Hallmarked Hints Continue to Leak: What they might mean (possible spoilers!)

 This post refers to some recent pre-book publicity videos recently released by Robert Galbraith as well as some translations of publicity blurbs in other language editions that may or may not be accurate.  While the Galbraith videos can be considered official, everything else should be taken with a large box of salt. 

I do wonder if these videos will take the place of the typical preview, given the glitch last time that caused parts of the book to be revealed too early. 

Spoilers below for people who avoid all pre-publication information. 

First, lets see what Mr. Galbraith says on the official blog. 

The Hallmarked Man features a case that Strike initially does not want to take at all, because it is connected to people in his past that he would rather not deal with again.  But then, for a very cynical reason, he does take the case because he thinks it will be a perfect opportunity to get closer to Robin. And, the case itself concerns a mutilated body that appears to have been arranged in a Masonic way, shall we say. 

Of course, shipping hearts immediately began fluttering in response to this much needed antidote to that "seems increasingly committed to her boyfriend, policeman Ryan Murphy" line from the English language cover blurb. Given the multitude of twitter header location cues, the case will involve a lot of road trips and  hotel stays. The cheap accountant is bound to crack down on the double rooms sooner or later....

But, for me, the more interesting part is the mystery that is connected to people in Strike's past. Jonny Rokeby is the person who immediately leaps to mind, of course, but he is so obvious that I would be willing to bet it is not him. The list of people from Strike's past that he would rather not deal with is pretty long, even without the Deadbeat Dad. Let's consider by periods in his life:

• Childhood:  
• Jeff Whittaker tops the list.  He is an unlikely candidate for a Freemason, but his grandpa Randolph could be, and may have expected young Switch to follow in his footsteps. 
• But, Strike would be eager to nail Whittaker for something, and I don't think he would turn away his youngest half-brother if Switch genuinely needed help. 
• Leda undoubtedly had a host of ex-friends and lovers that would love to take advantage of a relationship with the famous detective. 
• Could one of Leda's old acquaintances be involved in a mystery involving an expensive Gibson or Patterson Rosewood guitar? (both mentioned in chapter headers seen on Twitter). 
• Could Shumba turn up?  Has he forgiven Ted for threatening him with a bloody nose yet?
• Or, could the Crowthers of Forgeman Farm rear their despicable heads again?
• Oxford: 
• It is unlikely Strike would tangle with Jago Ross again, unless Amelia asks for help getting custody of the twins, and I think Strike would willingly take that job on; he would protect any child in danger of abuse, and especially Charlotte's. 
• But, there are undoubtedly other blue-blood friends of Charlotte, or perhaps even family members, that he would prefer not to see again. 
• I wonder if Scheherazade is still around?
• Another choice: what if there was an old tutor of his who was disappointed by Strike's decision to leave Oxford?
• Army:  
• Richard Anstis (and Helly and now-9-year-old Timothy Cormoran). 
• Strike would probably want to avoid working with Gary Topley's family, given the trauma associated with his death. 
• Noel Brockbank and Donald Laing are hopefully still in jail, and, again, Strike would not hesitate to nail them if he could. There are also people connected to Brockbank who tried to bring Strike up on assault charges in Germany that Strike would probably prefer not to deal with. 
• Digger Malley:  That would be interesting, but again, in the category of criminals Strike would prefer to nail. 
• Dean Shaw, especially if the private who shot his best friend is involved. 
• The "negligent twat" staff sergeant we learned about in CoE. 
• The friend who nearly died in Bosnia when Strike's cell phone malfunctioned. 
• Someone else connected some traumatic event that Strike was involved in, perhaps even the case that earned him the medal
• Agency:
• I think past suspects, clients and dismissed subcontractors are unlikely; all are pretty recent and they would be part of Robin's past, too, so the issues would not be specific to Strike. 
• An exception would be some of the disreputable clients Strike had before Robin joined him. Brian Mathers, for instance?
• Roy Carver:  he probably still blames Strike for ending his career. 
• Mitch Patterson: likely in jail, and part of Robin's past, too.
• Peter Gillespie continues to top Leda-slayer suspect lists; Strike certainly doesn't want to hear from him ever again. 
• One of Strike's former dates/lovers with whom things ended badly:
• Nina
• Elin
• Lorelei
• Madeline
• Bijou
• long shot:  Marguerite
• Of course, knowing Robert Galbraith, it could be a completely new backstory, or someone completely obscure. Who knows, maybe there's an irate former schoolteacher out there looking for Latin books that disappeared 30 years ago, or a German barkeeper who wants his ashtray back. 

But, the second and more dubious preview comes from the cover blurb from the Danish version of the book which was posted and translated on Reddit. If accurate, there are major differences between both the English blurb and Galbraith's recent statement. 

In a secure vault in the basement of a silversmith's shop, a body is found that has been brutally murdered beyond recognition. The police are convinced that the deceased must be a convicted burglar, having been caught on the shop's surveillance cameras. But not everyone believes that theory, least of all Decima Mullins, who approaches Cormoran Strike to ask him to investigate the identity of the dead man. She is convinced that the victim in the vault must be her lover, who has disappeared without a trace. Everything is looking out for him, and he would never leave her and their newborn son. As the investigation gathers pace, a web of secrets and hidden alliances unfolds, connecting the people involved in unexpected ways. Decima Mullins' desperation pushes Strike and Robin to their limits, and they must navigate cryptic clues in a world where loyalty and betrayal go hand in hand. Meanwhile, Robin is forced to confront her own fears and begins to realize that her past may be more closely tied to this case than she first thought. Caught in a struggle between his professional ethics and his personal feelings, Strike must make a crucial choice that could change their partnership forever.

The major differences from the English language blurb:

• The added detail that people are actively looking for Decima's baby-daddy, and she is convinced he would never abandon his child. Between that and the "cryptic clues" to be deciphered (shades of Talbot's True Book) the case is sounding more and more like a gender-reversed modern-day Margot Bamborough disappearance, which is great news for my Double Wedding Band model. 
• No mention of "multiple other missing men" 
• No mention of the Freemasons (perhaps the organization is not familiar to the Danish?)
• No mention of Robin's increasing attachment to Murphy. Strike's major quandary in the Danish version seems not whether to declare his love for Robin but a conflict between "professional ethics and personal feelings". It does make me wonder what professional ethics question could bother someone whose agency has already 
• bugged government offices
• pretended to be law enforcement, using expired credentials
• impersonated people, including a government minister
• filmed on private property
• dug up skeletons without the landowner's permission 
• tampered with a skeleton they thought could be human, potentially destroying evidence on a major crime scene and 
• removed items from homes without the owner's consent. 
• Perhaps the biggest bombshell is the case tying to Robin's past, rather than (or in addition to?) Strike's. While Strike's list of people he would rather not deal with is long, Robin, with her middle-class, secure, farm-girl upbringing, has a much shorter list of shadows in her past that could complicate a moderne day murder case. 
• Her divorce and hostilities with the Flobberworm and his family.
• I continue to hope Auntie Sue will be murdered before the series end. 
• Her rape. 

Assuming for the moment that both the Galbraith videos and the Danish blurb are accurate and we have a case that connects to both Strike and Robin's pasts, the simplest way would be to have someone they encountered on a previous case involved. Again, a long list of possibilities. But, if it is a common connection from an old case, why would Galbraith tell us about the Strike link and the Danish  blurb about the Robin link?  The only other possibility I can think of that would link both detectives to the case independently is some sort of police corruption case, which would not be out of place in a book about Freemasons. The idea I have that best unifies all the hints to date is....   corruption in a forensic lab that processes DNA evidence and collusion with the police or other authorities to falsify results, either to convict an innocent person or to exonerate a guilty one. A few of my reasons for thinking this might be the direction:

1. The DNA emoji hint and Galbraith's comment that Strike and Robin's lack of access to a lab complicates the case.
2. Multiple people have pointed out that, if the mangled body is suspected of being Decima's baby-daddy, a DNA test could quickly confirm one way or another. The only reasons I could think of why that would not happen are 1) the police refuse to do the test or 2) the results are not trustworthy. 
3. Cases involving widespread corruption (or even incompetence) in forensic labs are fraught with ethical considerations. On the one hand, it is essential to support quality science and to correct any inaccurate information that was presented at trial. On the other hand, if fraud is revealed, every defendant whose evidence was processed in that facility may suddenly have grounds for appeal and perhaps the right to a new trial. This could, in theory, involve years or decades of testing, and hundreds, if not thousands of cases. 
4. The overwhelming majority of these convicts are likely guilty--- cases are rarely based on DNA alone-- but re-trying them may be difficult or impossible. As Troubled Blood taught us, the more time has passed, the fewer witnesses you have available. And many could be found not guilty at a retrial if DNA evidence is excluded. Hence the question:  is it worth it to seek justice for one individual, if you risk jeopardizing justice in many other cases?
5. Obviously Strike would prefer not to get involved if officers he knows are potentially involved in an evidence fraud case, and it could create considerable friction with the Met if the Strike and Ellacott agency is responsible for overturning a large number of convictions. 
1. And what if the lab in question just happens to be the one that processed Robin's rape kit, so many years ago? Could either Strike or Robin push for a truth that could set the Gorilla Mask Man free?
2. If the perp was only convicted of raping Robin, he has probably served his sentence already. But, there was that hint in Robin's conversation with Prudence where she mentioned "the only two other girls who survived him," which could imply that there were victims that didn't. He apparently left the scene thinking he had killed Robin, so it is possible he is not just a rapist but a murderer, incarcerated for life and for whom a new trial without DNA evidence could be quite risky. 

Comments welcome, here or on Substack.