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The Cuckoo's Calling, The Silkworm, Career of Evil
Cormoran Strike is the eponymous character of a series of crime fiction books written by British author J. K. Rowling, published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. The story chronicles the many cases of private investigator Strike and his assistant Robin Ellacott.
On 10 December 2014, it was announced that the novels would be adapted as an eponymous television series for BBC One.
Plot
In 2010, Cormoran Strike—private investigator, ex-SIB investigator and the illegitimate son of a famous rock star (by an affair with a notorious groupie) who lost part of a leg in a bombing in Afghanistan—is broke, and his birth father's business agent is calling in the loan that he gave to Strike to open his office.
The first book is about how Strike is hired by John Bristow, the adopted brother of supermodel Lula Landry, who had fallen from her balcony three months previously. Bristow wants Strike to investigate his sister's supposed suicide. Strike also meets Robin Ellacott, who has been sent to be his temporary secretary despite the fact he can barely afford her. Robin has just become engaged to her longtime boyfriend Matthew, with a wedding set later that year. Although Strike only hires her for one week, she turns out to be much more competent than he expected, and they end up extending her stay.
Near the first book's end, before Robin leaves for her next job, Strike gives Robin a green silk dress she had tried on and loved when they had gone searching for information at a dress shop that Lula had frequented. Finally, the two decide that Robin will stay on.
The second book is about how Strike is approached by Leonora Quine with a plea to locate her husband, the notorious writer Owen Quine, who has disappeared without a trace. Quine, once hailed as one of the original literary rebels—presented as the literary world's version of music's punk rock scene—has struggled for years to recreate the success of his original novel and has fallen out of public view. Strike discovers that his disappearance coincides with the leak of the manuscript for his latest novel, Bombyx Mori. The London literary community considers Bombyx Mori to be unpublishable; an unpleasant mix of rape, sadomasochism, torture, necrophilia and cannibalism, the hero is eventually tricked and eaten alive by various characters who are thinly-veiled metaphors for people in Quine's life whom he considers responsible for the destruction of his career.
The third book tells how Robin receives a package from a courier containing a woman's severed right leg. The package is accompanied by a note quoting from the Blue Öyster Cult song "Mistress of the Salmon Salt (Quicklime Girl)", a tattoo that Strike's mother, a famous groupie and BÖC fan, had above her crotch. Because of that link, Strike told the police that he believed that the package had been sent by someone from his own past with a grudge against him.
Protagonists
Cormoran Blue Strike a veteran of the war in Afghanistan and an ex-SIB investigator who was discharged from the military after losing half of his leg in a bomb attack and decided to leave before going insane then became a private investigator. In the beginning of the series, he has few customers and is in debt, but after the events of the first book becomes more famous and is made even more successful through divorce cases and the occasional work and events of the later books. His father, Jonny Rokeby, is a renowned rock star; however, Cormoran is the product of an extramarital affair, and has almost no relationship with his father.
Robin Venetia Ellacott Strike's assistant and secretary. Originally, she was only going to work for Strike for a week, but she turns out to be much more competent than expected, and they end up extending her stay. She is enthusiastic about detective work and is very intelligent and competent. Between the second and third book, Strike paid for her to take a criminal investigation course. She plans to marry her boyfriend Matthew Cunliffe. In the third book, it is revealed that she fell victim to a rape and attempted murder causing her to drop out of university, and she is extremely sensitive regarding sex crimes. As a result, she is unwilling to stop the investigation of Noel Brockbank, one of Strike's suspects, once she discovers that he has been sexually abusing his girlfriend's young daughter.
Secondary characters
Lucy Strike is Cormoran Strike's judgmental younger half-sister on his mother's side. Strike attends her son's birthday party in the first novel.
Jonny Rokeby is Strike's famous pop-star father and has only met him twice in his lifetime. It took a DNA test to prove his paternity.
Leda Strike is Strike's late mother, a 'supergroupie' of Jonny Rokeby's. She died of a heroin overdose when Strike was 20. Strike has always suspected his stepfather had something to do with her death, though almost nobody else agreed.
Charlotte Campbell is Strike's ex-fiancée. Wealthy and mercurial, she and Strike had an on-again-off-again relationship for more than a decade, but Strike ends their engagement for good the night before the events of the first novel begin.
Matthew Cunliffe is Robin's fiancé and works as an accountant. He proposes to Robin at the beginning of the first novel. He does not approve of her working for Strike, whom he considers to be a shady character.
Alexander "Al" Rokeby – Strike's half-brother on his father's side, and the only member of his father's side of the family who he has any contact with.
The Cuckoo's Calling
Lula Landry (Bristow), a 23-year-old professional model who died from a fall three months prior to the events of the novel. The object of Strike's investigation is to determine how Lula died - the official verdict was suicide, but he is hired to prove that it was, in fact, murder.
John Bristow is Lula Landry's adopted brother and Strike's client. He works for Tony Landry in a large family law firm.
Charlie Bristow is John Bristow's brother and a boyhood friend of Strike's. Charlie died when he fell into a quarry when he was around nine or 10 years old. Charlie was about six years older than Lula Landry (Bristow).
Alison Cresswell is dating John Bristow. She works as a secretary for Tony Landry and Cyprian May.
Tony Landry is Lula and John's maternal uncle. He disapproved of Lula's lifestyle.
Lady Yvette Landry Bristow is Lula and John's adopted mother. She is terminally ill during the events of the novel, and her relations with Lula were strained.
Sir Alec Bristow is Lady Bristow's husband. He founded his own electronics company, Albris. Sir Alec was sterile and could not have children of his own. He and Lady Bristow adopted three children: John, Charlie, and Lula Bristow. Lula was adopted when she was four years old, shortly after Charlie's death. Sir Alec died suddenly from a heart attack.
Cyprian May is a senior partner at the law firm where John Bristow works.
Ursula May is Tansy Bestigui's sister and Cyprian May's wife.
Evan Duffield is Lula's on-off boyfriend, an actor with various problems with drugs. He was the initial suspect in the media at the time of Lula's death, but has numerous witnesses to an alibi. He argued with Lula before her death.
Rochelle Onifade is a homeless friend of Lula from an outpatient clinic.
Guy Somé is Lula's designer. He is the one who calls her "Cuckoo", as in the title of the novel. He was in Tokyo in the week leading up to her death and is an astute character witness.
Deeby Macc is an American rapper who was supposed to move into the apartment below Lula's on the night of her death.
Kieran Kolovas-Jones is Lula's personal driver who has aspirations of fame as an actor.
Ciara Porter is a model and a friend of Lula's.
Freddy Bestigui is a film producer and neighbour of Lula's. He is difficult to contact and has a reputation of being difficult. He and his wife Tansy are in the process of divorce.
Tansy Bestigui is Freddy's wife and a key witness, claiming to have overheard some of the events of the night of Lula's death. Her plausibility is an issue for Strike and the police. She is the sister of Ursula May.
Bryony Radford is Lula's personal makeup artist and one of the people she meets on the day of her death.
Marlene Higson is Lula's biological mother. She sells her story to the press at every opportunity and lives in much poorer circumstances than Lula's adoptive family. She had two sons after giving birth to Lula, but Lula was not interested in helping Marlene find them. Both were taken away by social services.
Jonah Agyeman is Lula's biological half-brother. He served in the British Army in Afghanistan. He and Lula were supposed to meet for the first time on the night she died.
The Silkworm
Owen Quine – an author once hailed as an avant-garde writer and one of the first "literary rebels". He has spent decades trying to recreate the success of his first novel, Hobart's Sin, to no avail. He is regarded as narcissistic and insecure in the extreme, and only tolerated because of the shadow of untapped potential in his works. Quine appears in the Bombyx Mori as Bombyx, an aspiring author whose genius is undisputed, unappreciated and unsubstantiated, prompting him to seek out his idols, but discovers that they only seek to use him and abuse him before eating him alive.
Leonora Quine – Quine's wife, who becomes the prime suspect in his murder. She spends almost all of her time caring for their intellectually-disabled daughter, Orlando. Leonora appears as Succuba, a demon in the body of a hideous woman who holds Bombyx in bondage and repeatedly rapes him.
Kathryn Kent – Quine's girlfriend and an author of "fantasy erotica" that has mostly been rejected by the London publishing community. Kathryn appears as Harpy, a beautiful woman with a hideous deformity, implied to be a crude and cruel metaphor for breast cancer.
Pippa Midgley – a transgender woman undergoing therapy ahead of gender reassignment surgery. She becomes enamoured with Quine after taking a creative writing course he taught; Quine, in turn, was inspired by her personal story as it dovetailed with his original novel. Appears as Epicoene, a slave to Harpy, who seeks to escape her clutches with Bombyx. Bombyx responds positively until she "sings", or reveals her transgender status to him, which he finds horrifying.
Elizabeth Tassel – a failed writer who became a literary agent. She lives and works on the fringe of the London literary community, which she deeply resents, and expresses by bullying her staff. Tassel appears as The Tick, a parasitic woman who cultivates Bombyx's talent to leech off him.
Jerry Waldegrave – Quine's long-suffering editor, who is one of the few people willing to tolerate him. His reputation is ruined by Quine's behaviour, leading to the breakdown of his marriage and his turn to alcoholism. He appears as The Cutter, a horned, troll-like creature that ruthlessly destroys Bombyx's work. He carries a bloodied sack implied to carry an aborted foetus, and attempts to drown other creatures.
Michael Fancourt – one of the original literary rebels, who went on to become a bestselling author. He maintains literature is an art form, and that art can only be considered as much when it provokes social discussion; however, this is little more than an excuse for his deeply misogynistic opinions. He appears as Vainglorious, a famous author and Bombyx's idol. He is revealed to be a charlatan, torturing his wife Effigy to fuel his own creativity and passing her torment off as art.
Daniel Chard – the president of Roper Chard, a London publishing house specialising in modern literature. He lacks social skills and is implied to be a latent homosexual. Appears as Phallus Impudicus, a man who murders writers to steal their talent, violating their corpses with his diseased penis.
Richard Anstis – a detective with the Metropolitan Police who was involved in the incident that cost Strike his leg. Strike considers him a capable investigator, but lacking in imagination.
Orlando Quine – Quine's intellectually-disabled daughter. She is the only person in Quine's life who does not appear in the Bombyx Mori manuscript, and it is implied that she is the only person he genuinely cares about.
Nina Lascelles – a junior editor at Roper Chard who helps Strike acquire the Bombyx Mori manuscript. She pursues a romantic relationship with him, although her feelings are unreciprocated.
Joe North – an American writer and friend of Quine and Fancourt. He died of AIDS while writing about his experiences living with the disease. After lying abandoned for twenty years, the house where North died became the scene of Quine's murder.
Christian Fisher – the editor of a niche publishing house who leaks the Bombyx Mori manuscript.
Dominic Culpepper – an opportunistic tabloid journalist who hires Strike to find evidence of wrongdoing among the rich and powerful. He expresses surprise that Strike does not resort to phone-hacking to acquire evidence.
Charlotte Ross – Strike's on-again, off-again former flame. Following the breakdown of their relationship, she has become engaged to another man, but continues to taunt Strike from afar.
Career of Evil
Donald Laing - an old enemy for Strike's, who had actually boxed against Strike in the military and had bitten Strike's face after realizing that he was losing, leading to military discipline. Despite this, Laing was charming and able to convince others of his good character. Strike found that Laing had been physically abusing his wife and child and ended up having Laing arrested and convicted. This led Strike to suspect him of sending the severed leg wanting revenge.
Noel Brockbank - a former major from Barrow-in-Furness, who had served in both the first Gulf War and Bosnia, before becoming another longtime enemy of Strike's. He had married a deceased colleague's widow with two small daughters; when she was 12, the older daughter told a school friend about her stepfather's sexual abuse and threats. When Brockbank resisted arrest, Strike struck him, and he suffered a traumatic brain injury from a preexisting skull fracture after which he feigned insanity. During the period of abuse, Brockbank had told his stepdaughter he once tried to saw her leg off (according to Strike she actually got it caught in barbed wire when she was younger giving her a scar similar to the one on the leg sent to Strike's office which led him to suspect Brockbank); however, he was never tried and was instead invalided out of the military.
"Digger" Malley - a professional gangster with a previous murder to his credit and had previously sent a body part leading Strike to suspect him. In a joint operation with Vice Squad into a drug ring, Strike had uncovered the evidence for which Malley had been imprisoned. However, since Strike had given evidence anonymously, Strike believed that Malley was unaware that Strike was behind his arrest and conviction. The police then discovered Malley was in Spain when the leg was sent eliminating him from the inquiry.
Jeff Whittaker - Strike's stepfather. He is only a few years older than Strike and married Leda because she was famous and presumed she had a large fortune and he persuaded her to write him into her will. After Leda's death in 1994 Whittaker went on trial for her murder and was found not guilty. However Strike and "Shanker" remain convinced he killed her which led to Strike suspecting him of sending the severed leg.
"Shanker" - A former flatmate of Strike, whose mother took him in after she found him in a gutter, working in the illegal drugs trade. He is about Strike's age, has a disfigured face, calls Strike "Bunsen" and also hated Whittaker. He is willing to help Strike and Robin in return for money. He helps Strike trace Whittaker, helps him apprehend Laing and drives him to Yorkshire for Robin's wedding.
Eric Wardle - The first police detective in charge of the case of the severed leg. He remained friendly with Strike after the previous two novels. He dropped out after the unexpected death of his brother, who was hit by a car, and was replaced with the detective who was in charge of the Lula Landry case.
Television adaption
In September 2016, Tom Burke was confirmed as having been cast as Cormoran Strike, with filming of seven hour-long episodes of the Cormoran Strike television series set to begin in autumn 2016. The series was picked up by HBO for distribution in the United States and Canada.
