The Silkworm

The Cormoran Strike series, written by J.K. Rowling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, stands in conversation with a long lineage of detective fiction. Beginning with The Cuckoo’s Calling (2013) and continuing through The Silkworm (2014) and beyond, the books draw heavily from classical mystery traditions while layering in modern psychological realism and social critique.

Detective fiction emerged as a recognizable literary genre in the 19th century with figures like Arthur Conan Doyle, whose Sherlock Holmes became a media archetype. These early detectives operated with near-superhuman deductive powers, solving crimes in rigidly structured narratives where rationality triumphed, and justice was restored. The early 20th century saw the rise of the “Golden Age” of British detective fiction, with writers like Agatha Christie rising to prominence. These authors solidified many of the tropes still associated with the genre: eccentric detectives, clueless police, and country house settings. They tended to employ fair-play plotting, meaning that readers had access to all the clues necessary to solve the mystery themselves. In contrast to the logic-forward plotting and genteel settings of classic British detective novels, American hard-boiled detective novels emphasized moral ambiguity and social decay.