JK Rowling’s pseudonym leak: the mystery is solved

The leak, which confirmed Rowling as the writer of The Cuckoo’s Calling in the Sunday Times, came from law firm Russells Solicitors, the BBC reports.

“I feel very angry that my trust turned out to be misplaced,” Rowling said in a statement.

Rowling added, “A tiny number of people knew my pseudonym and it has not been pleasant to wonder for days how a woman whom I had never heard of prior to Sunday night could have found out something that many of my oldest friends did not know.”

The “woman” Rowling refers to is (rather complicatedly) the best friend of Chris Gossage’s (a partner at Russells Solicitors) wife, named as Judith Callegari.

Russells said it apologised “unreservedly” and said the information has been revealed “during a private conversation”. It added, “The disclosure was made in confidence to someone he trusted implicitly.”

After speculation the leak was part of a publicity stunt, Russells confimed: “This leak was not part of any marketing plan and that neither JK Rowling, her agent nor publishers were in any way involved.”