Cormoran Strike

Cormoran Strike is one of the two main characters in Strike. Strike is a former military policeman turned private investigator looking into complex crimes that have proved too difficult for the police to solve.

Strike has a hard upbringing, and served in the Army as a Royal Military Police special investigator before losing part of his leg below the knee in Afghanistan. Discharged from the Army, Strike begins to work as a private investigator. However, he is always seemingly one step away from bankruptcy. He drinks too much, eats junk food, and is both physically and psychologically damaged from his experiences.

Strike is hired to investigate if the official verdict of suicide is correct in the case of the death of model Lula Landry, and is drawn into the celebrity world he has been avoiding all his life.

Early life
Cormoran Blue Strike was born to the model and supergroupie Leda Strike after she slept with the rock star Jonny Rokeby. Cormoran grew up with his half-sister Lucy, and had some contact with his half-brother, Al Rokeby. Cormoran was also friends with the brothers Charlie and John Bristow. Charlie died when they were young by riding his bike into a quarry.

Cormoran was accepted into the University of Oxford but dropped out. He then joined the army, serving as a special investigator in the Royal Military Police. He was deployed to Helmand Province in Afghanistan. During a mission, Cormoran's convoy was hit by an IED. The explosion severed Cormoran's left leg below the knee. As he lay bleeding, a young Afghan boy approached him and pointed a pistol at him. Then he looked at Cormoran's missing leg, smirked, and left. Medically discharged from the army, Cormoran started a private investigation agency. He also entered a relationship with Charlotte Campbell and was engaged to be married to her. Cormoran's relationship with Charlotte was rocky at best, and they split up time and again. The final time they broke up was just prior to his meeting Robin Ellacott, who arrived at this office as temp secretary.

The Cuckoo's Calling
After meeting Robin, Cormoran was contracted by his childhood friend, John, to investigate the apparent suicide of his adopted sister, the supermodel Lula Landry. She had seemingly committed suicide by throwing herself off the balcony of her Mayfair flat. However, John believed that it was actually murder and a man seen on the building's CCTV had not been traced.

Cormoran decides to investigate if the case has merit, and interviews the doorman at Lula's building, Derrick Wilson. Cormoran learns that Tansy Bestigui, a neighbour two floors below, heard arguing coming from Lula's flat. The flat below was empty, but the American Deeby Macc was scheduled to take over the lease for a short term let. Questioning her favourite driver, Nico Kolovas-Jones, Cormoran learns that she spent her last day with her friend Rochelle Onifade at the luxury boutique Vashti. They were talking about a piece of paper that would anger her family.

Cormoran talks to the police officer in charge of the case, DI Eric Wardle. Wardle does not believe Lula was murdered, and told him that he wanted nothing more than to be the officer who led the Lula Landry murder case. After receiving an invitation to dinner from Tansy Bestigui, Cormoran instead finds John and Lula's uncle, Tony Landry waiting for him. Tony warns Cormoran off the case.

Cormoran tracks down Rochelle. She does not want to speak with him, and manages to avoid him because of Cormoran's prosthetic leg. He later tracks her down to her flat, only to find her drowned in a boiling hot bathtub. The police dismiss Cormoran's assertion that Rochelle was murdered rather than killed herself.

Investigating further, Cormoran meets some of the people in Lula's world – the fashion designer Guy Somé, model Ciara Porter, and Lula's boyfriend Evan Duffield. Finally, Cormoran gets ahold of the CCTV footage and finally realises who the killer is. However, he needs proof.

Cormoran and Robin investigate Ashanti and recreate the events of the night Lula died. They also manage to track down her biological half-brother, Jonah Agyeman who reveals that he was meant to meet Lula on the night she died, but did not go through with it.

In his office late at night, John Bristow visits Cormoran. Cormoran reveals he knows that John killed Lula after learning that she planned to leave everything to her half-brother. He also believes that John killed Charlie in their youth.

Personality and traits
Cormoran is a supporter of Arsenal Football Club.

Behind the scenes
Cormoran Strike is played by Tom Burke. Burke has previously starred in BBC's The Musketeers.