Everybody raise a glass! Two new posts with insights into the past and future of the Cormoran Strike series.

 I'm spending lots of time with my butt planted on the Farting Sofa these days, trying to get both some work for my business and some needlepoint completed before the birth of my new granddaughter, now due in slightly over three weeks.  But I had to pop in for a couple of celebratory toasts. 

First, the latest installment of the Three Broomsticks Podcast has dropped, where I had the privilege of appearing alongside my good friends and fellow Strike Scholars Beatrice Groves and Nick Jeffrey to discuss character and thematic connections between The Cuckoo's Calling and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.  Even better, my trademark nickname for Matthew made it into the episode title. This is the first in a series of podcasts that will look at each of the Strike books and their connections to the corresponding volume in the Harry Potter series. 

Second, "Mr. Galbraith" tweeted the above picture today, with a notation that Robin has one in Sleep Tight, Evangeline.  The drink is called "Churchill's Courage" and is a speciality of the Rivoli Bar at the Ritz. What we do not know is if Robin has her drink at the start of STE, when she goes to meet Ryan for his birthday/potential proposal, or later in the book. JKR/RG tweeted some weeks ago that STE was 2/3's complete, and historically, tweets have come from the part of the book currently in progress.  It does seem like a pretty powerful drink to have in front of a known alcoholic who is struggling with his sobriety.  But then again, we can't deny that Robin needs one after the events of THM. 

Repository: a list of all connections between The Hallmarked Man and Order of the Phoenix.

I realized as I was working on a recent alchemical post that I had never compiled all the connections between The Hallmarked Man and Order of the Phoenix in one place. So, I am setting this post up as a repository, and will update it if any others show up.  

Suggestions for links to other Harry Potter books are also welcome.  See here for the echoes to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

THM links to other even-numbered books can be found here. 

THM links to Career of Evil and Troubled Blood can be found here. 

Onto the full list!

The Freud Desk Follow-up: More wild ideas (with maps!)

As Freud might say, sometimes a desk is just a desk, but I'm going to feel pretty foolish if that turns out to be the case with Robert Galbraith's latest header, which is not just a picture of Freud's famous desk from London's Freud museum, but part of a Cathie Pilkington exhibit that made a notable substitution: Freud's alabaster Thoth baboon was replaced by one of Pilkington's own statuettes, the many-breasted El Shaddai. 

In the 24 hours since I first blogged about the header, I've done a bit more research, had some great online chats with other Serious Strikers, and was fortunate to pick up some information that Redditors Random-Occurance365, TheFamousWriter and thegiraffe7 provided.  It was clear there would need to be a follow-up post. 

Another New Twitter Header: The curious nature of Freud's desk and that creepy thing in the corner.

 

Barely five days after surprising us with a statue of Robert Raikes at the Victoria Embankment Gardens as a twitter, Robert Galbraith switched it for the above picture, quickly identified as a picture of Sigmund Freud's desk at the Freud museum of London.  However, as sharp-eyed Redditors, intrigued by the strange figure on the right-hand desk corner (which resembles nothing so much as a conjoined triplet figurine of Douglas Adams' Eccentrica Gallumbits) quickly realized,  the arrangement is not how Freud's desk is typically displayed, and certainly did not look like this in 2017, the year we expect much of Sleep Tight, Evangeline, to be set. What's the difference?  Find out after the jump. 

Nigredo storylines amid albedo imagery: the how and why of the oddly inverted alchemy of The Hallmarked Man.

I actually started this post way back in my initial reading of The Hallmarked Man;  occasionally making notes as idea occurred to me, but it quickly became clear to me that it was going to take multiple re-reads and in-depth consideration to make any sense of this.  As is common in Rowling/Galbraith books, expectations were regularly subverted, but the results were both intriguing and ultimately quite satisfying. 

I went into The Hallmarked Man thinking this would be a second albedo volume, following The Running Grave, which was clearly albedo with all of the baptisms, rivers, rain and cleansing showers we saw, along with Strike's own self-improvement, with his weight loss and smoking cessation. There were huge hints of this from the author's Tweets, which showed us silver ships and white swans. We were told that Dean Martin's "Silver Bells" would feature, suggesting Christmas, with snow and twinkling white lights. Even the title referred to a "hallmark"-- a stamp indicating the degree of purity in a precious metal. The scene was indeed set for a silverly-white, cold and snowy journey to purification, similar to what was seen in The Half-Blood Prince and Catching Fire. 

Another reason I was fully expecting  albedo was that, after Strike's nigredo-duo of Troubled Blood and The Ink Black Heart, and his albedo in The Running Grave, another albedo would fit well with the "extended play" model proposed by Kathleen on Hogwartsprofessor several years ago as a means of stretching a seven book series out to ten.  

Did that come to pass?  Well, not exactly.....

The Hallmarked Man paperback published: were there any errors corrected?

The news today from the Galbraith website is that The Hallmarked Man paperback is available for purchase.  To date, I have not bought any of the paperbacks, though I get the hardbacks and audiobooks on the day of publication.  One thing I am always curious about, though, is to what extent errors in the original text get corrected in later editions. I am always wondering if we'll get another substantial re-write like we did when Australian Vashti-saleswoman Mia Thompson was added to Cuckoo's Calling. 

If anyone out there is reading the paperback and notices any error corrections, please her me know either in the comments or in the direct messages.  The errors noted in THM to date can be found here:

General errors noted by myself and others:  

Substantial mix-up in dates and times in 96-98. 

Another list of errors and why I think they weakened THM as a whole. 

There are also lots of timeline inconsistencies highlighted in red in the timelines I have prepared for Robin and Strike's lives. 

Please let me know what, if anything, you find. 

Having trouble subscribing or commenting?  Try the Substack Sister site.  All content is free!

New Sleep Tight Evangeline Twitter Header, Robert Raikes Statue: Seven good reasons to be excited.

My friend and occasional fellow blogger Kurt quickly identified JKR/RG's new twitter header today as a statue of Robert Raikes at London's Victoria Embankment Gardens.  Robert joins the cities of York and  Portsmouth, some creepy dolls, a treehouse and a charm bracelet chock full of clues as header-hints given to date to the next book in the Strike series, which the author claims is 60% complete at Chapter 74.  Let's take a look at this latest clue and some reasons to be excited.  

Travel as a Strike fan: The things you notice.

 I am just back from a fantastic trip to Germany and Denmark, with day trips into the Czech Republic and Sweden. When you take a trip like that after months of immersion in the latest Strike book, it can't help but color your perspective. At the Gemaldegalerie in Berlin, for instance, two paintings jumped out at me. 

The first is this Marriage of Cupid and Psyche, by Pompeo Girolama Batoni. A few interesting facts to note: 

• Psyche's face is modeled after Batoni's wife, said to be one of the most beautiful women in Rome.
• That is Venus assisting her son in placing the ring on Psyche's finger, while Hymen, the god of marriage supports Psyche. 
• Zephyr, the west wind who orginally carried Psyche to Cupid, is blowing a blast of air on the happy couple. 
• All the gods are positioned on clouds, while the mortal Psyche stands on the floor. 

What struck me was the fact that this is one of the few depictions of the marriage I have seen that shows Cupid as a child, the way he is often depicted when alone. Not only do they appear to have the opposite age issue that Strike and Robin have, Psyche appears to be drifting dangerously close to Tim Ashcroft territory. Compare Batoni's painting to the one Galbraith tweeted. 

Quick-Quote Quills and odd Cupid/Psyche allusions: Myth-retelling or signpost reminders?

Greetings from sunny-if-chilly Auburn, Alabama, where I have had the privilege of spending the weekend with my extended family celebrating my nephew's university graduation. I had a little time to start putting some Cupid and Psyche thoughts together, so I will at least try to get this long-planned post started, though finishing it may have to wait until I am home in Virginia. 

Minor note:  I have learned that a Quick-Quotes Quill -wielding website has misrepresented my overall take on The Hallmarked Man, claiming I characterized it as "a real stinker" and "the worst book ever."  After over three decades as a PhD student, post-doc and tenured university professor, I have learned to be more amused that irritated when this sort of thing happens. Even the best readers get careless sometimes, so focused on inventing a straw-man antithesis to their own position that they gloss over helpfully highlighted summaries, such as that which appeared in the final post of my Real-Time Re-read. 

I will admit, however, to being a bit perplexed as to why someone would believe me so foolish as to spend eight months writing over 70 lengthy blog posts about a novel which I found so utterly without merit. 

Ah, well. Uva uvam vivendo varia fit. On to Cupid and Psyche!

Taking an interbook break: and a special announcement.

I had tremendous fun with the real-time re-read of The Hallmarked Man, and picked up a lot of great comments, new subscribers and new insights in the process. Though it didn't move THM out of last place for me, I did gain a new appreciation of the mental health challenges that both our protagonists have been facing. 

I've been pondering my next blogging steps and concluded that I need to take a break from regular blogging for a time. I am working on a post on all the Cupid and Psyche pointers that were seen in THM, and puzzling over why so many of them point at Strike rather than Robin, but I clearly need some time to compose something coherent out of those natterings. I had thought of doing a read-through through C.S. Lewis's Til We Have Faces, but I see from the headlines that Nick and John are already discussing that at hogwartsprofessor and those two know collectively more about the Inklings than I ever will.* And, while I am eager to do another read-through of Career of Evil, one of the books that I did not re-read in preparation for THM, but which turned out to have multiple connections, I am not quite up to plunging into my second-least-favorite book of the series after so many weeks poring over THM. 

That, plus the multiple work, travel, non-blogging writing projects and family obligations currently on my plate, means I am going to step away from regular blogging for the next few months, and possibly through the summer. I'll continue to keep an eye on social media for any new Evangeline hints, and comment if something amazing like the charm bracelet arises. But, my life will change in a major way in early August, when I become a grandmother for the first time, so it seems wise to deprioritize blogging and focus on other aspects of my life, for now. 

I'll be back when I have time to say more.  Thank you, dear readers, for taking the Hallmarked Express with me for the last six months. 

*Note, I have neither read the posts nor watched their videos. so I can't say anything about what the discussion is like. 

The Hallmarked Man Real-Time Re-read Wrap-up: Was it better this time through? Yes, but it's still the worst in the series, and here's why.

A recent Reddit poll ranked The Hallmarked Man last of the eight Strike books, and, if I recall correctly, it wasn't a particularly close vote. A lot of THM fans insist, it's better when you re-read, and I think that is absolutely true. Then again, that's true of all of the Strike series, and RG/JKR's other works as well. Part of the huge success of the Harry Potter series can be attributed to the details uncovered as kids and adults read them again and again. One reason I think the Strike books will never hit that level of popularity is that they are marketed squarely in the mystery category. Many adults do not read whodunnits more than once, since the thrill for them is gone once you know whodunnit. 

I've read or listened to the earlier Strike books dozens of times. I've lost track of how many times I've re-read THM, but, given that I read each section at least 2-3 times when doing a detailed blog-through like the one I have just completed, it must be six or seven by now. Did THM improve on re-reading?  Yes, absolutely. Did it, for me, lift itself out of last place? No, it didn't.  For this summary I have re-read not the book but all of my detailed blog posts, from the Advent Adventure to the Real-time Re-read, for the purposes of summarizing what changed for me and what didn't. 

The Hallmarked Man Real-time Re-read Finale, Chapters 126-127: A margarine tub and--- some broccoli?

The Hallmarked Man closed on April 7th, 2017. I am closing my in-depth re-read exactly nine years later. It's been a great ride and I am thankful to all who have followed since the start of The Hallmarked Man Advent Adventure back in early December. 

My plan is to review the last two chapters here. Then, later in the week, I'll post a round-up on how my impressions changed with the re-read, and where I think The Hallmarked Man stacks up in relationship to the rest of the series 

“In a way," said Decima Mullins, "I feel as though he did die.”

Thus begins Chapter 126, possibly the saddest closing wrap-up in the series. We already know the sad endings to two of the Wright candidates, with Semple's suicide and Powell's brutal murder. We see Decima here, wishing she'd never have found out the truth about her son't parentage and still clearly having strong feelings and desire for the man that she can never have. The best they can hope for is a platonic relationship as they strive to raise their child together and debate for the next dozen years or so whether it would be better or worse for him to know the truth about his parentage. The only comfort Strike can give her is the knowledge that her persistence in pursuing the case revealed the truth about both Semple and Powell, and, perhaps more importantly, rescued Sapphire Neagle from a terrible fate. Strike and Robin, naturally, promise never to reveal the secret about the incest and fortunately, mouthy subcontractors like KFC never found out. 

The Hallmarked Man Real-Time Re-read, Chapters 124-125: From burial to bougainvillea.

"Engraved with the regimen's winged dagger badge"

I must say, I really love Chapter 124, the first in the Epilogue. Eleven days have passed since the way-overblown confrontation with the sliced-off ear and the bottle of whiskey. Not only do we see Strike actually behaving sensibly here, but we get perhaps the best glimpse so far in the series as to what he must have been like as a soldier. 

Eleven days after Ian Griffiths and friends had been taken into custody, and Strike and Sapphire Neagle had been driven by ambulance to the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, Strike donned his only black suit in his attic flat, and drove, again, to Hereford.

We learn that Strike had correctly deduced that Niall Semple had committed suicide by jumping off the Regents' Park Bridge, with a weighted-down briefcase shackled to his wrist. His widow, Jade, has invited Strike to attend the funeral, and Strike feels he should do this, rather than accompany Robin on her trip to "tidy away the last fragment of the silver vault case." 

Strike and Robin Timelines updated after the re-read of The Hallmarked Man

 

Last January, I did a quick update of the Strike and Robin Pre- and Inter-book Timelines I have maintained for several years. Now that I am nearly done with The Hallmarked Man Real-time re-read, I have again updated both documents. 

The new Strike timeline is available here. 

The new Robin timeline is available here. 

Along with those I have a new timeline of Charlotte Campbell's life pre-Cuckoo's Calling. set up as a blog post. 

The Hallmarked Man Real-time Re-Read, Chapters 121-123: An over-the-top confrontation for an over-the-top crime.

It's the evening of Thursday, March 21, and Strike has returned to Ironbridge. Fasten your seatbelts for three intense and rather gruesome chapters. 

Night had fallen by the time Strike decided it was safe for him to re-enter the small town that had seemed so quaintly beautiful by daylight.

The Hallmarked Man Real-time Re-Read, Chapters 116-120: Visual ambiguities, Chekhov's priest and a series of interrupted phone calls.

The Hallmarked Man is winding down, which means the chapters get shorter and the pacing gets faster. In Chapter 116, it's the evening of the terrorist attack. 

Robin was at home, alone. Night had fallen, her curtains were closed, her door double-locked, her alarm on, and the dining room chair was still propped beneath the handle of the front door.

Fortunately, her anxiety is lifted by a call from Midge, who shows that listening to a recorded interview is the next best thing to being there. We learn first that Wright was kind enough to help the Mohamed family with their daughter's wheelchair. Even better, Robin's speculations about the weights were right on the money. 

The Hallmarked Man Real-time Re-read, Chapters 113-115: The Westminster attack and the associated trauma for both our detectives.

In Chapter 113, Strike and Robin catch up in the office and make some major advancements in the case. It's Friday, March 17 (St. Patrick's Day) but there is no mention of it.  Too bad Strike didn't suggest a lunch outing to an Irish pub. 

Robin left Martin asleep on the sofa bed in the sitting room the following morning and headed for the office. There was something she wanted to say to Strike face to face, so she forced herself to drive into town, checking her rear-view mirror constantly, and feeling shaky and exposed during the short walk to Denmark Street.

Robin arrives to Pat's news that Travolta the fish has died, then joins Wardle and Strike in the inner office. Strike fills her in on the confrontation with Plug & Associates the previous night, which resulted in Plug's arrest and his son being transferred to the custody of his great-uncle but with Dev Shah getting stabbed in the thigh.  But, turns out that is only part of Dev's current issues with the job. He's been listening to KFC and not only arguing with Strike about the ethics of Decima Mullins' case, but also speculating Strike has sexually harassed Kim. This is not the week to ask him to fill out an employee satisfaction review. Strike is convinced Shah's going to jump the S & E ship for Navabi's, so Wardle offers to set him straight about KFC's past shenanigans at the Met.

The Hallmarked Man Real-time Re-read, Chapters 110-112: Confronting the Tarantula and welcoming a prodigal brother.

I really love the opening to Chapter 110: 

The large, twisted trees lining the road and the stretches of prime farmland were like a landscape seen in a half-forgotten dream. Strike tried to take consolation from the magnificent indifference of nature to all human concerns, but the strategy was so ineffective it was almost a relief to turn up the side road leading to Heberley, and focus his mind on what needed to be done.

Fresh off the epic showdown with Lord Branfoot and the Kimphomaniac, Strike now travels to back to Yorkshire to confront a much older enemy, the woman who was a major factor in Charlotte's terrible childhood and the reason, as he says, "she was never going to make old bones." 

The Hallmarked Man Real-time Re-read, Chapters 107-109: Really, really enjoying that.

"Seated at a small round table beside the 
marble fireplace, framed botanical prints
on the wall behind her."

The readjustment of Robin’s work schedule would have made it extremely difficult to cover the agency’s current jobs, had they not resolved Two-Times.

Chapter 107 picks up on Friday, March 10th. With Robin on restricted duty, the agency isn't taking on any new clients. Wardle has some background on Wade King and his profile does not fit one of Branfoot's ex-con henchmen, but King, like the late Jim Todd, was a former long distance truck driver. Strike, in the meantime, remains convinced Robin has accepted RFM's marriage proposal and is rehearsing a convincing congratulations, without much success. 

Charlotte Campbell's Troubled Life and Troubled Family: a comprehensive timeline.

As much as I had hoped Charlotte would be dead, buried and pretty much out of the story after her suicide in The Running Grave, her family played a prominent role in The Hallmarked Man. As a result, some more details about her life and family were provided, enough that it seemed wise to compile what we know about her history in one place. I played with trying to insert her into the extensive timeline I have compiled of Cormoran Strike, much as I have some key events in Matthew's life included in Robin's, but a lot of the dates were just too imprecise.  

So, I decided create a timeline with as comprehensive a list as I could about all we know about Charlotte Campbell's life prior to the start of Cuckoo's Calling. Some inconsistencies and contradictions are also noted. None of this is set in stone. I employed Occam's razor, assuming the simplest explanation is the correct one. For instance, Sir Anthony could have kept a portrait of his ex around and set fire to it when Charlotte was older, or the "Daddy" Charlotte said caused the fire could have been one of her stepfathers. I am assuming the simpler explanation: "Daddy" is Sir Anthony and this happened at the time of his and Tara's break-up.

For clarification on Charlotte's actions during the series, I suggest the detailed book timelines on the Strikefans page. 

As usual, a careful look at the timeline gives us some insights not only into Charlotte, but into other characters as well. Enjoy this look at Charlotte's life; you'll probably find it more fun than she did.