JK Rowling: New Cormoran Strike novel under Robert Galbraith announced - including release date, plot details

The release date of JK Rowling’s new novel in the Cormoran Strike series has been revealed, with the lead characters set to investigate the discovery of a corpse in Freemasons' Hall.

Penned under the byline of Robert Galbraith, the eighth book in the Strike series, entitled The Hallmarked Man, will be published on September 2.

Author JK Rowling | Getty Images

In the latest novel, detectives Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott will be on the case after a dismembered corpse is discovered in the vault of a silver shop.

A plot synopsis released by publisher Sphere Books said: “The police initially believe it [the body] to be that of a convicted armed robber – but not everyone agrees with that theory.

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“One of them is Decima Mullins, who calls on the help of private detective Cormoran Strike as she is certain the body in the silver vault was that of her boyfriend – the father of her newborn baby – who suddenly and mysteriously disappeared.

“The more Strike and his business partner Robin delve into the case, the more labyrinthine it gets. The silver shop is no ordinary one: it is located beside Freemasons’ Hall and specialises in Masonic silverware. And in addition to the armed robber and Decima’s boyfriend, it becomes clear that there are other missing men who could fit the profile of the body in the vault.

“As the case becomes ever more complicated and dangerous, Strike faces another quandary. Robin seems increasingly committed to her boyfriend, policeman Ryan Murphy, but the impulse to declare his own feelings for her is becoming stronger than ever.”

Galbraith is the pseudonym for Ms Rowling - the author of the hugely-popular Harry Potter series.

Cormoran Strike, an injured war veteran turned PI, investigates the truth surrounding a mysterious death

Seven books have previously been published in the Strike series, including The Cuckoo’s Calling and The Silkworm.

A statement from Sphere Books on the new novel said: “A gripping, wonderfully complex novel, which takes Strike and Robin’s story to a new level, The Hallmarked Man is an unmissable read for any fan of this unique series.”

The series has been adapted for television, produced by Brontë Film & TV, starring Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger in the leading roles. The Strike programmes are broadcast by the BBC in the UK.

Ms Rowling has previously said she plans to publish ten novels in total in the Strike series.