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 Robin may be heading for a breakdown. I don't think she'll be with Ryan or Strike in the next book. Strike will be steadfast and kind (on the whole) and prove himself to her in the end.

I agree. Robin thinks she wants a conventional relationship and an unconventional career. It doesn't really matter whether it's Matthew or Ryan as long as the shape of it is what she thinks a relationship will be. It's why she can't cope with her feelings for Strike, because his idea of relationships thus far has been very different.

But Strike doesn't want any of that, he only wants Robin - so I don't think he'll find anyone else, unless he temporarily goes on a shag fest to get over her rejection.

I think Book 9 will be Robin getting some proper therapy, Prudence will tell Strike he needs to give Robin some space, and then by the end (or in book 10) they will finally get together.

Strike will cash in his trust fund and buy a beautiful flat/house somewhere, and they will all live happily ever after. They will get some fish.

*bangs gavel.

I also think she will realise that she needs some space to heal and won’t be with anyone. Hopefully she’ll be sensible enough to tell Strike it’s not no, it’s just not yet so he doesn’t move on. The tension was so much better when they were both single (troubled blood). I’m sure there’s a lot more drama to come though. I don’t think the emotional angst of Robin’s breakdown can have much more mileage as the reader does need to enjoy what they’re reading to some extent!

I think Strike is pragmatic enough that if told no/not now he'll put his feelings aside and carry on being a good work partner. He's likely to have a quiet period with no romantic entanglements at all, meanwhile Robin will be noticing and letting herself believe in him. Then she'll jump his bones declare her own feelings at some point to his absolute delighted surprise.

She already has declared her feelings in reality. She didn't tell him she didn't feel the same, she was angry with his timing, and that she didn't believe he meant it.

I don't think either of them can take it back now.

I think Robin is already in the middle of a breakdown, the next book will be her putting herself (with help) back together. Her and RFM can't last even if she does accept his proposal, although I don't think she will. I'm not sure at this point if she's even going to make it to the Ritz.

Yes true. But she's still soldiering on. She hasn't yet reached the point of accepting she's not functioning.

JUST finished - the book came in late to our local bookshop. Will now go back and rtft, but loved Strike meeting his dad at long last, speaking straight to Robin at long last, and becoming a diligent pet owner at long last. Though I hope he'll work up to something furrier than goldfish.

Hopefully if Murphy proposes and Robin accepts, the sweary, directive new therapist will ask and have some things to say about it!

The parent thing is featured in Rokeby himself and his story, and his pointing out to Strike that he had a grandfather who would have liked him and approved of him. But also in the tender care for the fish, and Cormoran's changing self-image both via his parents having had a 'real' relationship, and his coming to care about black lumpy-headed piscine Cormoran.

Its all about our finny friends.

In the 'feeling betrayed by both author and character' department, the carbonara sauce wtaf? But the home-made illegal but effective pepper spray was goo

I look forward to Robin getting therapy.

Lots of anticipation and excitement for Sweary Therapist on the thread. Is anyone else imagining that she’s going to be a version of J K Rowling herself telling Robin exactly what she needs to hear?

Not sure if this falls under character development or continuity issues, but I noticed that Strike was drinking on the job this time (at the evening do with Kim, and several other times) which I am sure was explicitly stated from the first book that he never did. Did this change at some point and I missed it being explained?

I think Robin may skip the Ritz and head straight for the airport. It was mentioned on Sark and during her brief trip to Italy that she was craving an escape to somewhere sunny. Then come back to start with the sweary therapist when she's available.

Gosh, Career of Evil is a tough read. The TV adaptation wasn’t even close. I don’t usually read slasher literature, and I’m pretty certain if it had been the first Strike volume I encountered I’d never have read any others. Only persevering for the more fully explained personal stories of Strike and Robin.

Kindle tells me I’m 33% through the book. Have had to open the weekend wine to get through it …

A tip, skip the sections preceding some chapters where you get the killer's POV. They are absolutely gruesome and add nothing to the mystery or the character backstories. I definitely skipped them on rereads, can't remember if I did the first time around.

I can't see Strike and Robin having fish, but I could see Robin getting a dog (maybe a rescue, or one of those where they have been bred as police/guide dogs but they fail the initial training) for company/emotional support/protection that she ends up getting really interested in the training of with her psychology background and trains to have some of the characteristics of a police dog, so it comes along on investigations with them and helps solve aspects of cases.

The new Land Rover is missing its liberal coating of dog hair. And Strike is clearly the type to pretend to be annoyed with the dog just to end up falling head over heels in love with it. It can also help him lose weight by forcing him on walks all the time.

We have Shanker to thank for the charm bracelet.
at the pub in Clapham Junction Strike says he hopes Shanker wasn’t looking to him for relationship advice. shanker tells Strike the good advice his father gave him “jewellery- women love it, can’t resist it & they will think of you every time they see it “.

Thanks, @BertieBotts - but skipping those sections wouldn’t, so far, have spared me the appalling details of what the suspects had done to women, children and animals in the past.

I have to say this entire series has been a real lesson for me on the realities of living with a lower limb prosthesis. Strike’s constant, ongoing pain and the sheer misery of managing his life with it is remarkably different to the TV sport narrative of prizewinning sportspeople with billion dollar, technologically advanced additions that turn them into superhumans.

It is hard to understand why, if he always had money available from Rokeby, neither he nor his medical advisers ever looked into getting something more advanced that might cause him less discomfort

@PeanutGallerist I agree about the reality of living with living with prosthesis. There is a young man called Billy Monger who lost his legs in a motor racing accident. He had a go fund me and has said how much of a difference having the ability to buy a variety of prosthesis makes to him. He is a remarkable man as are his family, there are several documentaries about him and he has a YouTube channel.

I can’t see Strike setting up a Go Fund Me page …

He refused to take Rokeby's money

Didn’t he borrow some to set up his business? I’d have thought a prosthesis that supported an active lifestyle might also be a priority.

(You’re welcome, JKR! Maybe take pity on him in the next book and arrange an upgrade?)

Maybe he has just never really looked into it? I can imagine when it first happened he might have just been desperate to get out of the hospital and not really taking the info in.

That said I don't know what information amputees are routinely given - if the NHS only covers a basic prosthesis, it would seem a bit unfair to wave catalogues at people in case they can't afford the better options. But maybe they do say that it's an option to upgrade to something more advanced later on if the person wants to? I don't know anybody with a limb difference.

I imagine it’s like walking sticks or wheelchairs - you leave hospital with the most basic NHS provided model, and have to pay if you want / need anything better?

Oddly enough I used to know a woman, then middle aged, who led a very active lifestyle with a lower limb prosthesis. (Saw lots of photos of her playing tennis and riding in her younger years, we went on five mile walks together, and her job required long hours on her feet.) I don’t recall her suffering day to day in the way Strike does - though she had lost her limb in childhood, which perhaps made a difference? She was considerably wealthier than he is portrayed as being, so perhaps consequently had a better prosthetic leg. Or received more regular care.

Ive just finished. Ms Rowling I could really go off you. DH is cross with me as he deems a sharp intake of breath a "spoiler"