The is the post to list any continuity errors or other consistency issues in The Hallmarked Man. I haven't caught a huge number on the first reading, but it often takes multiple reading to notice most of them. Spoilers ahead.
- The first one I saw was Strike and Nina's statement that they had slept together twice. Actually, it was three times, once after the party at Lucy's, once when he went to her apartment for dinner and once whne he went around to her house to distract himself after Charlotte's wedding.
- The age of "fortyish" for Marco Ricci is way too young. He was 12 in 1974, when Margot disappeared, so born in 1962. By 2017 he'd be pushing 55.
- They are back to calling the test Rokeby took when Strike was five a DNA test, when that kind of testing was not available until Strike was about 12.
- This is particularly annoying because in TB the testing was corrected to "paternity" (which would have been a blood antigen test in the 1970's) and even has Dr. Gupta explicitly state that DNA tests were not available in the 1970's.
- Ian Griffiths is supposed to be unusually short--- only about five feet tall. It does not seem likely that witnesses like Mandy and Gretchen who saw "Oz", even at a distance, would notice his curly hair but not his unusually short stature.
- At the end, they ask if anyone has "contacted Belgium for Jolanda's DNA" in order to ID "Chloe's" body. It would presumably be Reata's DNA that the Belgium authorities have.
- I hope Uncle Ted's priest did not get confiscated by the police as evidence.
- I also thought it odd that there was no mention of efforts to get Maes out of prison in light of this new information.
I'll be adding to the list if I spy any more; in the meantime, please add any you spot to the comments.
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After Strike is bitten by the dog, he goes to get a tetanus shot. Tetanus shots are for…tetanus, a bacteria that often is on metals. Dog bites from unknown, likely unvaccinated fighting dogs are a rabies risk, not tetanus. Rabies is 100% fatal once the onset of symptoms have begun. Strike would have accurately started a series of rabies vaccines - in the US, this is an injection of immunoglobulin along with an initial rabies vaccine at one visit, followed by subsequent rabies vaccines on days 3, 7, and 14 (no, they are not messing around!). The initial vaccine & immunoglobulin must be given within 7 days of exposure for post-rabies exposure. (Side comment: this is annoying to me because it seems so obvious/common knowledge re: dogs & rabies, how did no one catch it?!)
ReplyDeleteThanks. I had made a note for that for Plug, Jr. wondering if he had to get a rabies shot, but I didn't think about Strike, though. Duh!
DeleteAnimal bites are known to transmit tetanus so it is common to receive a shot if bitten. A rabies shot would have also been likely but was not mentioned.
DeleteAnd, in fairness, the dogs are more likely to have tetanus than rabies, which is extraordinarily rare in domestic animals. I have to assume that these dogs bred in the city don't get much contact with wild animals that would have it, and that the breeders of these dogs that are trained to bite everything at least take some precautions. They may be evil but they aren't stupid.
DeleteMidge mentioned rebound sex with Ellen of WishIwaswithEllen fame, the woman that Beth (aka the orignal Buffypaws) cheated with. But wasn't that in Manchester, where Midge and Beth lived before Midge moved to London? Unless Ellen moved, 200 miles is a way to drive for a quickie.
ReplyDeleteChapter one of my "too long" comment: First of all, Louise, THANK YOU for your passion and diligence! I got my library copy on Friday (I was the first of all the people on HOLD, thanks to info from this blog which told me what it would be called and when to start watching for it) and I finished it last night. Now instead of obsessively reading the book, I'm obsessively reading reviews, comments, and analysis. I love all the tips you and the Hogwarts Prof. and the fans all provided, so when "prophecy" came true I felt smart! It seems to me the fan reaction is boiling down to three broad categories. 1. Symbolism, allusion, and theme nerds like me, who find a lot to chew over in this book and LOVE IT. 2. Puzzle mystery nerds who are confused by the complicated plot, the overly-elaborate murder plan, and some valid critiques about likely- vs. unlikelyhood of events and conclusions. 3. Strellacott shippers who are INFURIATED at having the finish line constantly retreat...which is frustrating enough, but which since the posited "lovers" seem to be regressing instead of progressing in their personal journeys, feels like a cheat instead of an artistic necessity. I can forgive both 2 and 3 because, hey, this is book 8; I knew the job was dangerous when I took it!
ReplyDeleteChapter TWO of my "too long" comment: I haven't embarked upon a second read, as I knew the other people on hold want a chance, and a quick return would be a kindness. I do have an electronic print book on hold as well as an audiobook, but as these are from a more populated source it will be MONTHS before I get another crack at it. So...to keep me busy and entertained, is it too early to start predicting book 9? More guesses of things that might have happened in book 8 would count as spoilers. So, mining a new vein (ha ha, see what I did there?) here are some of my guesses.....(please stand by for Chapter Three)
ReplyDeleteChapter THREE...(ahem, sipping water, my virtual throat is dry)...1). As a running gag, the unfortunate third fish will always keep dying and getting replaced, and will always be named with a reference to the first name "John" (like "Travolta" and "Elton"). The subcontractors will start taking bets--unknown to Pat, who is distressed by the fish mortality rate--on how long each one will last, what color it will be, etc. This won't mean anything significant at all; it will just be a unifying reference in the office. 2. The trope "wounded hero investigator solves provocative mom's murder" will be addressed in earnest, and it will not be resolved in book 9; that storyline will end on a cliffhanger and tie books 9 and 10 together. Rokeby and Strike will not team up exactly, but without working with Rokeby and his memories and contacts, Strike and Robin would not have been successful.
ReplyDeleteChapter FOUR...continuing my predictions for 9 and 10...3. Strike won't be able to get his head and heart aligned on his relationship with Robin, without this closure about Leda. Remember how the swan imagery picked up in frequency? I think that was a foreshadowing. We've been led to believe swans portend something about Robin's capacity to couple up, but I believe it really points to resolution about Strike's assimilation of his identity as Rokeby's son. 4. It would be HORRIFYING, but let's admit it, a strong dramatic choice, if Rokeby were to discover he had fathered Charlotte (Helen of Troy). Galbraith hinted at this! HINTED AT THIS! Moderator, if that's a spoiler, please delete it! Those who have read the ending and some of the comments and observations the characters made about the ending (of book 8) GO BACK AND RE-READ!!
ReplyDeleteChapter FIVE 5. Now that we've all taken a shower, I think Billy Knight will come back, medicated, of sound mind, and ready to be a character in books 9 and 10. Not as a subcontractor, but as someone eager to use his powers for good and not evil. Galbraith is careful to represent the consequences of untreated mental illness, and the urgent need for medication and therapy, with humanity and nuance. I think Billy Knight will show up volunteering vital information (Page), and a burning desire to both help the detectives and to learn from them (Squire) and will ultimately be given some sort of Accolade, vindicating him and giving him a role befitting his surname. Maybe he will even get a celibate, courtly crush on Robin (his Queen) and be her Champion--but not her Lancelot (ew).
ReplyDeleteChapter SIX...last one. 6. I don't know whether Robin and Strike will end up together or if the Artemis school is correct that they are better as single partners with a romantic friendship--either way, I think Billy Knight or some protege will serve as their de facto child. There are lots of ways for people to contribute to the nurturing and care of people who will steward the future, inheritors of legacy that does not have to be genetic or financial. Mentorship may be the way Strellacott bequeaths progeny to the earth, and if so, that would be just as good, to me, as having them marry and adopt...I don't know, Dirk, or Ottolie, or Lion, or any of the other posited bereaved human children. And thank you all again for letting me sit on this sofa and just be among you. That's it! Cheryl OUT!
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