Strike versus Aamir, Bobbi Cunliffe's Debut and Robin's Liberation: Lethal White Read-along, Ch.. 46-55 (Part 6 of 8)

As is typical of Strike books, the pace picks up as we approach the end.  I am going to make only a few brief comments on the key points, before I get to my favorite chapter of the section, 55, where Robin finally walks out on the Flobberworm. 

Like Strike, I cringe a bit when he gets rough with Aamir, but the revelation of yet another white horse certainly is a relevant clue. I love the Bobbi Cunliffe persona, and she obviously did a great job at winning Flick's trust, and Jimmy's, who called her "the real deal." Come to think of it, Barclay has done a fine undercover job here, too, seemingly becoming Jimmy's right-hand man (or at least the one he trusts to help him search Flick's apartment) in a relatively short time. Either this is evidence of how great Robin and Barclay are at their jobs, or Jimmy's pretty gullible for a radical leftie activist. 

I love when Strike dances around a major insight during the Chinese food debriefing with Robin.  

Disliked by his soldiers, revered by his father: could Freddie be the thing that Strike sought, the element that tied everything together, that connected two blackmailers and the story of a strangled child? But the notion seemed to dissolve as he examined it, and the diverse strands of the investigation fell apart once more, stubbornly unconnected.

Freddie is, of course, the White Horse that haunts the story, both the source of Billy's trauma and the reason for Geraint's grudge against the Chiswells. 

I must admit, I get less sympathetic with Lorelei with every re-read. As I said last post, she forgot the rule about ultimatums; you have to be prepared to accept either choice. She asked Strike whether he wanted the relationship enough to "try another way," provided him with a 3000-word list of things he would have to change and then acted surprised when he said, "no." We see another great example of Robin's discretion when she sees the "restaurants and brothels" line and doesn't say anything about it. 

Strike's visit to Drummond's Gallery packs a double-whammy, not only giving him important background on the Chiswells but connecting him with Charlotte again.  This is, I think, her single longest scene in the series to date, and one that truly shows her as the conniving liar that she is. It's also the source of the oft-repeated error that Robin bought Strike his collapsible stick. 

The description of Flick's party reminded me just how much I hated those types of parties as a college student, the few times I attended. I thought this time around how the upper class kids might sneer at the squalor associated with them: overcrowded dance floors, quick sex in the bathroom, non-functioing plumbing that forces people to do their business outside, people vomiting in the alley. But, when you think about it, far worse went on at the rich kids' parties: the abuse of Rhiannon Winn, the drugging of little Billy, the strangling of Raphael. And Raff enjoyed a couple of quickies in the loo himself, and while on the job.

I wondered on this re-read when exactly the gallows were sold. We are told Chiswell received payment for them "last year" but selling them would have been made illegal 6 years ago. It is implied that they were in storage for some time after Jack O'Kent died, which we were told was "years ago."  Unless the Zimbabwe government was really slow in paying up, it appears Chiswell did indeed sell them after the EU ban was in place. Ergo, his many claims of "I broke no law" were lies. 

I felt even worse for Aamir after Della's revelations. I wonder if she will be able to salvage her political career after all this. 

Onto Chapter 55:  Many years ago, right after the publication of LW, I was on a podcast and had a great conversation wit Beatrice Groves about how similar Robin's departure from Matthew was to the climax of another Ibsen work: A Doll's House.  This is probably the most famous "leave your lover" scene in theatre:

Helmer. Then there is only one possible explanation.

Nora. What is that?

Helmer. You do not love me any more.

Nora. No, that is just it.

Helmer. Nora!—and you can say that?

Nora. It gives me great pain, Torvald, for you have always been so kind to me, but I cannot help it. I do not love you any more.

See how similar it is to Robin's speech to the Flobberworm:

“Robin," he said, suddenly earnest, "we can get through this. If we love each other, we can.”

“Well, the problem with that, Matt," said Robin, "is that I don’t love you any more.”

I remember both cheering and sighing with relief as Robin drove away in her cab. She's got a long road ahead of her, and two years until she's officially divorced, but the liberation has begun.