Who's got their copy of Robert Galbraith's (JKR) latest?

😂😂 of course! Lucky I'm not the detective 🤣 🤣

It's a typo for pigs, grunty animals, vital to the plot.

This is bugging me - can someone please explain??

What does piga mean?

In the belief that nothing is chosen by accident, I've got a few trivia occurring to me.
The choice of Temple Ewell, perhaps only because the masons use Temple, but maybe because of the supposed link between them and the Templars.
The Bullen family's link with the Boleyns, a Frenchified version of the name. Source - a Kentish Bullen fellow student at college. Can't see how it would be important, and is probably not widely known.
The name Tyler is associated with some functionary in masonic doings. Source - a novel by Katherine Kurtz, which I don't much like. (She attributes the failure of the Nazis to invade solely to the mystical activities of masons and witches, discounting all the people praying in ond out of churches. Also the death of one of the royals. She also goes for the Templar/mason link, and associates them with the Peasants Revolt, since peasants couldn't organise themselves, and of course, Wat Tyler was obviously a mason. And they camped at Temple Hill in Dartford - though she unaccountably missed that.) I went right off her after that book. Fantasy set in fantasyland is one thing, but with real people and the real world, not on. Bit of a rant there, but Tyler's name may be important.
In the Running Grave, I thought JKR had missed something well known about piga, and I spent time thinking that - but she hadn't. It came up at the end. So I'm not going to rule anything out now.

Yes I love her characters. You could see them as ridiculous (I mean Strike being war hero AND famous father AND ex of famous women), caricatures (bitchy women, camp men, and accountants - is it me or does she have something against accountants?! maybe I'm just being over-sensitive due to my profession 😂), but she somehow blends them into a believable people you love (or love to hate).

Am I imagining it, or are there a lot of similarities between this instalment and the later potter books. Nothing specific exactly, but there’s been a few points where I’ve thought, “oh that reminds me of another book… wait a second!”

I don’t know, and I’m not sure it’s an IQ thing, exactly. But to me she’s the closest thing we have to a modern Shakespeare. People always talk about how remarkably well Shakespeare saw into the heart of man, and so does JK. But she also manipulates genre (as did WS) and writes utterly accessible and popular texts in an extraordinarily intelligent way without ever bothering about whether or not people will think she’s ‘literary’. There’s a touch of Milton about her too, in her resolute commitment to freedom and truth, regardless of the personal cost. I think she’s the absolute bees knees.

i've sussed why Temple Ewell and not another Kentish village. It actually had a Templar place in the Middle Ages, nothing to do with Freemasons, but it echoes the references to the craft, and the place next to the silver shop.

I’d like to know her IQ it must be genius level surely?! Just the vocab she uses, not to mention all the research that goes into one book

Yes, totally awful. Matthew reminded me of my first, absolutely horrible, boyfriend. Ryan Murphy makes me skin crawl, and I feel so sad for Robin that her internal monologue keeps insisting that he's a good, good man. He's really not. As for Strike's women: I think Rowling is brilliant at making them unattractive to the reader. Madeline was vile (hugely self involved and rude to waiters) and whatshername, the one who ran the vintage shop, seemed perfectly nice...except that she lived in a flat that sounded like a Cath Kidston showroom, which was just very not Strike. And then that long recriminatory email she wrote him after the breakup! I mean, I don't altogether blame her, and I think probably lots of us have written That Email (but hopefully not actually sent it), but seen from Strike's perspective it was awful. I think JKR's great strength (other than outstanding plotting) is how real her characters and their relationships seen, and how good she is at making every character messy and rounded and complex.

Looool is it too much to hope she'll have an peaking moment?!

yes Strike being a liar and working through all the ladies of London is far from ideal. If get together, would they just lie continuously to each other?! I have a bit of a soft spot for Shanker, seems like a family guy 😂

It was funny because I too have short hair, and multiple piercings. 😂 Oh well she can cry me a river!

I’m loving the book so far, of course, although to be honest, I want Robin to end up with Murphy at the moment. He seems like a stand up guy.

Or a jaffa cake.

I think putting a Tunnock’s Teacake down and forgetting it is perfectly reasonable. It’s not like it was a Caramel Wafer.

I am now feeling a bit unhappy about Robin. It's like Dorothy Dunnett doing horrible things to Francis Crawford. Cormoran's amputation is before bookworld, which somehow feels different.

I was watching Endeavour on Sunday and found myself thinking "now, he'd be a nicer chap for Robin" The whole time difference wouldn't work, though.🤔 Also, it's not real, so there's that.
Strike is not a good match for her, although I can see the appeal.

Aw, I missed this opportunity having bought the e-version. I would hope I would get a really big (and confused) scowl being gender non-conforming myself.

Enjoying the book immensely. Reading extra slow because... well, how long to wait till the next one?!

Btw does anyone think both Strike and Robin's taste in the opposite sex is just awful (apart from Strike and Robin obv)??

That shocked me too! I was wondering if there was a deeper meaning in it. Maybe JKR doesn't actually like eating them😂

Have to say I burst out laughing when I saw that mention. I thought the "gift" as mentioned earlier would be less subtle. JKR has a wicked sense of humour. I love the Stick Man reference and the little girl's reply too.

Mine arrived yesterday and I read him driving into Kent straight away, then the next chapter at three to make the insomnia pass unnoticed. Is this really Temple Ewell, I thought, and decided it was just the name, to be as far from Cornwall as possible while sounding interesting.

Writing down the characters is a good idea. I have ADHD and skim read and forget who is who. This one is more humorous with Strike’s comments.

I also like the extra characters and the business of the agency but sometimes she goes on just a bit too long - I found this in The Running Grave more than the earlier ones, felt a bit hammered, I suppose.

Bloody pleased for her, it's a poke in the eye to all those who try to cancel her!

Straight in at number one in the Sunday Times bestsellers.

The Sunday Times Bestsellers List — the latest UK book charts

www.thetimes.com/article/c5ffe854-28da-40b8-92d8-dc2e07dc679f?shareToken=65416b8ecfe501bdf1d005bdfe581db3

I like all the extra bits and characters.

With so many books I can work out the whole done it by the superfluous character. But JKR weaves in so many I've never worked it out fully.

I also like the more mundane bits of the agency that show it isn't all the big cases and introduces the humour.

My favourite line from this one is "you'd think I'd fucking eaten it" in regard to the fish (also love Pat)