I don’t believe for one minute that Murphy is working the steps of AA. He’s fallen off the wagon and has to go back to square one, if he was engaging with the steps he would know that making big moves is considered a mistake while in recovery. He should be working on regaining trust and prioritising his sobriety off his own back, not hitching his wagon (‘scuse the pun!) to another person to bolster his sobriety. So I think anyway he’s lovebombing Robin and doesn’t take real responsibility for his lying and scheming.
That said, Robin is dragging him along unfairly and needs to stop everything she’s doing. Literally everything, and only do therapy for a while.
Strike has made huge mistakes with women, and his interpersonal relationships are a bit poor, but at least he’s now facing things head on and knows who the fuck he is. Robin is in an understandable mess and needs to wipe her slate clean by herself, no Murphy, and Strike only as a friend.
I want the next book to be more of the slow burn, where they’ve agreed she needs space and they both wont date any randoms, but just stay friends and work the next big case while Robin heals emotionally. I think Strike is on his way to finding some contentment with his life and his circumstances, and will get there through experience, without therapy. Robin is too highly affected by what’s happened in her life, bordering on a complete breakdown, and needs more acute support and intervention.
I would like to see, while everyone’s coming to terms with who they are and what they want from life, for Strike to find something out about his mum, something to put him at peace. For all the brainpower they put into solving crimes, could they go back in time and investigate her death properly. Not literally go back, I mean investigate as a cold case. They all need to face up to their horrible experiences, find peace, then they’re ready to be together.