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 think someone may have started a preamble thread for The Rose Field, @EverybodyLTB … And now I’m beginning to remember …

Ooh thank you! I’ll look for it, never even thought about seeking one out - I’ll need a safe space once I start reading 😭

I’d totally forgotten about the book of dust vol 3 in all the THM excitement. Meant to re-read the last one as I can’t really remember how it ended, but still re-reading THM so left myself short on time. Best speed myself up I think, still have 3 weeks!!

I’ve struggled with the book of dust whereas I devoured his dark materials

idk if it’s because I find Pullman more objectionable these days but I do find the latest books a bit more boring. But perhaps there was no coming back for me after splitting up will and Lyra.

Hmm I wondered if they might reunite one more time - seemed like there’s definitely a gap between worlds still open in this rose garden place (I may be talking nonsense though, I really can’t remember what happened at the end!)

The 2nd book of dust was one of the worst things I've ever read! Such a tedious ramble of anything that crossed his mind, I'd need some solid recommendations before attempting another - if we ever get it.

Any way I digress, just looked up when TRG will make it on TV and apparently its being filmed as we speak, expected in 2026. I was really unsure how they'd approach IBH with all the online dialogue so this should be more straight forward.

I'm relistening to the secret commonwealth and it is a real slog. I'm hoping it's setting us up for a really satisfying conclusion. See you guys on the Rose Field thread?

It’s not just me then! Idk I’m more inclined to trust JKR for any kind of happy ending. But yes I will go and join the rose field thread just to see things to their conclusion as I need closure.

I finished IBH on iPlayer last night. Not as bad as I thought albeit quite stupid ideas about how the internet works. Very excited for TRG.

Finished this yesterday. I read all the previous books in order, and enjoyed each one more than the last, until I got to this one. It probably falls somewhere in the middle for me.

The biggest issue was that I guessed the killer as soon as we met him, and was so sure that I actually felt disappointed about it for the rest of the book even though there were still so many surprises and so much to unravel.

The ending was pretty much what I expected and while I look forward to seeing them finally get together, I wish Strike wasn't so much older than Robin.

Why were you so certain?

From the beginning I wondered why the police were so certain that the body in the vault was actually the same person who had worked in the shop. That did not seem to have been proven.

When Strike and Robin went to find Dilys the local Billy Wright house was right on the same street, it was such a strong connection it felt like it could not be a coincidence and it would be almost too obvious for it to mean that Tyler was the victim.

Then when we met the killer and he was so hostile, then seemed so nice, that was a red flag that he was a bit of a chameleon, and as soon as his height was mentioned I thought it had to be him. The inside of his home and the fact that Robin and Strike were together when they first met him made me more sure.

I tried not to think too much about it though so was still surprised by sapphire and Chloe and how the vault murder actually took place.

Gosh you were really paying attention! I’m one of those who needs to reread without desperately trying to race to the big confession

the first two books I took notes and tried to keep track of all the characters and clues - gave that up by book 3! She surprised me every time until now.

love your user name. In case JKR reads this, I want to say - the in game chats really worked for me! found it thrilling to feel so totally immersed. Love the series, especially TIBH and TRG.

I really loved the in-game chats in Ink Black Heart too! I loved the way that whole story played with the fundamental problem of any detective story, which is about not knowing, at root, who people are and what they are like. I thought the way she drew out the sometimes quite bizarre mismatch between the way people conduct themselves in person with the way they conduct themselves online, and made that a part of a story about working out who might kill somebody was really clever. I thought it was a really thoughtful way of dramatising how people construct identities online, and how pretence and authenticity and ownership are all really difficult, in the online world, to pick apart. The other thing I liked about the in-game chats is that, very unusually for the Strike novels, we knew things that the detectives didn't know. Normally we only have whatever information Strike and Robin encounter or tell each other, but in Ink Black Heart we had access to lots of chats between, e.g. 'Paperwhite' and 'Morehouse', which made it a different sort of detective novel experience.

I enjoyed that in Ink Black Heart too.

Hmm … 😄 I’m only interested in things from the POV of Robin or Strike, so I’m afraid I skimmed the IBH in game chats!

In previous Strike novels there has been a really dislikeable character that I've wanted to be the killer, and who has appeared almost to be a caricature of a "type" that I'd expect JKR to have no affection for (and possibly of a real person who has crossed her), and who has turned out not to be the killer. I was expecting the same pattern in The Hallmarked Man, with the ridiculous and rather shudder-inducing New Age Old Man sort being set up to distract simple readers like me from the real killer.

Master of Misdirection, indeed!

This is the first book where I have correctly guessed the killer - though I had no idea how/why. It was the mention of his height and then the small bloody footprint - I was then sure it was the vertically challenged chippy guy, but not how he did it.

quite a few people have commented this now. I wonder if it was intentional? She really multiplied the mysteries in this one with all the candidates for the victim so perhaps gave away a few extra clues pointing to the killer as it took nothing away from all the other reveals to come.

I think each of them had a potential William Wright, it's just that more attention was drawn to the plaque (which served as a double bluff).

There was a freemason writer for Semple and was the other a silversmith?

I was impressed at the creation of the name as well!

Only once have I guessed the killer. It was the second book where there was a fire I think and then the agent was coughing? So I thought that must be the clue and it was her.

Liz Tassle in the Silkworm is the "cougha"
She burned her throat as she didn't protect herself from the fumes of the acid she used to deface the body of Owen Quine.

Good work guessing that killer!

I'm a bit obsessed with all the revisits in THM - some of them a bit oblique.

My fav is Midge getting it on with her ex's ex called Ellen. Remember the password to Midges ex's Dreks Game login (which Robin used to access the game after it was closed to new users) in the IBH was "IdRatherBeWithEllen". Clever! So Midge would have doubly enjoyed that liasion.

Nice to see Nick brother Spanner (IT guy) getting a mention - I think he's only been in one of the early books - Cuckoo's Calling? I get the feeling he will be back again.

Thanks I was so pleased with myself. Never had a clue in any of the other books including potter.

Certainly wasn’t expecting scabbers to be a dude!

Sharing my password all over the internet!!