The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith is the eighth book in the Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott series. This instalment sees the detective duo investigate the identity of a dismembered corpse in the vault of a silver shop. Decima Mullins hires the agency to confirm if the body is that of her boyfriend, Rupert Fleetwood, but Strike and Ellacott discover that the identity could also fit three other missing people – a young mechanic, an ex-paratrooper and an actor in adult films. I don’t mind a knotty plot, but I think this case had one too many threads, and three mysteries rather than four would have been easier to follow. Nevertheless, I always find the Galbraith books to be so enjoyable to immerse myself in, even if the finer labyrinthine details are difficult to hold together in my head. There are significant developments in Strike and Ellacott’s personal lives in this book, and it’s reassuring to hear that work on book number nine is well under way, given that The Hallmarked Man ends on what can only be described as the mother of all cliffhangers as the longest will-they-won’t-they saga in literary history appears to be finally heading towards some sort of resolution.
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Tag Archives: Sebastian Faulks
Books I Read in September 2025
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Books I Have Neglected
A little while ago, I wrote a post about the books I will probably never read (unless I break a leg or something, in which case I might give them a try). I also have a list of other books which have been sitting on my shelves for months or years which I really do plan to read. My good excuse is that I have been trying to make the most out university libraries which I will only have access to until the end of September so my official reading list and my Kindle have been neglected for a very long time. My poor excuse is that I am also a pretty terrible procrastinator even when it comes to getting round to things I enjoy like reading.
Books I Have Neglected
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Capital by John Lanchester
‘Capital’ by John Lanchester is a state-of-the-nation novel which follows the lives of the residents of Pepys Road in London in 2007-2008 just as the financial crisis is beginning to wreak havoc on the world. The characters come from all walks of life: they include a City banker, a Senegalese footballer, an elderly lady who has been diagnosed with a brain tumour, a Pakistani family who own the nearby corner shop and several other characters. They all begin to receive anonymous postcards with the message ‘We Want What You Have’ written on them. Why? Continue reading
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