SPOILER ALERT Hallmarked Man (Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott)

[Civilservant]

Spoiler thread for posters who have read or listened to The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith (J K Rowling) and would like to discuss it!

I’ve just finished listening to THM after reading the hardback it the first time. I definitely enjoyed it more the second time round, it was very much like TIBH in that respect. JKR is such a fantastic world builder but there are so many characters that make it hard to keep up the first time round, but so satisfying to enjoy once you’re not worried about finding out what happens next.

The number of characters from previous books that popped up, really stood out to me more on a reread and has me wondering what this might mean thematically for the series as a whole.

Mine too. I think Margot is probably my favourite character across the whole series, I was so sad when they found her body, despite it being clear there being no chance she was alive.

There are so many loose threads that could be picked up (or not) in book 9

• I think Strike was pretty stupid to trust Bijou with the DNA test - surely a discreet and supervised clinic would have been better. Will this rebound? If he inherits from Rokeby will Bijou be back?
• IIRC Strike has 8 half siblings will more of them get involved in plots?
• More drama with Murphy - definitely
• Drama with Robin's siblings and Robin's mother
• Robin and the kick ass therapist
• Whittaker? New evidence
• More trouble making from Kim?
• Issues with Mathew and Sarah? Divorce? Cheating?
• More about Pat's homelife? Didn't they take in former cult members - the guy was good at research IIRC so perhaps a job at the agency
• Shanker needs help?
• Strike buys a house/flat - then they could use his current rooms upstairs as offices
• More badmouthing of Strike from the poshos/Charlotte's family - did abusive Jago Ross just get custody of the twins?

@Lunde I thought the same about the DNA I would have made sure I took the samples and sent them to the lab myself.

Yeah, I wondered if the DNA test will come back to bite Strike. I seem to recall when he was speaking to the lawyer, he offered to get the details to be passed on to the newspaper but the lawyer said the journalist would take his word for it due to previous experience. Has Strike even seen the test results?

It would certainly be in Bijou's interests for Honbold to be the father, much richer and better connected, but he is both older and on medicine that affects his fertility.

Im livid they still aren't together!!

What an ending, I do really love Pat.

I really, really want some nice things to happen to Robin. She's survived so much, had so much trauma. When she divorced Matthew I wanted her to have a fun fling or two and just enjoy herself and make Strike jealous, although I guess that isn't her thing. I don't know, I just want some nice things for her for a change!

I think that Robin is just not a flings person. This is one of the issues for her with her feelings for Strike. She knows that if she gets involved with him then it will be serious for her but as far as she can see, Strike is ONLY a flings person and she can’t marry the two in her mind and risk the hurt. Strike needs to demonstrate that he can be a feelings and relationship person too (at least with the right person!) and I think he was trying to do so in THM but was stymied at every turn by his flings being broadcast everywhere.

Cannot believe myself … 🙄

Regarding DNA tests - in recent days I’ve found myself worrying about Eric Bloom. Because he has Strike’s hair. 3.am this morning found me down a Blue Oyster Cult fan websites rabbit hole. I’m pretty sure I’d never consciously heard of them two weeks ago - now their album Secret Treaties is blaring out of my speakers.

Anyway - I guess as he is a real person he’s not going to turn out to be Strike’s real father?

(What has happened to me???)

IIRC Strike did see the DNA test results - Bijou got them in an email and forwarded it to Strike.

Doesn’t mean she didn’t tamper with the sample though…

That was my concern - was the sample he gave her the one she actually sent off?

Did the test results confirm that Honbold was the father, or only that Strike wasn't?

They confirmed that Strike wasn't the father, it wasn't stated whether or not Honbold got a DNA test but unless Bijou was sleeping with someone else then she'll know that he is.

My view is that this is now done with, it's been proven that Strike isn't the father, he has email proof via the DNA test results that Bijou sent. I don't see that there is any value in using Bijou as a device for keeping Strike and Robin apart again in a later plot.

Loving all the theories - I think strike is
definitely not the Daddy. He saw the results - and the timing of their relationship always made it unlikely he was the father anyway. The nasty barrister just took the opportunity of the baby arriving early to suggest it wasn’t his to get out of CS payments.
Strike is definitely is Rokeby’s - he requested a DNA and then started to make payments to a fund for Strike that Leda tried to abuse

I agree @RubieChewsDay

But Strike was an idiot not to insist on organising the tests himself. Weird that he was controlling about the details of the meet up but not that!

I was a bit surprised (not sad) to see Matthew and Sarah didn't seem happier. I don't like them but they seemed a good match to me. They're both somewhat shallow and materialistic and they want a very conventional life, married with jobs like the ones they've got and kids. I thought that at least they had the same life goals, and now hopefully neither of them will be inflicted on anyone else!

I don't think Eric Bloom is Strike's father, I think he was just used to as a device as to why Rokeby didn't think Strike was his.

Could you imagine if after 8 books of 'he was the illegitimate son of Johnny Rokeby' it turned out he wasn't? It would be even more frustrating than book 8 ending on pretty much the same cliffhanger as book 7 😂

I do think Rokeby will die before the end of the series though, although I do hope that him and Strike spend more time together before he does.

As for Strike's other half siblings, the only one I really want to meet is Switch. I thought that this was going to be his book as Shanker brought him up in THM, but he wasn't mentioned in this book which makes me think he's being saved for book 10. I also wonder if his name was changed. I get the impression that Whittaker's grandparents were quite conventional and may have thought he'd fair better with something more traditional. I was thinking this as I was wondering if we'd already come across him, but that is probably a bit of a stretch.

I think they're just stuck in grind of being the parents of young children, also did Matthew really want Sarah or did he just enjoy her adoration and knowing that she wanted him. I'm sure she's less lovestruck over him now she actually has to live with him, so I suspect he's definitely missing an ego boost.

I think there was also the excitement of the illicit sneaking around. Now they have the drudgery of life as parents to small kids.

Also they never really dated openly or lived as a newly married couple as Sarah was pregnant before Robin and Mathew were divorced - in fact the need to divorce and remarry before the baby was what stopped Mathew being an arse about the divorce.

I’m surprised at people who say Strike was unpleasant in THM. I thought he was endearing. For the first time he was being honest with himself about his feelings for Robin and I loved to see it. He was hugely frustrated by the circumstances thwarting him and cross with himself for creating them. He didn’t get much opportunity to show the better side of his character, but he was up against it with Robin’s behaviour.

I don’t think Strike can be the father. Humbold refused a DNA test so there can be no positive sample to switch.

She could have switched for a sample from anyone else, simply to get a negative result for Strike. Honbold might take that as proof enough if he doesn't think there might be a third man involved.

Yes, handing a DNA sample to a proven manipulator wasn't Strikes finest hour. Possible bum biting in next outing.

I found the Land Rover sub plot really weird. Does Strike know that you can get a shag in any roadworthy vehicle if you put your mind to it.

Why wasn't DNA any use in identifying the body in the vault? I know it was addressed but I didn't find it that convincing.

Tyler was adopted so no parents to match DNA with.