Jk Rowling - Jk Rowling Unveils Vintage Style Cover For 'The Casual Vacancy'

The plot centres on the fictional town of Pagford, which the synopsis describes as "A seemingly English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty facade is a town at war". Pagford is left in shock after local resident Barry Fairbrother dies in his early 40s, and leaves an empty seat on the parish council. Rowling, 46, had amassed a fortune estimated to be more than $620 million from her seven Harry Potter books, plus the movie rights. 'The Casual Vacancy' will be her first novel since the final Potter book was published in 2007. The cover - released on Tuesday (July 3, 2012) - is mostly red with a yellow border and shows what appears to be an 'X' marking a box, similar to those seen in council elections.

Rowling's publisher Little Brown say the film and stage actor Tom Hollander - best known for starring in the Bbc series 'Rev' - will record the audio version of the book. The 512 page novel hits shelves on September 27, 2012.