The Ink Black Heart, Chapters 38-43: Jessica meets Zoe; Strike takes a tumble.

 

Strike and Madeline's liaison in Chapter 38 is notable for three things.  First, and expected, Charlotte is sh*t-stirring, doing what she can to disrupt Strike and Madeline's relationship and arouse jealousy of Robin. Second, and more unexpected, we learn that throwing breakable objects was something Strike did during rows with Charlottes, something I had previously assumed was, like the physical aggression, exclusively Charlotte's MO. Third, we get further indication that this relationship is not especially good for Strike. Trying to avoid more discussion of Robin and Charlotte, he chooses to sleep in his prosthesis, further aggravating the already irritated skin of his stump. 

Strike and Robin's meet-up in Chinatown happened in Gerrard's Corner, a place I saw on my 2023 trip to London did not sample. Seeing Robin eat noodles gave me a weird feeling, knowing what her stay at Chapman Farm in the next book is going to do to her appetite for that particular food. Something similar happens when Strike passes on information from Wardle about how Philip Ormand's wife left him while he was still on the police force, given that Wardle will find himself in a similar situation the next year. Another connection to Lethal White comes up with the resurrection of Venetia Hall as an education-focused journalist. I wonder if Venetia will reappear in THM?

But for now, we're going to meet another one of Robin's alter-egos, Jessica Robbins, North Grove art student. BTW: I thought the TV series did a great job of depicting her as she was described in the text, just as they did with Bobbi Cunliffe. 

This is certainly one of the more productive undercover missions Robin has been on, as she spies the stained glass window that is a probable source for the Anomie name, lays the groundwork for future conversations with Pez Pierce and, most importantly, connects with Zoe Haigh, who proves as eager to talk as her moderator Worm28 character. It is a relief, after all the toxicity our heroes have encountered in the fandom, to meet someone as genuine as Zoe who has a genuine love for the cartoon and for whom it was a literal lifesaver. I was concerned that Robin's decision not to keep "Jessica" consistent (telling Pez she was unfamiliar with TIBH; telling Zoe she loved it) would come back to haunt her, but thankfully it didn't. 

Chapter 41 begins with three ominous signs: Strike's stump is continuing to deteriorate, he is forced to rehire Stuart "Taxi-smasher" Nutley, and a stressed-out Madeline pressures him to come to her launch, and does not seem entirely sincere in her agreement that him showing up afterwards is sufficient. It seems, as Strike sets out tailing Wally and MJ and notices a big guy with a rune tattoo apparently on a similar mission, that the scene is set for disaster. The fall in the pub and the encounter with Thurisaz in the gents seem to be the inevitable playing out. Strike gets away, but at the cost of a really buggered leg. 

One thing that is clear from Strike's follow-up about the encounter with Murphy is that, at this point, he seems to like and even trust the guy, to the point of self-reporting his assault on Thurisaz. The anger of the subcontractors at their boss's incapacitation seems harsh, but also a bit of poetic justice given Strike's over-reaction to Andy Hutchins' MS attack in Lethal White. Nice to see Pat stick up for him, though. She may yet tempt me to try baking an authenic British fruitcake. 

It is interesting that during all three even-numbered books (The Silkworm, Lethal White and The Ink Black Heart) Strike's leg has been injured so badly that he has had to give up the prosthesis and use crutches. It will be interesting to see if this pattern repeats in The Hallmarked Man, despite Strike's weight loss. 

On Saturday: RIP Wolfgang (sniff!), Robin interviews a pedophile and Strike versus cockatoo. 

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