THE HALLMARKED MAN (2025) ****
by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)
This paperback edition published by Sphere, 2025, 897pp
ISBN: 978-1-4087-2378-4
Blurb: A dismembered corpse is discovered in the vault of a silver shop. The police initially believe it to be that of a convicted armed robber – but not everyone agrees with that theory. One of them is Decima Mullins, who calls on the help of private detective Cormoran Strike as she’s certain the body in the silver vault was that of her boyfriend – the father of her newborn baby – who suddenly and mysteriously disappeared. The more Strike and his business partner Robin Ellacott delve into the case, the more labyrinthine it gets. The silver shop is no ordinary one: it’s located beside Freemasons’ Hall and specialises in Masonic silverware. And in addition to the armed robber and Decima’s boyfriend, it becomes clear that there are other missing men who could fit the profile of the body in the vault. As the case becomes ever more complicated and dangerous, Strike faces another quandary. Robin seems increasingly committed to her boyfriend, policeman Ryan Murphy, but the impulse to declare his own feelings for her is becoming stronger than ever.
Comment: This is the eighth book in Rowling’s Cormoran Strike series of detective novels, and it is an absorbing read. Weighing in at a mere 897 pages, the book has, believe it or not, reversed the trend of ever-increasing page counts in the series. Despite its once again hugely excessive length, the book somehow manages to keep you in its grip. As usual, Rowling has combined the major plot with a couple of subplots geared around the cases the agency is currently managing. Alongside this, we get to see some progression in the Strike/Robin relationship, which is guaranteed to ensure healthy sales of the follow-up book. The three cases keep our detective team busy, and readers may have some difficulty in keeping up with all the key characters. The main plot concerns the mystery surrounding a dismembered corpse found in the basement of a masonic antique shop and is full of twists and turns. Rowling has fashioned a well-crafted mystery and populated it with great characters. The series continues to go from strength to strength and will certainly more than satisfy its fans.
