The Casual Vacancy

The Casual Vacancy is an upcoming novel by J. K. Rowling, slated for worldwide release on 27 September, 2012. It is Rowling's first novel targeted specifically at a grown-up audience and her first work outside the the Harry Potter series.

Plot
According to details released by the publisher, The Casual Vacancy novel is set in the seemingly peaceful, idyllic town of Pagford, home to a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey. However, beneath its surface, Pagford is a "town at war," where rich clash with poor, teenagers with parents, wives with their husbands, and teaches with their students. After the sudden death of Barry Fairbrother shocks the town, his seat on the parish council is left open, leading to an election "fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations."