J.K. ROWLING ANGRY AT LOOSE-LIPPED LAWYER.
LONDON — The mystery has been solved. A British law firm admitted Thursday that one of its partners inadvertently revealed that J.K. Rowling had written the mystery novel The Cuckoo’s Calling.
The Sunday Times newspaper revealed over the weekend that the Harry Potter author had written the book under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. The newspaper said it had received a tip-off on Twitter, and there was speculation that Rowling or her publisher were behind the revelation — which has sent sales of the thriller skyrocketing.
But law firm Russells said Thursday one of its partners, Chris Gossage, had let the information slip to his wife’s best friend, Judith Callegari — the woman behind the tweet. Her Twitter account has now been deleted.
Russells said “we apologize unreservedly” to Rowling.
The Cuckoo’s Calling had garnered good reviews but sold only in the hundreds of copies since being published in April, ostensibly as the first novel of a former soldier. Since Rowling was outed as the author, it has topped bestseller lists.
Rowling said: “To say that I am disappointed is an understatement. I had assumed that I could expect total confidentiality from Russells, a reputable professional firm, and I feel very angry that my trust turned out to be misplaced.”