*SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS INK BLACK HEART *SPOILERS*

[TheInkBlackHeart]

Right I hope the title gives it away. Spoilers ahoy after / during reading Galbraith's The Ink Black Heart.

I swear if someone complains about spoilers now I'll lose it

Ha! Yes they had to prune a lot. I didn’t think Brenner was a drug addict in the book, thought he was weirder than that. But tbf a lot of good solid roles for older women. Thought the actor playing Margot was a very good choice too. Never think they are v good at picking young male actors save for Strike himself. For example .Raph in last series and this time Barclay and Saul Morris looked too similar I thought.

Janice was played by Tom Burke’s mum. How great is that!!

Oh really! That’s brilliant.

I didn’t think Brenner was a drug addict in the book, thought he was weirder than that.

I’d have to go back & look but I think Brenner was either in a concentration camp during the war or responsible for treating people who had been, which was meant to be why he was as he was.

I think Janice said that, but Janice is not a reliable narrator.

Yes Janice said that as a distraction, it wasn't true. I didn't think the drug addiction was true either? Janice got caught trying to get a half melted pill out of a mug, because she had tried to dose Irene on a day she was being annoying. She blamed Brenner to push suspicion away from herself.

I’d forgotten that. Thanks both.

Question about Ink Black Heart which I have just re-read following watching troubled blood.. how does strike know that the uncle didn't put the second letter in the coffin? The uncle reads the letter and thinks it's abusive so doesn't put it in but how does strike know that ?

Slip of the tongue I think - the uncle is talking about the letters but says about giving "it" to the undertaker instead of "them". Something like that.

Just finished IBH and while it’s very clever, I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as the others. It was much too long and just stalled in places, it could have been a third shorter without losing anything. For contrast it thought troubled blood (which is nearly as long) was a masterpiece and I couldn’t put it down. This felt like a slog. At least Strike is now resting his leg properly.

Thank you @SirSamVimesCityWatch - that makes sense

I love Pat. She is kind and helpful to Strike in a way he can graciously accept when he is feeling vulnerable.

Both Strike and Robin are gorgeous, just in different ways. I think Tom Burke playing Strike on TV made me fully cognizant of exactly how physically beautiful he is.

I understand that we can not get closure on all of the plot points in the book. However, I would like to see Strike or Robin making sure all of Jago and Charlotte's children are safe and properly looked after.

@Megsboots, I can't think it'll be the last we hear of Charlotte. She's a great character and a fundamental part of Strike's story. Hopefully we will hear about what happens next with the children.

Just bumping as the Kindle version of Ink Black Heart is only 99p on Amazon today!

Matt in the series looked exactly how I imagined him to be.
I agree that TB is a masterpiece of writing and plots and is far superior to Ink black heart
I also liked Cuckoo too
Silkworm was just weird , but it's the two main characters that keep me hooked!

Ive got the kindle deal this morning, just wondering if I can read this as a stand-alone novel as I’ve never read the earlier ones in the series?
Happy to hunt them down as I have plenty else to read in the meantime.
I fully acknowledge that I’ve been sucked in by the long threads!

I think you'd get more enjoyment of you've read the other books in the series beforehand as it shows the development of the relationship between the two main characters. The crime story itself can be read as a standalone story though.

You can, but it's better to read them in order. As a murder mystery it stands alone, but Strike and Robin are key parts of the overall world and story, and they have a lot of change and personal growth. Read them in order and you properly understand who they are and where they're coming from.

I've only just finished it so I am a year later but I don't care. Bram can be a teenage criminal in the penultimate book. The last book will have to be solving Leda's end.
So Nils is OK is he? Innocent of crime? Well, yes, as were a load of other unsavouries!
I've read it in book form but I think I'll order the CD from the library, to get another handle on it from what I know now.
I'll have to go back and check who it was that spoke with that uplift at the end of the sentence - Yasmin?? It was a fashion that seems to have gone but like I might not like listen like to enough like people speaking?
Wasn't Robin rotten when she didn't have any chips with her veggie-burger? We can't expect him to go 100% goodie straight away.
I do hope that in the next one nothing bad befalls Lucy or Ted or Ilsa. Some things just need to be steady.

It signifies that although I knew their names, she knows what they wrote.😀 I guess you are wondering what they have in common, for her to choose them. Good question.

Anyone else on countdown for The Running Grave??

Yes! And it coincides nicely with the start of my mat leave. I'm just hoping I can get through it before the baby makes an appearance.

Stay off social media until you’ve finished The Running Grave, just in case - when The Ink Black Heart came out, there were idiots who thought it was funny to share the identity of the murderer all over the place.

I've booked a holiday from 23rd. Making sure the hotel has Wi-Fi so my kindle will automatically update.

Poor DH is going to be short of conversation.

DH appears to think that I'd like to come to his concert on the 23rd, poor deluded soul that he is.

What's the equivalent of reading under the bedcovers when in a packed concert hall, do you think?