(The complexities of Love and Other Mysteries)
Art & Words by Fanitsa Petrou
(Includes spoilers)
The mutual attraction between Strike and Robin is a delightful aspect of this book series that keeps the reader invested in their relationship. The will-they-won’t-they trope is one hell of a plot device to keep us interested and coming back for more, and this is a particularly delicious version, because the author took the time to craft these characters little by little, book by book, with such detail, elegance and humanity that we love them to bits.
The eighth Cormoran Strike novel, The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith (which is a pseudonym of JK Rowling), finds Strike and Robin trying to reveal the identity of a mutilated corpse that is found in a silver shop that specialises in Masonic artefacts. As they start looking closer, they realise that the murder victim could have been any one of four suspects who have gone missing. The writer devises several methods that render what would have been easily proven with DNA or fingerprints unprovable, making things more difficult for the two detectives.
Robin and Strike follow evidence that leads to many labyrinthine paths, as more and more characters are being introduced, each playing a part that unravels a hidden truth about the identity of the missing. Every clue branches out to ten more, on and on, before all stories are brought together and the mystery is revealed, each question answered, and the fate of all suspected victims made known. There are so many characters in this book, in fact, that unless you plan to read it in one go (that is to say, take 4 days off work to go through all 897 pages without stopping to breathe, eat or sleep), you might want to consider taking notes of all the names. Because if you read a few pages today, and a few more next week, you might be lost.
“Belief” systems and the way these are used, misused, and interpreted obviously fascinate JK Rowling as they play a significant role in the plot of her latest books in the series. In the Trouble Blood for example, we come across the symbolism of the Zodiac, The Tarot, and the theories on magic of Aleister Crowley; in the Ink Black Heart, we encounter the symbolic significance of runes; in the Running Grave, we are faced with religious symbolism in the workings of a cult, and in The Hallmarked Man, masonry: rituals, artefacts, ciphers and temples, as well as excerpts from masonic books, exists in the background while the story unfolds, adding another layer of mystery to the story.
Strike’s past is catching up with him in this book, as this case forces him to meet people who were related or closely connected to Charlotte, his now dead ex, and this brings memories and stirs up emotions he was forced to leave behind.
Even though J K Rowling’s world-creating abilities are unparalleled, and her talent for weaving insanely complex plots is a marvel, her strength also lies in her knack for writing natural and convincing dialogue (A quality that is actually not always a given when it comes to crime novelists). Aristocratic pompous fools, drug addicts, thugs, ageing beauties, Yorkshire moms, wannabe rock stars or sex traffickers, each part of England, each class, each voice is unique, each sounding genuine. Strike having a go at arrogant, rich, posh, narcissists, is particularly priceless. It started with his encounter with Tony Landry in The Cuckoo’s Calling, the very first book of the series, with that: “Mention my mother’s name again…” There is something deeply satisfying in the way he puts them in their place with the self-confidence of someone who remains unimpressed by their unearned power and inherited class privileges, and who is additionally disgusted by the way they often use these to trample all over those who lack them. Going through life assuming they deserve admiration, adoration, lenience, favours, and your time. His dressing down of that ridiculous (to my eyes at least, Stephen Fry-inspired) Lord Oliver Branfoot, and then of Tara (Charlotte’s mother), are so enjoyable! Almost as good as the one Strike saved for “Papa J” in the last chapters of The Running Grave (What an enjoyable scene that was!) I wish that we would get to see him address that despicable piece of work Valentine Longcaster, as well. (Robin was no match for his degree of upper-class nastiness)
This is, in short, one of the better ones, even though we could do with fewer mentions of Strike and Robin’s day-to-day routines: every beer consumed, every cup of “creosote”- coloured tea made, every take-out ordered, every cigarette lit and smoked, every pack of crisps opened, every bathroom visit made, every sip of coffee taken, they are all mentioned. That’s the only bit that can be seen as a minus about these books. (That and maybe the numberless references to Strikes’ “stub”. And his weight!) These occasional longueurs cannot possibly be there to fill space, as this author does not need it, since she has no shortage of ideas for plots and subplots (and subplots of the subplots). Her kind of uber-fertile mind that created the fantasy world of Harry Potter with such precision, sees things in such detail, that when she is placing her story in a contemporary “real”-life world, she can’t help herself I guess, and still sees things with the same, almost excruciating detail that can be exhausting, because this is a world we already know, that does not require this level of describing as a made-up world. This, yes, is probably unnecessary (especially for a work that is so accomplished otherwise), and it takes something away from it (at the same time as it adds girth to the volumes), but on the other hand, it also adds a sense of realism: it makes you smell the cigarettes, the beer, the take-out leftovers in the fridge, follow in their steps as they visit all those London pubs. Live their day, meet them in “real-time”, so to speak.
Wardle has left the police and is now part of the agency. Whether it is going to work remains to be seen, as he is obviously not used to by-passing proper police procedures and is reluctant, if not shocked, when asked to follow Strike’s unorthodox methods when faced with the guilty party. Kim Cochran is another addition to the group, and she seems set on seducing Strike. A social media user (who speaks for all of us) wrote, “I hated her the minute she stretched in front of Strike”. Well, Kim certainly has a lot of cheap tricks in her arsenal that would have worked on him quite effectively, actually, in any of the previous books.
Even though Strike is in this book set to change his life, the way he treated women in the past seems to be catching up with him, and he finds himself in trouble as one of his fuck-them-and-leave-them “girlfriends” decides to take her revenge, while another involves him in a pregnancy scare. This prompts him to rethink his own relationship with his father, who was found in a similar situation all those years ago, when Leda (Strike’s mother) got pregnant with him. The reconciliation of sorts that follows out of a necessity (Strike needs a lawyer recommendation from his father) at least half-opens the door for healing. The interaction between father and son is actually sweet, and Rokeby (who is possibly not as horrible as Strike imagined him to be) restores Leda’s memory, as he reveals that, despite the rumours, she was not a casual (and public) one-night stand for him.
The mutual attraction between Strike and Robin is a delightful aspect of this book series that keeps the reader invested in their relationship. The will-they-won’t-they trope (that special mix of sexual tension and antagonism, bad timing and fear, unfavourable circumstances and an inability to commit that feeds this volcanic fire that swallows hero and heroine, whole) is one hell of a plot device to keep us interested and coming back for more. It is often found in many of our favourite iconic pairings of “old time-y” TV: Sam and Diane (the ultimate will-they-won’t-they TV couple) on Cheers; Ross and Rachel on Friends; Daphne and Niles on Frasier; Lorelai and Luke on Gilmore Girls; Lee “Apollo” Adama and Kara Thrace on Battlestar Galactica (who remembers that soul crushing, heartbreaking boxing scene?); Maggy and Shawn on Psych, etc. In short, we’ve met it before, we know it well, but this is a particularly delicious version, because the author took the time to craft these characters little by little, book by book, with such detail, elegance and humanity that we love them to bits.
That is not to say that this prolonging is not getting too much by now, given that this is the 8th book, and readers are getting antsy. It’s a common enough problem. Because authors and screenwriters know that once the potential lovers finally get together, the story must either end or else they will have to dismantle their relationship and start anew. It’s a well-worn trope for a reason. Many TV shows, for example, had to be cancelled once the will-they-won’t-they aspect was gone, because ratings would plummet. This is because once the screenwriters spend a little time showing us the couple’s bliss, there’s not much they can do with them, other than portray their everydayness… This often prompts them to introduce new characters who come in to shake things up, to jeopardise the relationship, so that the same sequence will be played anew: jealousy / brief separation /reconciliation, etc. In short, the same old thing. It turns boring and the show is cancelled… So my guess is that she will keep the will-they-won’t-they until the last pages of the last book… Either way, we will follow in their steps.
That’s the thing about many female crime novelists: they create lovable characters for whom you feel affection! When was the last time you felt a warmth, a real connection with a character from a Jo Nesbo book, for example? Or from most male crime novelists’ books? Are their novels gritty? Well crafted? Sure. Complex and dark? No doubt. But the ‘lovable characters’ bit seems to often escape them. Now think of Jane Harber, Karin Slaughter, Ann Cleeves and yes, Robert Galbraith (who could only ever be a woman!) or that master of the genre, Tana French (those conversations in her last two books between Cal and the kid, alone!) Each relationship they craft, each character they create breaks your heart (and I don’t refer here to love stories necessarily, but to human interactions in general). The Strike novels keep us coming for more, for all that is happening between Robin and Strike, as much as for the intricate plotlines. Because JK Rowling breathed life into these two and made us feel affection for them, made us root for them. And she added humour, humanity, decency to the mix, making the unflinchingly gritty, dark (occasionally pitch-black dark) parts (and there are many), more bearable (though frankly, barely).
The road to love is not going to be easy for them, though. Thoughtful, hurt people are tough to pair up. Because they know about the cost. This is what’s keeping these two lovable characters apart. Wisdom is a scary, cold thing keeping us from jumping in, eyes closed, brakes unchecked, and we see it in both Robin and Strike. Though the latter seems more ready to enter the next phase. Not that he is good at it: in the first chapters, we are faced with a Strike whose inner monologue reveals him to be as immature as an obsessive teenager who plots how to get a girl alone. Yet isn’t that what is happening when you are in love? (“Is not general incivility the very essence of love?” to quote Austen). So, yes, we get to see Strike’s less-than-honourable side in this one. Scheming away, trying to get Robin alone on long road trips (that somehow never materialise) to declare his feelings for her, even though she is anything but available, sicne she is in a serious, committed relationship with another guy (Ryan Murphy), and as far as he knows, happy with him, given that they are planning to buy a house together, and therefore create a common future.
Independent people have specific needs. And therefore, a stubborn, well-justified resistance to the allure of romance. Because they are not as eager to pay the price. Women, especially, are, however, discouraged from such tendencies and are expected to find a guy and stay with him, no matter what. And if he happens to display the least amount of decency, then they are in his debt forever: Robin, who is also going through some growing pains in this book, sadly finds herself in the same situation as when she was with Mathew. Actually dreading spending time with her partner (Ryan Murphy), trying to downplay her work-related victories, lest he feels antagonistic or hurt (or start drinking), hoping he won’t ask her to live with him or marry him, yet doing absolutely nothing to get rid of him. Like many women out there, she rationalises her decision to stay in a relationship that does not fulfil her out of gratitude because he was good to her after she escaped that horrible cult (in the same manner that she stayed with Mathew because he stood by her after she was raped).
When she has a miscarriage, she somehow finds her courage, as she is faced with the urgency to decide whether or not she wants to be a mother: she actually hesitates! Because she knows that if she chooses motherhood, she will have to forgo her dream job for good. When she is pressured by Ryan (fucking) Murphy to follow the doctor’s recommendation and freeze her eggs because he will “support” her, she is outspoken and puts him in his place, telling him that his “support” is meaningless, pretty much, since she is the one who will have to go through the painful, invasive process, not him.
It’s a delight to see her finding the courage to say this very simple, very basic, rarely uttered truth about the realities of being a woman in this world. And about believing in her right to have a choice in the matter of motherhood. And it’s also a delight to see how far she has come from the days of Mathew, in this. While she was married to him, she would not even react each time he was making yet another one of those degrading “jokes” that revealed his true nature and his thinly disguised misogyny (Thank God you don’t always look like that – when she was in disguise – and the like). Back then, she would just let it pass. She would smile. And possibly do as she was told. But here we see her turning into an outspoken, brave, adult woman! She always had the type of courage that made her face serial killers, prompted her to jump in front of a train to help a stranger, or put her life at risk to save a little girl from her abuser. But this is a different kind of bravery that was not always there. (That is rarely “there” in everyday, real-life women as well). And it is very gratifying to see it in writing (more of this on a different article you can read here: “Whose Choice is it Anyway – Robin Ellacott’s Dilemma”)
We know, of course, that Ryan Murphy is nothing but a “Romantic False Lead” plot device. Someone who was brought in to play the part of the “obstacle” for a couple of books or so. To sabotage the chances of the two leads getting together and prolong our expectation by delaying their eventual union, feeding our interest in them. To prompt them (and us!) into anticipation. To ignite jealousy in Strike and, by that, “help” him realise that unless he steps up, he’s gonna lose her for good. And it works: In the last page, we finally see Strike running after her, shouting that he loves her, and offering a spring-of-the-moment kind of proposal, which she has trouble believing it to be real and not in fact made out of his desire not to lose her as a friend and/or business partner (aren’t fools in love, foolish?)
Admittedly, there is something deeply satisfying in a proposal that is refused, when made out of place, out of jealousy, out of spite, or when it is tinged with a degree of selfishness, possessiveness or even a desire to offend. Or, as in here, to stop a woman from marrying another guy. In Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, Jane refuses Mr Rochester; in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet refuses Mr Darcy; in Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South, Margaret Hale refuses Mr Thornton, etc. etc. Of course, these heroines accept the wedding proposals once the hero loses his vanity and male ego and is faced with realisations that bring humility, introspection, understanding, and we have every reason to believe that this is what is going to happen with these two as well, in the end.(Yes, female writers are good at creating what reality is stingy to offer. Namely, men who evolve – not to mention women who refuse to marry them unless they do…) Well, these two have two more books to sort all this out. And we will be here for it!
The idea of the male hero who is capable of evolving (and needs to) brings to mind an interesting bit in the Ink Black Heart novel (which remains my least favourite in the series – those small-font messages alone….), namely, a conversation Robin and Isla had about Strike: how it was acknowledged that his treatment of women was questionable. This is admittedly an annoying characteristic of the books: how the character of Strike is written from a male perspective, almost, while all the women are judged harshly in terms of their looks. There is a “beauty contest” hierarchy: Robin is beautiful, but not as beautiful as Charlotte, etc, while at the other end of the spectrum is poor Pat, who is actually described as “simian” (!) While when it comes to Strike, we are told again and again that he is an ugly, fat, disabled, unkempt, emotionally broken, commitment phobic, (who I imagine possibly smells of stale cigarettes and curry all the time), but has all these gorgeous, young, accomplished, intelligent, mostly upper class women fall on his feet the minute they meet him, and when he ends things, they all beg him to stay. In short, what if the protagonist of the piece were an ugly, fat, one-legged, unkempt, smelly woman in her 40s, with wild hair and no fashion sense, sleeping in her rundown office, overeating, drinking beer after beer and chain-smoking? Would she be presented as being irresistibly attractive to dozens of younger, gorgeous, sophisticated men, who would be running after her, book after book? Strike is decent, brave, moral, kind, confident and certainly lovable. But would a woman who has these same great qualities (and more) but looks like the one I’ve described above be written as being lovable, let alone desirable by hordes of men?
It’s a common enough trope in literature, movies, TV – given that all the above are always seen from a male perspective – even when women are doing the writing. That’s Patriarchy for you. Even feminist icons – and JK Rowling is undoubtedly one, God bless her for all she’s done for Women’s Rights! – can be affected by what it (Patriarchy) prescribes as acceptable: men (even when they are in their 70s) are seen as having the right to choose women on the basis of looks and age, and on top of that, to expect these same young gorgeous women will see beyond their own less than perfect looks/age and on top of that, disregard their limitations, their emotional immaturity, their inability to commit, etc., and see only their good, lovable qualities, while these same men are retaining the right to ignore the good, lovable characterists of a woman, and only judge her on the basis of her fuckability. So when Isla tells it like it is, it is a “phew!” moment, revealing that at least the writer is aware that she is doing it…
And that she has a plan for him.
***
Posted on the 26th of September, 2025. Art & Words Copyright © Fanitsa Petrou. All Rights Reserved. Feel free to share on social media by using the link. More Art: www.fanitsa-petrou.com
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On the same subject, read also:
“Whose Choice is it Anyway – Robin Ellacott’s Dilemma”)
