Troubled Blood - *Spoiler-laden discussion*

[EllacottObsessive]

Setting this up for Strike and Ellacott fans to talk about spoilery things.

@parentalhelpline

Lunde Is that series by Baldacci good? His books borrow very well in my library service but I've never read them.

I really enjoyed the King and Maxwell series. I really liked the fact that they were a pretty equal partnership. If anything Michelle is the more physically adept (former Olympian, martial arts, weapons) whereas Sean is often the one doing research in the law library. The plots often stray into issues of state/military intelligence, where they use former secret service contacts.

Like the Strike series they need to be read in order

• Split Second
• Hour Game
• Simple Genius
• First Family
• The Sixth Man
• King and Maxwell

Thanks, Lunde - will check them out.

The thing is, EO, maybe one could read that last chapter as a culmination of friendship, not love. The epigraph seems to suggest that friendship is better than romantic love. Maybe the Mazankov and Krupov reference is to the idea that with a bit of effort with presents and attention (strapping her to his back), he won't have to ruin his career for the sake of a woman. As the tarot cards say, they can reach a calm and equilibrium by being best friends, 'harmony of the male and the female', interpreted in the largest sense (as partners and friends).

Just a thought 😉

Certainly possible, yes. Personally, I think the epigraph is a ambiguous enough to allow for some speculation, which was no doubt intentional. And yeah, I don't genuinely think Rowling is just going to have him propose in the first chapter of Strike 6 and that's that. I'm completely fine with her stringing it all out as long as possible, actually, though I understand the eagerness about it, obviously.

But I do think a reading of a more romantic than friendly realization makes more sense in context. Like I say, maybe not the big romantic realization (and really, I'm just have fun with that suggestion anyway) but yes, I do think more than just bezzie mates, because he's already got to that place of honesty 20 chapters before.

Oh, and I thoughts about the tarot, too, but I shall keep my powder dry there...

My take on the end is that they both still need to heal, the birthday gifts are part of the process of recovery and are a good contrast to the many misunderstandings throughout TB, finally, they're on the same page and having a healthy, happy unfraught emotional experience with each other. It's a huge contrast to the big displays they've both experienced with Charlotte and Matt, almost every fun thing with Matt was just for show rather than thoughtful, and culminated in them arguing about something, but it was never on purpose (unlike Charlotte ruining every occasion deliberately)

I love that they're both having fun with the birthday celebrations , it's natural and so joyful to read.

I have my suspicions JK is going to throw a spanner back in it at the start of the next book though, just to tease us 🤣

BebeStevens I've been running through possible spanners in my head, because I know they will be agony to read, and I need to brace myself. I remember the 'Noooooo' I was shouting while reading the first part of Lethal White. I don't do well with spanners, or unhappy endings., for that matter.

I do agree, EO - I'm just trying to do some expectations management on myself.

We're really not going to get the next book before autumn 2021 at the very earliest, are we?

Oh, I think, in all honesty, spanners are pretty much a cast iron certainty. For a start, we've not seen him actually change his number yet, he's just made the decision, as far as I recall. I'm not suggesting he's not going to, but my point us, we haven't yet seen Charlotte's reaction.

How likely is it that, given their history, she's going to realize he has changed his number and think "Oh, guess it's over, I'll concentrate on the kids and maybe set up a crochet Insta account"?

And given that she is Robin's biggest hang up, I would be astonished if Rowling doesn't decide to give us fireworks. I may have written a couple of fanfics that have them addressing and resolving the Charlotte thing, but a 10,000 word fanfic, and a whole book that has no doubt been planned with meticulously fiendish detail, are two very different animals.

Plus, you know, crimesolving to squeeze in between all the sexual tension.

parental it's far too long, but I suppose, as a reader of GOT I can cope

EO every time I read your posts I'm a step closer to ending up in a fanfic obsession spiral

Sorry

Some of the fic is really fun, though. Variable execution, as is the way with fic, but the ideas are fun. I just read a funny one where Strike decides to implement the 'no partner/subcontractor dating' rule when Michelle starts, without thinking it through, ties himself in knots, has Pat winding him up about a no dating rule full stop, and Barclay and Michelle end up laughing that he's basically tried to introduce a rule that Robin isn't allowed to date anyone in the office but him.

I was chortling contentedly.

It's not a bad thing they sound awesome from your descriptions and would totally fill that Strike shaped hole, it's just that, y'know, once I'm in there, there's no getting out
Loved a good fic back in the day, Buffy was my bag at the time

Yes, it certainly has the potential to be a inescapable vortex.

Have we discussed the fact that he's taking her to the Ritz for champagne when he doesn't even like champagne? Is it a "spoiling Robin" idea, or more of a Charlotte-related thing? It seems like the sort of birthday evening Charlotte would've expected & Robin's never seemed particularly interested in fancy nights out. That's certainly a potential spanner, if he starts treating her how he treated Charlotte because that's how he knows how to do a relationship he's actually invested in. Or even if she thinks he is & feels inadequate because she doesn't "fit" in all the fancy places. Even if this is the start of a romantic relationship it's definitely not going to be smooth sailing!

It's certainly possible, but I read the Ritz as a throwback to ch 53, and her sarcasm about going to the Ritz instead of getting takeaway. Strike seems the kind of guy who would manage to focus on the plusses of that evening and with a dark enough sense of humour to manage to spin that into a positive memory. I might have misread it.

Ah yes, of course! I'd forgotten that link! I remember noticing it the first time I read it. Perhaps I should re-read the entire series again in case I've forgotten anything else...

You still make an excellent point, though. His reference points for gifts and displays of affection are fairly disparate, and ch 73 shouldn't be the gateway to such a sense of revelation to him if he hadn't had to deal with his mother's behaviour, his dad's approach and the toxic insanity of his relationship with Charlotte.
I think we're all probably to resigned to more slow burn (and I'm not really complaining about that at all) but it'll be interesting to see if he can continue to keep the gestures appropriate or if anything is going to make him panic and do something daft.

For them as is keen on Tom, I enjoyed this, you might too...

highfunctioningflailgirl.tumblr.com/post/637305494912057344/can-i-be-his-twix

@TomBurkesTwix

For them as is keen on Tom, I enjoyed this, you might too...

highfunctioningflailgirl.tumblr.com/post/637305494912057344/can-i-be-his-twix

Oi that’s porn that is!! 😆

Spanner’s

Charlotte - no way she’s just going to go away quietly. Even if he does change his number, email, letters & good old fashioned turning up at the office exist

Robin dates another man - even though I agree that at the end of TB they seem to be on the same page, their ability to misread/deny things is still going to be high plus robins only as far as we know had one consenting sexual relationship so she might decide she would like to explore that & just dating more

Rokeby & the clan - he’s clearly not put off despite being told to fuck off many times. I suspect there’s going to be more about that

The good old fashioned “new case abroad & only one of us can go” so they’re physically parted even if not emotionally

EO: It's not actually porn, in case anyone is concerned.
Narrator: EO was unsure whether sensually eating a Twix was porn or not.

It’s Burke’s law - Tom doing anything is basically porn 😆

I've got Rogue One on in the background, and a very disheveled Danny Mays appeared, and tbh, I think he would have been a very interesting choice as Strike. He is much closer to the book Strike in my head.

But yeah, Burke eating a Twix, Burke knocking back a beer, Burke staring moodily into the middle distance, heck, I've even enjoyed Burke doing the grocery shopping while having a cringe-worthy and hilarious inner monologue.

Robin dates another man - even though I agree that at the end of TB they seem to be on the same page, their ability to misread/deny things is still going to be high plus robins only as far as we know had one consenting sexual relationship so she might decide she would like to explore that & just dating more.

As much as I'd like S&R to get together, I think Robin needs to have a light, flirtatious relationship or five. No angst, no misunderstandings, just fun. Partly to gain confidence in her sexuality (I imagine Matthew got quite selfish in bed towards the end) and partly because she needs to have more experience so her and Strike are on a more equal footing.

And no to Danny Mays - he looks slightly gormless.

Fanfic: I still read Harry Potter fanfic

See, I think I'd decided it was a no to Danny Mays because I think Burke does the simmering emotion under the surface moodiness that I suspect would come across as petulant in Mays. We'll never know, of course.

I like Daniel mays generally but there’s no way I’d ever be convinced he’d be a lady magnet & for all the descriptions of strike being battered & not handsome, I couldn’t see Daniel mays being convincing at pulling one of the most beautiful women in the uk