The Hallmarked Man (2025) is the eighth novel in the Cormoran Strike/Robin Ellacott private detective series. The story begins a few months after the events of
The Running Grave (2023) which saw Robin undercover at Chapman Farm, exposing the wrongdoings of a cult. She is still recovering from the trauma of that case, supported by her business partner Strike and her police officer boyfriend Ryan Murphy.
A new case comes to the agency. Decima Mullins is convinced a man murdered in the vault of a silver shop is her missing boyfriend, Rupert Fleetwood. Mullins hires the detectives to prove it was him, as she knows Fleetwood would not have left her. The police think they have identified the mutilated body as Jason Knowles, a member of a crime family. If the detective agency were to prove the police got it wrong, Strike would find himself showing up the Met again. To make matters worse, Mullins and Fleetwood have ties to people in Strike's past, and there may be a Masonic element to the murder, so they need to tread carefully. As they start their enquiries, Strike and Ellacott discover that there are a number of candidates for the mutilated body in the silver shop and they need to rule out each one before they can give Mullins the answer she needs.
While they are on the main case, the agency's team of investigators are spread across a number of other matters - tailing a woman to find evidence of infidelity, following a man who may be taking advantage of his elderly mother - and this helps propel the story forward. Back are the familiar faces of Dev, Midge, Wardle, Barclay and Pat, the curmudgeonly office manager who is one of my favourite characters. Joining the team is Kim Cochran, ex-police detective, who has her eyes on Strike.
But the heart of the series is the relationship between Strike and Ellacott, which has evolved over their seven years working together. They secretly have feelings for one another, but continually second guess whether the other shares their affections. Strike is determined to find just the right time to profess his love for Robin, but this is complicated as she has been getting closer to her boyfriend Murphy. Strike also has to deal with his nemesis, journalist Dominic Culpepper, who is determined to undermine Strike in the press.
The Hallmarked Man is an action-packed pageturner of a novel. Rowling expertly juggles multiple plot lines, bringing them all together in a gripping conclusion. In addition to familiar London locations - Denmark Street, the Blind Spot secret bar, Freemasons Hall and other stomping grounds - we are taken to Crieff, Yorkshire, Shropshire, Sardinia and Sark in the Channel Islands.
As I have done with the past few novels in this series, I read my hardcover along with listening to the audiobook expertly performed by Robert Gleinister. He perfectly captures Strike, Ellacott and all the characters, adding drama and excitement to the telling of this tale.
Rowling knows how to leave her readers wanting more. The Hallmarked Man, like the previous novels, ends in a delectable cliffhanger. Let's hope she is already working on number nine and we don't have to wait too long to find out what happens next!
My reviews of previous books in the series are available on this blog:
