A British law firm has admitted responsibility for the outing of Harry Potter author Jk Rowling as 'Robert Galbraith' - the writer of the acclaimed mystery novel The Cuckoo's Calling. The British author - one of the most famous on the planet - had used the pseudonym to release the book in April, though her cover was blown under strange circumstances.

According to Time magazine, the Sunday Times received a tip-off on Twitter from - wait for it - the best friend of the wife of one of the partners of the law firm Russells. Still with us? Great. 

That partner was Chris Gossage and his wife's friend, Judith Callegari, who tweeted the identity of Robert Galbraith to the Sunday Times via Twiiter. Russells, ironically a specialist in entertainment law, has acceptable capability and said it "apologizes unreservedly" to Rowling. It said that was Gossage was ultimately responsible, "the disclosure was made in confidence to someone he trusted implicitly."

The Cuckoo's Calling sold only a few hundred copies following its release in April, though since Rowling was outed as the author, it has topped best-seller lists, with publisher Little, Brown commissioning 300,000 copies. The publishing house denied the whole thing was a publicity stunt, "We can confirm that this leak was not part of any marketing plan and that neither J.K. Rowling, her agent nor publishers were in any way involved," a statement said.

Rowling herself 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."

JK RowlingJK Rowling at The Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Premiere

JK Rowling
JK Rowling At The BAFTAs