JK Rowling Returns: New Book Cover For ?The Casual Vacancy? Revealed!

It's no Mary GrandPré, but we'll take it!

The Casual Vacancy is being published by Little, Brown and Company, which listed the page count at 512, and is scheduled for worldwide release on Sept. 27. The story is about a quaint English town whose warring population goes even more berserk when a member of the parish council dies. His empty seat, according to a Little, Brown synopsis, soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen.

The book cover features a black ballot check box and a large black X, alluding to the story's political nature. The title and Rowling's name appear in white script.

The cover design was by Mario J. Pulice and the illustration and hand lettering were done by illustrator Joel Holland.

The cover's simplicity is a far cry from the sweeping, action-filled work of artist Mary GrandPré. Her illustrative style, which she calls soft geometry, graced the book jackets and pages of all seven of the U.S. editions of the Harry Potter books, which were published by Scholastic.

Still, the cover art for The Casual Vacancy provides fans with yet another tidbit of Rowling's upcoming mystery novel.

Will Rowling's first non-Harry Potter published work satiate fans -- and maybe even get her some new ones?

The hardcover version of The Casual Vacancy will cost $35. The large print hardcover will cost $39. The e-book will cost $19.99. The unabridged audio download will cost $29.98. The CD will cost $44.98.