New Book - The Hallmarked Man - Cormoran Strike 8 - by Robert Galbraith (Pages 1 - 66)

 

First Published: September 2, 2025

Cormoran drives to Kent to inerview a woman who wants to hire the agency.

 He is not having his best time as just recently his uncle Ted died of a

stroke, and now Robin is not with him on this trip because she is sick with a sore throat. The woman who welcomes him, Decima Mullin, is quite strange. She tells him that she wants him because he is the best but he doubted to contact him because they have acquaintances in common. Decima is Valentine Longcaster's sister; Valentine was Charlotte's close friend. And she also knows Sacha Legard, who was Charlotte's half-brother.

Then Decima tells him that the dead man who was found in the vault of a silver shop last June who was identified as the robber, Jason Knowles, is actually the man who she has had a relationship with. His name was Rupert and he was her father's godson. Actually, Decima has a baby who she had recently and Rupert is the father. Decima is certain that the dead man is Rupert, and she wants Cormoran to confirm that Rupert is the dead man. The man worked for Decima's father, Dino, who has an upmarked restaurant and that is how they met. Rupert had problems with Dino when he took a silver fen who he claimed was his as it had belonged to his late parents, and he was also harassed by a drug dealer because his former flatmate had left debts. Cormoran thinks that this woman has mental problems, and it is likely that Rupert was with her after her monehy. Decima called Rupert's aunt, who claims that her nephew is in New York, and that is what she told the police when Decima talked to them. Cormoran doesn't think that he will take the case, but he wants to make some enquiries before refusing the case.

Robin is not actually sick with a flu. When she was chasing a man the agency was after, she had a terrible pain and was rushed to the hospital. What had happened was that she had an eptopic pregnancy. In the hospital the surgeon tells him that her fallopian tubes are very scarred due to the clamadia she suffered from which the man who abused her passed her. The surgeon thinks that it is not safe for her to conceive naturally, and she should think of alternatives.

Things between Robin and Murphy are not as good as it seems. The reason why she got pregnant is because he was clumsy,  using protection when they had a row as he came back from work, sounding drunk and Robin asked him. Now that the doctor has told Robin to think about frozen eggs, he mentions to Robin that they could consider things like that, and that also angers her because the process could be very invasive and they haven't even talked if they want children.

Robin is still traumatised by what she lived in the church in the last book, and she keeps thinking about what Cormoran told her that Charlotte thought he was in love with Robin. They haven't mentioned anything in two months, but we know that Cormoran is considering talking to her. There is a new recruit in the agency, Kim, and she seems to have a thing for Cormoran.