Robert Galbraith Books in Order (Updated February 22, 2026)

Robert Galbraith is the crime-fiction pen name used for the Cormoran Strike novels (written by J. K. Rowling). This is one continuous series with an evolving partnership and long-running personal threads, so the safest approach is simple: read in order.

The “don’t-think-about-it” starting point

Start with The Cuckoo’s Calling and keep going in sequence. If you skip ahead, you won’t be lost on the case, but you will spoil relationship and character developments that carry across multiple books.

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Cormoran Strike series: publication order (also the recommended order)

1. The Cuckoo’s Calling (2013): The agency is born on-page, establishing Strike, Robin, and the baseline dynamic that everything builds on.
2. The Silkworm (2014): A darker literary-world case that deepens the partnership and starts layering ongoing personal complications.
3. Career of Evil (2015): A more personal threat tightens continuity stakes, making this one especially spoiler-sensitive if read out of order.
4. Lethal White (2018): A sprawling case that advances the long-term arc in the background while the agency grows in the foreground.
5. Troubled Blood (2020): A cold case becomes the spine of the novel, with major progress in the series’ private-life threads.
6. The Ink Black Heart (2022): A modern, online-centered investigation that assumes you already know where Strike and Robin stand by this point.
7. The Running Grave (2023): A high-commitment case with heavy continuity for the agency’s relationships and the protagonists’ choices.
8. The Hallmarked Man (2025): Continues directly from prior developments while delivering a full, standalone investigation.

Forthcoming

9. Sleep Tight, Evangeline (announced): Officially announced as the next Strike novel; treat release timing as “to be confirmed” unless you’re checking a current publisher listing.

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Chronological order

For this series, chronological order = publication order. There’s no alternate timeline sequence that improves clarity.

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Best reading plan depending on your spoiler tolerance

• Spoiler-avoidant (recommended): read #1 through #8 in order, then add #9 when it releases.
• Case-first sampler (works, but not ideal): if you insist on trying just one, choose #1 (The Cuckoo’s Calling), it’s the cleanest “no prior context” entry.

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What’s included (and what isn’t)

• Included: the Cormoran Strike novels credited to Robert Galbraith.
• Not included: TV adaptation seasons/episodes (separate medium) and other novels by the author under different names (separate bibliographies).

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FAQs

Are there any Robert Galbraith books outside the Strike series?

In standard publication listings, Robert Galbraith is used for the Strike novels, so “Galbraith reading order” essentially means “Strike reading order.”

Do I have to read the series in order?

If you care about the long character arc, yes. Later books reference earlier outcomes, and book-to-book relationship movement is a major feature.

What’s the latest published book right now?

The Hallmarked Man is the newest published Strike novel as of this update, with Sleep Tight, Evangeline announced next.

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Conclusion

If you want the cleanest experience, start at The Cuckoo’s Calling and read straight through The Hallmarked Man in publication order. Then wait for Sleep Tight, Evangeline as the next step in the same continuity.