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!

Or certain other gc women. I could imagine her being an amalgamation of several of them, but a bit like Professor McGonagle, with swears.

Helen Joyce! Julie Bindel (or Burchill!). Defo.

I think Strike brings a few leg problems on to himself by not resting, not managing his weight etc. and doing a job which can get really physical with the occasional chase, fight etc.

Yes. I'm contrasting his realisation that Robin having a Landrover is a valid business asset but not noticing that his having a state-of-the-art leg would be too,

Absolutely!

I wonder if Strike has ever considered a bone-anchored prosthesis. It seems like it would be ideal for his active life, but he'd definitely need to sort out his weight and smoking.

Very true!

It does seem particularly cruel that his workplace and living space must be accessed via many, many metal stairs. And he always intends to, but never does, ask the landlord to fix the lift.

(A real Robin would definitely have sorted out the lift pdq.)

Truthfully, she’s made him more than a bit of a masochist … (Or just a bog standard MN martyr …)

Pp mentioned Billy Monger above, when he was on Race Across the World, he had Strike-esque difficulties with his prosthetics IIRC. Really was an eye opener about how, even for a young competitive go-getter like Billy, they were such a hindrance. Him and his sister were amazing, so driven and supportive of each other.

I wonder if Robin might go back to (a different) university to finish her degree? Or move straight on to an MA / MSc given her established expertise in detection? In IBH she expresses a liking for Cambridge …

Maybe, to go back to the much discussed and brilliant stairwell thesis advanced earlier on the thread (I’m so sorry I’ve forgotten who suggested it, someone please credit her!) Cormoran and Robin will finally have a much overdue snog in the newly mended lift, symbolising the fact that they’ve finally worked out how to stop making life so unnecessarily difficult 😂

I reckon Strike's prosthetic leg is symbolic of his life struggles (his childhood, his toxic relationship with Charlotte etc). It's the albatross around his neck, metaphysically speaking. I predict that when he and Robin finally get together she will persuade him to get a bespoke prosthetic that fits him perfectly - symbolic of how perfectly Strike & Robin fit together.

Well … Having just finished my second reading of THM (after re-watching all the TV adaptations and reading all the previous books for the first time) it seems pretty clear that Strike is nowhere near ready for a proper relationship. At least, not with someone like Robin.

So I’m hoping there will be something that stymies any rapid romantic progression in the next book. Beyond Robin’s therapy - maybe university for her. Or perhaps an unmissable opportunity to work (temporarily) at some far flung private detective practice or police operation, maybe in Europe or America, as she wanted to travel and get away from everything.

Couldn’t help laughing at whichever character suggested the establishing of a rival Murphy & Murphy agency. Though it’ll never happen.

I don’t really see how they could carry on as they are, though. Something will have to change.

Just finished the book whilst on me jollies.

Enjoying reading this thread but only up to page 4.

Shameless Placemarking

So I’m hoping there will be something that stymies any rapid romantic progression in the next book.
There will be because narrative causality. I think I would like it to be Robin's own choice not external influences. It's time she took charge.

I will be unhappy if we have yet another book of them not getting together!

Agree, JKR should stop teasing her readers and let these two consummate their lust for one another.

I'm.hoping for end of book 9 - can't see "and then they had a nice shag" at the beginning of a book! And not healthy for robin to fall out of one relationship straight into another. Strike will be happy as long as she dumps Murphy, and then he can be gentlemanly and pretend he doesn't know perfectly well she fancies the pants off him, until she's good and ready. And whatever deadly drama book 9 has in store for them can convince Robin she doesn't want to wait any longer.

Yeah. My money’s on her pashing him impulsively after rescuing him from a near-death situation and never looking back.

Gah I would love that but pleeeeease don't let it happen on the last page. Like 70-90% of the way through would be perfect.

Now that you mention it I could easily imagine that the last page would see her gazing hesitantly at him and maybe saying ‘Strike -‘ and the book then ending, leaving is wondering wtf is going to happen, with the pash taking place on page 1 of book 10 😂

We all know what she’s like. It’s Hermione and Ron all over again

I’m still pushing the ‘5 years later post Covid happily ever after’ epilogue theory.
I don’t think we will see much of them actually together sadly.

We all know what she’s like. It’s Hermione and Ron all over again

Lol, I'm thinking more Harry and Ginny - they get together but things go wrong and they spend some of the last book separate again.

RoseAndGeranium noooooo😂

Except Harry and Ginny never had any chemistry 😂