Nick and John have posted eight Hallmarked Man conversations since its publication last month and, as interesting as their back-and-forth talks have been, South Wales to American Fly Over Country, Lake to Shed, much of the best theorizing and interpreting of Strike 8 has been happening in the comment threads beneath those posts and in email messaging with John. Determined that these insights wouldn’t be lost or invisible to Serious Strikers, they chose ten of the most challenging for a fun introduction to the fandom conversations readers not privy to the backchannel moderators network or who neglect the comment threads are missing.

In addition, Nick shares the credible speculation that Rowling’s weeklong absence from tweeting has been because she is on her Samsara yacht in the South Pacific, circling Bora Bora, believe it or don’t. John quizzes Nick, too, about the election in South Wales, Caerphilly to be exact, and the reason the results in that dependably Labour area have the UK buzzing (and why Strike readers might expect the populist party victories will color Strikes 9 and 10).

A quick ‘table of contents’ for their hasty review, then, followed by links and transcripts! Enjoy — and, yes, have at in the comment threads, please, the locus of Strike fandom conversations.

* Ed Shardlow: Gorilla Ryan

* Vicky: Boxes and Plush Toys

* Sandra Hope: Traditional Symbolism

* Justin Clavet: Only Fans Gaffe (Ed Shardlow -- ‘Not Proven’ error)

* Bora Bora

* Justin Clavet: On Manhood

* Ed Shardlow: Ickabog Parallel Book Theory

* Sandra Hope: Hallmarked Man as Rowling’s ‘Greatest Hits’ allusion collection

* LC - Dorothy Sayers

* Kathleen O’Connor -- Alternative Incest

* Caerphilly elections -- UK meaning

* Ring Composition Project

Promised Links and Transcripts:

* Ed Shardlow’s ‘Gorilla Ryan’ Theory

The Ryan the Gorilla theory came to me at the point in the book where Robin has an epiphany following an impulse to look up the meaning of a name. I think this was the Jolanda-Violet realisation, but I thought she’d suddenly realised the full extent of Ryan’s dark side, with the significance being the previously noted meaning of his name “Sea King” suggesting a connection between him and Wade King.

That theory seemed very flimsy at first, but on further examination it might have some mileage. There are some notable differences between the attack in the Land Rover and the previous ones. Although we imagine the attacker wearing a gorilla mask, there’s no mention of it, and in fact it says she can see his face. Also the Land Rover attacker makes no demands that she, “Stop” or, “Leave it”. She hits Wade with the pepper spray, which of course, would be difficult for Ryan to cover up, but she didn’t inflict any such injuries on the gorilla attacker. Wade clearly intends to hurt her, whereas the other attacks had no physical violence and look very much like they were just intended to scare her.

1) It’s hinted that Branfoot knows about Robin’s rape, and she says it’s on the internet, but we never get any indication that King or Griffiths know about it. Strike and Robin never consider that the attacker might be someone who knows about it because they’re close to Robin. That seems like an oversight.

2) The gorilla attacker never refers to a specific case. Murphy may be scaring her into quitting the job and getting away from Strike, whereas a suspect would want her to stop investigating their specific case.

3) The police don’t take the rubber gorilla and dagger for DNA testing. That’s pretty strange, unless there’s someone on the inside blocking the investigation.

There’s a bit of an issue with the guy in the green jacket, who presumably Robin can see isn’t Ryan when he’s on the industrial estate and outside her flat. Presumably that was Wade.

So, there would need to be some explanation for how or why Murphy is wearing the same jacket when he accosts her with the ceremonial dagger. But that’s not insurmountable.

Murphy would have been very surprised to encounter Matthew (sic, he means ‘Martin’ -ed.), who he knows from Masham, outside Robin’s flat.

The narrative very much prompts us to think there’s something going on with Murphy, but then we put this down to his work issues and associated relapse, but perhaps that blinds us (and Robin) to another possibility. And if it is the case, then Strike hasn’t just let Robin go to dinner with his romantic rival, but she’s heading into mortal danger. Were his instincts subconsciously alerting him to the threat? Did he leave it too late to shout, “Brake!” again?

Nicola Reed’s Objection to ‘Gorilla Ryan’ (Sandy Hope, too)

Kathleen O’Connor’s Cogent Counterpoint to John’s Incredulity about No One Noticing How Short Faux-Wright was in the Ramsay Silver footage

Vicky on the Interpretation of Robin’s “Stuffed Toy” Dream

Brenna Hill asks ‘Why is the New Ellacott Puppy Named Betty?’

Sandra Hope Jumpstarts Conversation about Traditional Symbolism in Hallmarked Man

* Masonic Orb Pendant for sale on Etsy ($795)

* Jacob’s Ladder Mosaic in Masonic Hall, London (Alamy)

* The Bohun Swan (‘Chained Swan’) (Wikipedia)

Justin Clavet: The ‘Only Fans’ Gaffe

· I commented on the Hogwarts Professor gaffes pillar [Placeholder, ed.] post about the OnlyFans error - that the OnlyFans website was launched in November 2016, but in the book, the murdered Sofia is said to be a prolific OnlyFans poster before her disappearance in June of that same year. The OnlyFans account is only a small point in this large plot, but one that is repeatedly referred to, and Sofia’s OnlyFans account is what ultimately brought her to the attention of her killer. For such a meticulous plotter and, as John would say, “OCD” author as Rowling is, does this real-world chronological impossibility give you pause? What other big historical error like this can be found in her books?

· Did you notice that the interview with the pornstar occurs in chapter 69? I think Rowling was having a bit of (structural) fun and winking at the observant reader with that one.

* Justin Clavet’s 3 September ‘Gaffes’ posting about ‘Only Fans’

The reference to OnlyFans in chapter 33 (p. 269) felt anachronistic to me, as I don’t remember ever hearing about the website before the pandemic era. And sure enough, according to Wikipedia (citing a New York Times article), the website didn’t launch until November 2016. Therefore, Sofia – who was murdered in June 2016 – could not have been a prolific OnlyFans poster. Sofia’s supposed OnlyFans account is referenced several further times throughout the book. Based on data from Google Trends, it seems incredibly unlikely that Strike and Robin would have readily known what OnlyFans was in late 2016/early 2017.

So Where is Bora Bora?

The Caerphilly 2025 Election: Victories for Left and Right Wing Populist Parties

* 2025 Caerphilly Bi-Election (Wikipedia!)

* UK’s Ruling Labour Suffer Crushing Defeat Against Political Insurgents at Ballot Box (Breitbart)

Justin Clavet ‘On Manhood in Hallmarked Man’

The biggest thing that struck me in this book was the persistent themes of manhood woven throughout: the responsibilities, relationships, and hardships of men.

* The central crime is linked with a secretive fraternal organization.

* It opens with the death of Strike’s father figure Ted, a “proper man” (p. 38), by whose maxims Strike is newly resolved to live.

* We learn that Ted would’ve murdered (or been murdered by) his father Trevik if he hadn’t left home and joined the army (p. 39), just like Strike would have come to blows (or worse) with his step-father Whittaker if he hadn’t left home and joined the army.

* While he loses the man he called his dad, he has a real meeting with his natural father for the first time. Rokeby shares that, in Strike, he had produced a proper man” (p. 747).

* Strike celebrates not having fathered a child (while Robin is distraught in the wake of her own lost child, and devastated that the option to be a mother may no longer be hers to choose).

* Richard de Leon says that his brother Danny was made the way he is because of his father’s mistreatment.

* Strike is bewildered that Danny (who integrates his brother’s Christian name into his porn name, Dick de Lion) and Richard could be so close and share so much with each other, contrasting this with his own relationship with Al.

* Leda and Rena are both shown to have suffered because of the absence of their more stable brothers.

* Strike observes that “men are seen as disposable in certain contexts” (pp. 107f).

* Wardle, who is shown to be a caring and dedicated father to his young child, opens up to Strike about his depression and his marriage troubles.

* Strike reflects on the shallow friendships he has with other men, and later sees how this kind of friendship can be toxic with the wrong personalities (in Powell, Pratt, and Jones, p. 860).

* Strike fears Wardle may be at risk of suicide. Niall is found to have committed suicide after his brother in arms was horrifically executed by Islamist combatants. The public can’t be bothered to care about the tragic loss of this man who heroically put his life on the line for his country - preferring instead to lend their attention to the spectacle of another man, Branfoot, who went to extreme lengths to indulge his basest and most perverse desires (p. 873).

Like many events in this book, this theme - with characters showing genuine concern and thoughtful consideration of complex men’s issues - is a mirror image of one presented in Troubled Blood with the character of Carl Oakden and his cynical men’s rights grift.

This barely scratches the surface of the notes that I took on this theme, which I saw running deep through the whole book. I wondered if I was just seeing this in the text because of my own perspective as a man, or if it really was there. Indeed, you could find hints of this theme in each of the preceding seven books.

But the structural clues left me convinced it was intentional. And when I watched this video (https://robert-galbraith.com/robert-galbraith-discusses-the-case-in-the-hallmarked-man/) the day after finishing the book, there was no doubt.

Justin Clavet on the Hallmarked Man Dedication and Rokeby’s Gratitude

· I connected the book’s dedication to Sean and Nadine Harris with Rokeby’s statement on p. 748, “Not everyone’s got a mate called Leo ‘oo stops ‘em livin’ rough” and that he attributes his artistic and financial success to his friend’s generosity and charity.

Ed Shardlow on The Ickabog as Hallmarked Man’s Parallel Book

Conscious of the links between the first 7 books of the series and the Potter books, and with three books purportedly remaining in the series, I was primed to see a connection between The Hallmarked Man and one of Casual Vacancy, Christmas Pig or the Ickabog. I didn’t have any predisposition to it being any of those. Even if Rowling is taking them in some sort of chronological order, there’s reason to believe the orders of conception, writing and publishing may differ.

At the end of Part One, I thought the Ickabog looked like the best fit based on the fact that the central mystery of who the body in the vault was has a certain similarity to the mystery of the Ickabog itself and whether it was real or a myth. The importance of the truth and the damage done by lies are fundamental to the Ickabog story, and I thought from the start those were major themes in THM.

The other correspondences I’ve spotted:

* The police, in various guises, like the royal guard play an important part, largely inept, self-serving, and perpetrators of miscarriages of justice.

* The aristocrats - Lord Branfoot, Lady Jenson, Dino Longcaster - lie and deceive to protect their own interests, causing untold damage in the process.

* There’s terrorism, and terrorism being used to spread fear and division.

* Ultimately Rupert and Decima, two sexes but one entity, produce an offspring that may have been defective or corrupted by the state of the world he was born into, but seems to have emerged happy and healthy. Daisy Dovetail having persuaded Rupert the Ickabog that humanity was worth making compromises for.

* The main antagonist traps a woman in his house. I thought their names were Esmeralda and Sapphire, but it’s Lady Eslanda not Esmeralda… But apparently Eslanda can mean emerald, or VIOLET, or truth… So Eslanda corresponds to both Sapphire and Jolanda!

* We visit a feudal state

* Ben Liddell – the soldier killed in an incident in a land where there shouldn’t have been any military conflict happening and it being covered up by the government

* Sandra Hope: The Footprint!

Ed Shardlow, I can’t wait for your show on the parallels between THM and the Ickabog!!! I just finished rereading both of them and I’m losing my mind! Omg, the footprint: “The Flaw in the Plan (ch32) is that the footprint is hopping (not so much terrifying as ludicrously funny) and Strike noting that the bearer of the footprint in the vault has a limp!! Please let this conversation happen soon!!

Sandra Hope: Strike 8 as a ‘Rowling’s Greatest Hits Album’ of Allusions:

Allusions that took my breath away:

* Ectopic pregnancy- TB

* Schadenfreude- CC

* “So many babies”- not just born, but what they’re born into- Ickabog borndings

* Human trafficking ring- RG

* Woman buried in/under concrete- TB

* Staged murder involving mutilation- Silkworm

* Violent attacks & subsequent PTSD- a Rowling theme in every book, but especially CE & LW

* DNA testing & fatherhood- CV, TB

* Guys trying to find right time to ask a potential partner a question- GOF lol

* Valentine’s Day mishaps- CS, TB

* Behavior of abandoned mothers-Silkworm (& HBP), specifically Merope, Leonora, Decima (also Leda)

* Journalism as a weapon- GOF, OOP, Silkworm, RG

* Potential ill usage of mirrors- SS

Not a complete list by any means lol

LC – Dorothy Sayers Connection?

I don’t know if there is anything in my seeing parallels between Cormoran and Robin and Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vance (Dorothy Sayers): Peter and Harriet had a very long acquaintance before they finally got engaged, with lots of twists and turns. Peter goes deep undercover in an ad agency in one novel; the feel of it was very similar to Robin going deep undercover in Lethal White. Also, the Sayers novel “Five Red Herrings” also features five men--in this case, five men who could have been the murderer (instead of the victim). Sayers also had very intricate plots that were puzzles--and was a Dante scholar. I believe Jo has mentioned that she admired Sayers. I don’t know if these are just interesting parallels that Jo is having fun with or not, but they certainly seem to be more than coincidences. Thanks!

Kathleen O’Connor – Alternative Incest Big Twist Ideas

I’m impressed by your arguments that we will see some shocking twists – in addition to the shocking twist that Rokeby is actually, in his old age, a good father to his mature son, Cormoran, and not at all the image-focused a*****e we have seen through Strike’s eyes up to now. I don’t think, however, we will find that Rokeby is not Strike’s father. That revelation would dilute Strike’s growth in terms of his realizations that he has been mistaken about many things that he has taken for granted in his life.

Instead, I think instead we will see a continuation of Robeby’s rehabilitation until eventually, like Snape, Rokeby makes some kind of big sacrifice to aid Cormoran or someone/something else important to Cormoran. Also, even though Strike does not physically resemble Rokeby, he does resemble Prudence:

* “Seeing them face to face, Robin spotted her partner’s resemblance to Jonny Rokeby for the first time. He and his half-sister shared the same defined jaw, the same spacing of the eyes. She wondered – she who had three brothers, all of the same parentage – what it felt like, to make a first acquaintance with a blood relative in your forties. But there was something more there than a faint physical resemblance between brother and sister: they appeared, already, to have established an unspoken understanding.” - The Running Grave And:

* “In youth, Strike knew, Rokeby had been exactly as tall as his oldest son, though he was now a little shorter.” - The Hallmarked Man

Maybe the big twist and incest plot is connected to either Switch or Whittaker. As we learn from Wikipedia in Career of Evil, Jeff Whittaker never knew who his father was. A strong possibility could be that Patricia Whittaker’s own father, Sir Randolph, had gotten her pregnant with Jeff. In that case, keeping that secret – as well as simply keeping the baby away from Leda – could have been the motive for a Whittaker family member to have killed Leda.

An even bigger twist might be that Leda did commit suicide, using exactly the method of Krystal Weedon, after she realized that she was Whittaker’s sister. Would it be possible for Trevik to have met up with Patricia Whitaker in London and gotten her pregnant?

Regardless of the incest angle, I do think we might find that Leda, whose life choices have not allowed her to develop the strength or discipline to face hard truths, may have committed suicide rather than cope with some kind of guilt (maybe she found out what happened to Lucy?).

There are multiple examples that foreshadow these possibilities – off the top of my head, there are “naughty boy” wealthy aristos (Freddy Chiswell, Alexander Graves, Will Edensor, Jago Ross) who might parallel Sir Randolph or Jeff Whittaker, and multiple characters who confuse suicide with sacrifice or who simply cannot face what they have done (Cherie Gittins, Krystal Weedon, Yasmin Weatherhead). Rhiannon Winn and Ellie Fancourt both commit suicide because they cannot cope with the shame they feel as a result of others’ cruelty.

Also, I can think of two points that support your idea that we will find out some bad things about Ted. Number one, the revelations that Dumbledore was extremely flawed are crucial to Harry’s story. In fact, I suggest that writing characters who are not merely “gray” but who are simultaneously really good and really bad is a “golden thread” of Rowling’s work.

And, number two, we hear multiple times that Ted taught Strike, “There’s no pride in having what you never worked for” while Rokeby says “I don’t wanna die wivvout knowin’ ya. You fink I ’aven’t got the right to be proud, maybe, but I am. I’m proud of ya.” I don’t think it is an accident that Rowling sets up this opposition, and I also think she wants us to admire Rokey’s desire to know his son.

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