J.K. Rowling, who now masquerades as Robert Galbraith

J.K. Rowling has flicked her magic wand yet again, this time to create a world of murder and intrigue. The author of the Harry Potter books has written a crime thriller, but under the guise of a debut author, Robert Galbraith.

Called The Cuckoo’s Calling, the 450-page book follows war veteran-turned-private investigator Cormoran Strike, who is hired to investigate the apparent suicide of supermodel Lula Landry, taking readers into the lives of the rich and famous.

Billed as a “brilliant debut mystery in a classic vein”, the book was published in April by Sphere, a part of Little, Brown Book Group, which published her first adult novel The Casual Vacancy.

Rowling’s secret was revealed by The Sunday Times, which quoted the author saying that she “hoped to keep this secret a little longer because being Robert Galbraith has been such a liberating experience.”

A clue behind the discovery was that Rowling and Galbraith shared an agent and an editor. She also said that “Robert” intends to continue writing the series. A second Cormoran Strike book is reportedly in the pipeline, to be published next year.

According to the Little, Brown website, Robert Galbraith was born in 1968 and has two sons. The fictitious author was supposed to have been part of the Royal Military Police for several years before retiring to work in the civilian security industry.