New Cormoran Strike book

[Hallelujah2020]

Released September 2025!!

Arrgh too late to edit that stray IBH out!!!

Cilantro?

weird auto correct of villains 🦹 😂

A dismembered corpse is discovered in the vault of a silver shop. The police initially believe it to be that of a convicted armed robber - but not everyone agrees with that theory. One of them is Decima Mullins, who calls on the help of private detective Cormoran Strike as she's certain the body in the silver vault was that of her boyfriend - the father of her newborn baby - who suddenly and mysteriously disappeared.
The more Strike and his business partner Robin Ellacott delve into the case, the more labyrinthine it gets. The silver shop is no ordinary one: it's located beside Freemasons' Hall and specialises in Masonic silverware. And in addition to the armed robber and Decima's boyfriend, it becomes clear that there are other missing men who could fit the profile of the body in the vault.
As the case becomes ever more complicated and dangerous, Strike faces another quandary. Robin seems increasingly committed to her boyfriend, policeman Ryan Murphy, but the impulse to declare his own feelings for her is becoming stronger than ever.

Committed to Ryan ! 😩
Doesnt sound as if he’ll be gone any time soon then.

The key word here is "seems" committed. I predict Murphy will be gone by the end of the book. Strike thought Robin might be pregnant when she was married to Matthew even though her marriage was imploding at the time.

I want Robin to come to the realisation that Ryan is another Matthew type (ie not got her best interests at heart) and to break up with him on that basis, as she should have long before discovering the Sarah Shadwell affair.

It's definitely not my favourite to revisit (that would be troubled blood in case you wondered) but I've literally run out of other content at this stage of the wait 😳

I don't think Murphy is as bad as Matthew (I hope I don't have to eat my words), but they clearly want different things. He wants a family and Robin wants Strike, so ultimately they are quite incompatible.

I'm interested to see how it plays out, but also pre-emptively frustrated at Robin being unable to just end a relationship when it's clear that it has no future. Probably the only thing that could stop me reading is this turning into a rehash of the last year and a bit of her and Matthew's relationship.

"The Hallmarked Man features a case which Strike initially doesn't want to take at all, because it's connected to people in his past who he'd rather not deal with again."

People in Strike’s past. Maybe Charlotte’s parents or relatives or people from his Army days ?

I thought maybe to do with his childhood/Jeff Whittaker? Or from the army.

Just thinking I'd love a spinoff about Strike's former days in the military police and the cases he investigated.

I desperately want a prequel!

Where does this come from?

Robert Galbraith official Instagram account www.instagram.com/stories/robertgalbraith/3691652874885995487?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igsh=MXdwcDMzZm02ZHIzcw==

Could this be related to the cricketer case that they are talking about in the epilogue of TRG, the cricketer suspects that his ex-wife (or soon to be ex-wife) is having an affair with Dominic Culpepper the journalist. There is definitely no love lost between them.

My logic is that she uses the word 'features', she's always so guarded about what she gives away and whilst this feels like a huge hint, it's not really giving away anything that we haven't already been told. It is however, enough to keep crazy readers like us busy dissecting all potential scenarios!!

Apologies for interrupting the flow but can anyone advise?

I’m stuck on the Ink Black Heart and have had to put it down for a few weeks as all those text messages and usernames are making my head explode and I can’t remember who said what.

Can I move onto the next book without finishing this one, or will I miss important continuity issues?
Thanks.

@PluckyChancer you could try the audio book perhaps? It's probably available through the library app or you could sign up to an audible free trial?

@PluckyChancer put it down and move on. The Running Grave is a very different sort of book, and it may well be that TIBH falls into place if you go back and have another go at it afterwards. A lot of people find it hard work; I did too, and needed to write a few notes to keep myself straight with the characters, but was glad I'd persevered.

I loved IBH, but that might be because I was fairly involved in online fandom back in the day and recognised a lot of patterns, character types and tropes.

I am also in a minority because I really don't want Strike and Robin to get together! I find it frustrating that you rarely get a strong, supportive, platonic friendship without romance getting in the way. Having said that I was almost won over to it by the tv series, much more so than the books.

Just realised that there is more to the clip than the part showed in her story, she is talking about the main case and I'm barking up the wrong tree.

The obvious theory is that it's someone from his past with connections to the Freemasons. This could be any number of policemen, including ones that were in the army with him, possibly Anstis or maybe someone we haven't met yet.

I've also seen theories that Rokeby could be a freemason, I think he will appear in the book but not sure if it will be related to the case.

I love IBH, but not everyone does, and yes, you can just skip it and move on - or maybe watch the BBC series - hugely simplified, but you wont miss out on the longer story lines that cross over into several books ( well, some of them, but nothing critical)

I wouldn't have thought Rokeby would be the Freemason type. But you never know. He definitely fits the description of someone Strike doesn't want to deal with.

Yes! I want Rokeby in this storey, definitly! and Switch. I am so excited, I can't wait.

Might be Whittaker, he hates him ( understandable)