 in London, England.

J.K. Rowling’s bestselling children’s book “The Christmas Pig” is set to get a film adaptation.

Variety understands the project is in a very early stage of development in-house and a production company has not yet been attached.

Rowling’s production company Bronte already produces the BBC/HBO adaptation of her adult detective series “Cormoran Strike.”

“The Christmas Pig” was first published in 2021 with illustrations by Jim Field. At the time of publication, Swift Films made a series of promotional videos for the project.

Popular on Variety

To cheer Jack up, CP proposes a plan to rescue his best toy. The duo are shrunk down and sent to the Land of the Lost where they embark on a perilous journey to re-connect with DP. On the way they meet a cast of larger-than-life characters, including Santa Claus. Eventually Jack is able to come to terms with his loss and returns home to his bed with Christmas Pig.

Rowling has said she was inspired to write the book by her son’s twin toy pigs.

The author is best known for writing the “Harry Potter” series, which spans books, films, theme park attractions and consumer products. Last year it was confirmed that Warner, who made the original Harry Potter films as well as spinoff film franchise “Fantastic Beasts,” were developing a new television adaptation based on the original “Harry Potter” books.

Rowling has also written novels for adults including the “Cormoran Strike” series under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, which was first adapted for television in 2017. “Strike” stars Tom Burke as the eponymous private detective with Holliday Grainger as his business partner Robin Ellacott. A sixth season of the show is currently in production in the U.K.

Reps for Rowling declined to comment.

More From Our Brands

Mike johnson insists he’s not resigning as second republican moves to oust him, how the long-hated boat shoe became summer’s coolest style, caitlin clark drafted no. 1 by wnba’s indiana fever, be tough on dirt but gentle on your body with the best soaps for sensitive skin, the oval, sistas and more tyler perry shows renewed as part of bet deal, verify it's you, please log in.

IMAGES

Cormoran Strike Series Robert Galbraith 4 Books Collection Set
Review of the Cormoran Strike series books 1-4 by Robert Galbraith
New Cormoran Strike Book 6 Announced: The Ink Black Heart
New Cormoran Strike book gets release date
New Cormoran Strike Novel Announced: Troubled Blood, by "Robert
New Cormoran Strike Book 6 Announced: The Ink Black Heart

VIDEO

Unraveling Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott's Toughest Case Yet
even when we're ghosts
The Running Grave: Spoilers and predictions
O CHAMADO DO CUCO
The Silkworm
The Cuckoo's Calling

COMMENTS

The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith review
I n the 10 years since a debut crime novel entitled The Cuckoo's Calling was published and its author - Robert Galbraith - revealed to be none other than JK Rowling, the Cormoran Strike ...
J.K. Rowling reveals title of Strike #8: "The Hallmarked Man"
The Hallmarked Man. Unexpectedly and through Twitter, J.K. Rowling has revealed the title of the eighth book in the Cormoran Strike series: " The Hallmarked Man .". Apparently, from the Isle of Sark (in the English Channel), Rowling tweeted a photo of the place she had previously used to give hints about the book in progress.
Fans are saying same thing about new Strike novel The Running Grave
The novels have been adopted into a popular BBC series, so for those reluctant to pick up the 1000+ page book, here's what it's all about - and what readers have had to say about the new release.
The Running Grave
The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith. The Running Grave is the 7th book in Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling)'s Cormoran Strike series, one of the most enjoyable crime fiction series out there.It features Cormoran Strike, a British war veteran-turned-private investigator, and Robin Ellacott, who starts out as a temp but becomes his business partner.
Book review: The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith reunites Cormoran
FICTION. The Running Grave. Robert Galbraith. Little, Brown, $34.99. Under the pseudonym of Robert Galbraith, J.K. Rowling has now produced seven increasingly hefty crime novels in 10 years, all ...
The Running Grave (Cormoran Strike, #7)
65,423 ratings6,099 reviews. 34 hours, 14 minutes. In the seventh installment in the Strike series, Cormoran and Robin must rescue a man ensnared in the trap of a dangerous cult. Private Detective Cormoran Strike is contacted by a worried father whose son, Will, has gone to join a religious cult in the depths of the Norfolk countryside.
Seven Strikes, still not out
J.K. Rowling's latest novel, "The Running Grave", is a 950-page story of suspense, romance, and a mysterious cult. For much of the book, Robin and Cormoran are investigating the case, about the ...
Troubled Blood review: J.K. Rowling's Cormoran Strike novel ...
Troubled Blood is the fifth volume in Rowling's Cormoran Strike books, a series of noir-inflected murder mysteries. The name of the series comes from their protagonist, a grizzled army police ...
Book review: The Running Grave, by Robert Galbraith
Published 25th Sep 2023, 00:01 BST. The new Robert Galbraith novel, the seventh in the Cormoran Strike series, is enthralling. It is very long, the kind of book you are happy to lose yourself in ...
Troubled Blood (Cormoran Strike, #5) by Robert Galbraith
Private Detective Cormoran Strike is visiting his family in Cornwall when he is approached by a woman asking for help finding her mother, Margot Bamborough — who went missing in mysterious circumstances in 1974. Strike has never tackled a cold case before, let alone one forty years old. But despite the slim chance of success, he is intrigued ...
Review of The Running Grave (Cormoran Strike #7) by Robert Galbraith
In the newest doorstop of a book (960 pages; the audiobook is 34 hours and 14 minutes) in the series, Cormoran Strike is cursorily on a health kick, he and Robin remain drawn to each other but continue to keep up emotional barriers to a deeper connection, and the agency is focused on trying to take down the fictional religious cult Universal Humanitarian Church (UHC)--from the inside.
New Galbraith book, The Running Grave
Seventh Strike novel to publish this September, in the tenth anniversary year of the bestselling series by Robert Galbraith . Tuesday 26 th September sees the release of the next in the bestselling series of crime novels by Robert Galbraith. THE RUNNING GRAVE is the brand-new instalment in the highly acclaimed, internationally bestselling series featuring Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott ...
The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith, review: JK Rowling's ...
The Running Grave is the seventh Cormoran Strike book by Robert Galbraith (the pseudonym of JK Rowling), which based on where it comes in the series makes it the equivalent of Harry Potter and the ...
The Running Grave: A Cormoran Strike Novel (A Cormoran Strike Novel, 7
This is the best book in the Cormoran Strike series, and I've read all of them. Not only do partners Robin and Strike work on a compelling case, but they also realize what they mean to each other. The novel is fast-paced and, even with its massive 944-page count, keeps readers invested in the plot's outcome.
New Robert Galbraith book, The Running Grave
Seventh Strike novel to publish this September, in the tenth anniversary year of the bestselling series by Robert Galbraith.. Tuesday 26 th September sees the release of the next in the bestselling series of crime novels by Robert Galbraith. THE RUNNING GRAVE is the brand-new instalment in the highly acclaimed, internationally bestselling series featuring Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott ...
The Running Grave
The Running Grave. Synopsis. In the seventh installment in the Strike series, Cormoran and Robin must rescue a man ensnared in the trap of a dangerous cult. Private Detective Cormoran Strike is contacted by a worried father whose son, Will, has gone to join a religious cult in the depths of the Norfolk countryside.
The Ink Black Heart (Cormoran Strike, #6)
Robert Galbraith. This installment in the highly acclaimed, internationally bestselling Strike series finds Cormoran and Robin ensnared in another winding, wicked case. When frantic, disheveled Edie Ledwell appears in the office begging to speak to her, private detective Robin Ellacott doesn't know quite what to make of the situation.
Cormoran Strike: when will book eight be released?
The author, whose pen name for the novel series is Robert Galbraith, recently released the series' widely praised seventh novel, The Running Grave, in September 2023. Despite this very recent ...
J.K. Rowling reveals the title for the seventh book in the Cormoran
J.K. Rowling has announced the title for the seventh book in the Cormoran Strike series. The title is "THE RUNNING GRAVE".This exciting news was shared on Twitter by the author, who also gave fans a clue to help them guess the title. The clue she provided was "Disentangle the hanging venturer". It was the account for the Strike and Ellacott Files podcast who guessed it right ...
Review of the Cormoran Strike series books 1-4 by Robert Galbraith
04 Lethal White by Robert Galbraith. At the start of Lethal White, a young man named Billy comes to Cormoran Strike's detective office asking for help. He believes he witnessed a crime when he was a little boy, and while Billy can't recall many of the details, he's clearly been shaped by this trauma ever since its occurrence.
New Cormoran Strike Book 6 Announced: The Ink Black Heart
Fans of JK Rowling's Cormoran Strike series (written as Robert Galbraith) have been re-reading the series and eagerly awaiting news of the latest book in the series - and as of today, June 30th, that news has arrived. The sixth book in the series, The Ink Black Heart, was announced earlier this year - but it was only today that the cover ...
Cormoran Strike Series by Robert Galbraith
Book 3. Career of Evil. by Robert Galbraith. 4.22 · 208,724 Ratings · 15,798 Reviews · published 2015 · 158 editions. Cormoran Strike is back, with his assistant Robin …. Want to Read.
Review: 'C.B. Strike' Brings J.K. Rowling's ...
Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger in "C.B. Strike" on Cinemax, a TV adaptation of J.K. Rowling's crime novels. Steffan Hill/Cinemax. Cormoran Strike has a more dramatic back story than your ...
J.K. Rowling 'The Christmas Pig' Film Adaptation in Development
Rowling's production company Bronte already produces the BBC/HBO adaptation of her adult detective series "Cormoran Strike.". "The Christmas Pig" was first published in 2021 with ...