The island gets more than a mention in The Hallmarked Man, the eighth book in the Cormoran Strike detective series, which the Harry Potter author writes under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.
Sark has been anticipating how it would be featured and if this would give a boost to its tourism industry ever since Ms Rowling visited the island last March.
The book, set over the winter of 2016, centres around a dismembered corpse discovered in the vault of a silver shop in London.
The novel is almost 900 pages long but only 40 pages, about three-quarters of the way through the book, are set in Sark.
In the story, the two central characters, private detectives Cormoran Strike and partner Robin Ellacott, visit Sark on the hunt for a suspect.
Describing Sark as having a ‘thoroughly sleepy air’, the two visit the Bel Air for a pint and a pizza, and namecheck a number of local roads on their search.
Part of the attraction of the books has been the ‘will they-won’t they’ relationship of the protagonists, and there is noteworthy interaction between them as they stay overnight at the Old Forge.
The B&B’s owner, Caragh Couldridge, said she had been aware that they might feature in the book after the famous author rented the cottage.
‘J K Rowling’s stay was made in her husband’s name so I had no idea it was her when they booked,’ she said.
‘I met her husband when they arrived but not Ms Rowling, who I think had gone to look around.
‘Then word started to go around the island and it was only then that the penny dropped who they were.
‘They were very easy guests and seemed delightful.
‘We thought we would be in the book as she left a note pinned to our notice board saying she would send a copy.
‘It hasn’t arrived yet but I know she’s a very busy lady so I won’t hold it against her.’
The personal note on the notice board from Ms Rowling could have easily been taken by the next group of guests.
‘A hen group were in right after and they found it,’ said Mrs Couldridge.
‘They were Strike fans and were thrilled. I’m thankful to them for showing me the note and not taking it as a memento.
‘They were so excited they started taking photos of the rubbish in the bins just in case she had thrown something away.’
Like the rest of Sark, she had no idea if the inclusion in the book would bring fans of the series to stay.
‘I’ve not read the others in the series and haven’t read what happens here yet, so I have no idea.
‘We are pretty booked up anyway but friends have said it could have a huge impact, especially in the winter.’
The books have been dramatised in a popular BBC TV series.
And filming for the seventh novel in the series, The Running Grave, published in 2023, is due to begin this autumn.
Mrs Couldridge said it would be a further boost to Sark if the TV cameras followed in a couple of years time.
‘But whether they come to Sark to film will I guess be down to cost and logistics,’ she said.
‘It would be a shame if they did what they did with the Potato Peel Pie Society and film it somewhere else.’
Despite having only a brief part in the story, Sark does much better than Guernsey which gets just a single paragraph as Strike and Robin pass through.
The island is described as simply ‘chilly and wet’.
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