The Ink Black Heart: Chapters 94-100: Madz's swan song, Aeschylus, bad medical news, an awkward Facetime and a vastly inferior sofa.

I decided this blog post deserves its own epigraph. 

When she says she wants forgiveness
It's such a clever masquerade
She's so good with her stiletto
You don't even see the blade--  Billy Joel

Looking back at the Madwoman's attack at Denmark Street, I was struck by the description: 

Her silver high heels and short metallic dress suggested she'd come straight from a party or, perhaps, the launch of some book, album or beauty product; somewhere, at least, where people go to be seen, and photographed, and reassured they were important. 

Given that Mads will later text that she had just run into Charlotte, MiLady Berzerko was presumably there at this VIP event. I wonder what Charlotte said that set her off?  Mads must have told Charlotte pretty quickly after the breakup (Saturday evening) since Charlotte already knew on Tuesday (as seen on Strike's visit to Jago) and Mads turns up on Denmark Street on Wednesday. Could Charlotte have been gushing on how helpful Strike had been in getting her dirt on Jago? Or did she trash-talk her ex, going on about how he was a user and a gold-digger? Which would have upset Mads more? 

Considering Mads' wake-up present to Strike on the morning after Comicon, him saying that Charlotte was "gagging for him" was a little.... weird.

The mention of Landon Dormer is also interesting: evidence Charlotte was lying through her teeth to Jago about there being nothing between them-- and, of course, they will be a public couple by the time of A Running Grave. But this is Charlotte, so what else can we expect? In any case, the Denmark Street encounter goes badly, ending with Mads' stiletto heel implanted in Strike's bad leg, Strike literally crawling through a gutter, then her tearful begging for his forgiveness. Strike makes the smartest love-life choice we've seen of him to date and tells her to f*ck off. 

Schedule for the Pre-Hallmarked Man reread of The Silkworm.

 

The Ink Black Heart re-read is drawing to a close, and I'm gearing up for the next in the series, Book #2: The Silkworm.  Anyone who would rather listen than read should check out the series the The Strike and Ellacott Files Podcast are doing on this book right now.  They are about halfway through, with Strike and Robin taking off for Devon in the last episode. I am particularly appreciating their look at the epigraphs, as they are teaching us a lot about the plays they came from, and how they thematically connect to the book.  Fascinating stuff!

To be honest, I am looking forward to shorter posts for this much shorter book!

Here is the schedule: 

• Tues. April 8:  Ch. 1-6
• Sat. April 12: Ch. 7-9
• Tues. April 15: Ch. 10-13
• Sat. April 19: Ch. 14-17
• Tues. April 22: Ch. 18-21
• Sat. April 26: Ch. 22-24
• Tues. April 29: Ch. 25-27
• Sat. May 3: Ch. 28-29
• Tues. May 6: Ch. 30-34
• Sat, May 10: Ch. 35-37
• Tues. May 13: Ch. 38-40
• Sat. May 17: Ch. 41-43
• Tues. May 20: Ch. 44-46
• Sat. May 24: Ch. 47-50

The Ink Black Heart, Chapters 86-93: Bye-bye Charlotte, bye-bye Buffypaws and hello, Mads.

So, Strike and Robin return to London and to the Z Hotel near Denmark Street. Unlike the Marine Hotel of Whitstable, Robin does not enjoy her stay here, though Strike seems to find it an improvement over his drafty attic. Everyone arrives for a team meeting in the hotel cafe, and Midge brings the welcome news that the first Mrs. Jago Ross is going to file for sole custody of the daughters. Again, it seems a bit strange Strike didn't tell Robin that was part of the plan all along; she might have been less resentful of the case if he had just said, "If we can get evidence of abuse, we can both neutralize him and maybe persuade the girls' mother to go back to court to get them back with her full time." 

Strike also has the decency to thank the others for sticking with their business in the face of the terrorist threat. There is a bit of grumbling over the workload that Anomie is still imposing, but Strike, in what turns out to be very bad timing, assures them Robin will be in the moderator's channel soon. He also tells the team he plans to go see Jago Ross that evening, but gives no details.

The Ink Black Heart, Chapters 79-85: Unexpected Echos to Career of Evil.

Ring structure predicts connections between The Ink Black Heart and The Silkworm, and there are certainly many. (See here,  here and here.)  But, during this mid-section of the book, lots of connections to Career of Evil start popping up, as well, enough that I once wondered if this book wasn't originally intended as #5 in the series. (see here, here, and here for more of my now-discarded 5-6 flip idea). The getaway at the Marine Hotel is Strike and Robin's first overnight away together since the  Travelodge of Barrow-in-Furness in Career of Evil, and is one of the more feel-good segments of the series, for everything except Strike's leg. Some highlights:

• Robin swapping keys with Strike so he can have the ocean view room.* 
• Strike dumping Madeline. 
• Robin's double-take and glance at the prosthesis as Strike tells her his leg "keeps moving of its own bloody accord."
• Robin having what must be the most productive three hours of her detective career, making the Fiendy = Penny Peacock = @rachledbadly = Rachel Ledwell connection and setting the groundwork to meet with Rachel in person through a new @stopanomie Twitter account. 
• What sounds like delicious food and Rioja wine in the hotel restaurant.
• The dining room also includes the "corrugated white coral" decor, the sun-bleached element I predicted would occur as the "dry albedo" element to the "wet nigredo" that was Troubled Blood.
• In the Book 7 midst of her misery at Chapman Farm, Robin would recall visiting seaside towns with Strike, "especially the dinner in Whitstable: the white coral on the mantlepieces set against the slate-coloured walls, and the sight of Strike laughing opposite her, framed against a window through which she watched the sea turning indigo in the fading light."

The Ink Black Heart: Chapters 71-78. Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

 

"Well, if everyone had your powers of observation and quick reactions, Mrs. Chauncey, our jobs would be a hell of a lot easier."

This police officer says it all. Pat shows her awesomeness not only because of her quick thinking with the parcel, but also with her observational skills, which rival the ones Robin showed when she got the severed leg. Robin echoed another CoE scene (Strike with Rona Laing's mother) when she fetched her a glass of medicinal port. 

But the fact that she has now faced physical danger alongside them, even though that is not an expected part of being an office manager, puts Pat on a similar footing to Robin, who had her own first life-saving and life-risking experiences in The Silkworm. She also connects with Strike as she shares about the death of her uncle in the Troubles: 

"Wrong place, wrong time. Hard to get your head around. Well, I don't need to tell you that."

The Ink Black Heart: Chapters 65-70: Lots of Highgate and a bomb. Plus: when did Hartella learn the truth about Lord Drek?

This section includes three chapters that are almost entirely Robin's adventures in the Highgate area; between her tour of the cemetery, her visit to Northgrove, her drink with Pez and her surveillance at Zoe's place, she covers quite a lot of ground and suspects. There's also one brief moderating chat and of course, the bombing.  A few other tidbits tossed in include Robin's invitation to be a moderator, her failed attempt to let Hugh Jacks down easily and Nutley's update on Kea, which leads Strike to the accusations on Reddit. 

Chapter 65 opens with one of Strike's very useful summary emails, which help us readers keep track of the many suspects in a Robert Galbraith book. The first time I read his "We're running out of original suspects" line I thought maybe they should be looking at someone already eliminated and guessed that Anomie might be played by more than one person, though I assumed the persona had been a group effort from the start, not something recent. But, after all, if people can take turns being Buffypaws, why not Anomie? 

At the office reading this email, Robin, while making plans to visit Highgate Cemetery before the North Grove art class, gets the welcome invitation to become a moderator and the unwelcome reminder from Pat that she needs to call Hugh Jacks and make her disinterest clear. She makes that call from the Highgate courtyard while waiting for her tour. 

Regarding Hugh Jacks: If I were Robin, Cousin Katie's invitation to my next wedding would be contingent on proof that she has managed to set Hugh up on a date with one or more of the following: 1) Irene Hicks-- with the meal including lamb bhuna 2) Tempest 3) Yasmin 4) Mazu Wace 5) Matthew's Aunt Sue or 6) Kea, with her mom and Ozzie the Cockatoo as chaperones. I would include Marguerite among the choices but I don't think Robin ever met her. 

The Ink Black Heart, Chapters 58-64: Was Edie originally killed on the Sleeping Angel?

Part four begins with a moderators' conversation that is especially interesting to re-read.  Morehouse is calling Paperwhite, fairly panicked because of his fears that Anomie has disposed of Vilepechora and that Vilepechora was not joking about Anomie using Bitcon to buy a taser and machete to kill Edie and Josh. I would love to know what was going through Gus's head at this; I doubt he was expecting Vikas to make the connection. Vikas could certainly have acted on his suspicions and contacted the authorities without consulting his online girlfriend, and then Gus would have been in quite a pickle. How fast did he have to think to have "Paperwhite" fear for her safety, and get Morehouse to agree to the wait and see approach?

Interesting that Paperwhite's suggestion that Morehouse "keep him sweet" is the same phrase Jasper Chiswell used about Geraint Winn in regard to his charity trustees. 

It is a little surprising to me that Strike was not more proactive when he realized the injured man was likely Halvening member  Algiz/ @Gizzard_Al. At the very least, I would have expected him to call Robin and warn her they both might be targets as soon as her name was released. He also could have alerted Murphy and possibly gotten help from him (and MI5's Angela Darwish) to prevent her name from being released at all. It might not have helped, but what did he have to lose?