The 8th book in the Strike series is one of the most engaging yet – but can get a little bit convoluted in places.
It has to be said that with every book in the series, there is an increasing amount of attention to detail as well as plenty of extra twists and turns (particularly in the development in Robin and Strike’s relationship) to keep the reader thoroughly engaged.
The story begins with a particularly gruesome discovery in the vault of a silver shop – an extremely mutilated body whose identity is unknown. Between them Robin and strike have to find out who the person is and why the person who killed them went to such lengths to hide their identity. With plenty of suspects and potential victims alike it is certainly one of the biggest cases the Strike and Ellacot detective agency have had to uncover.
From start to finish the plot has been cleverly structured to ensure that the events in Strike and Robin’s personal life compliment and not overshadow the central plot. It really highlights how the dynamic in their relationship is gradually changing. In particular, you get a real sense of the emotional turmoil that Robin goes through in the wake of a tragic incident and how she deals with her partner Ryan Murphy’s struggles, while Strike is definitely in a more introspective mood in the wake of of his uncle Ted’s death and learning to value the important things in life. His life is further complicated with stories about him emerging in the press that puts further strain on his working and personal relationship with Robin. It is emotionally complex.
It does have to be said that because of the number of the suspects and victims, there are times when it feels that the plot is overly complex and can slow the pace down. Meanwhile, focusing on details such as what characters have to drink feel unnecessary and could have been trimmed down – but in many ways it does make the reader feeling like they are sharing the experience. It could also be said that the reliance on phonetic vocabulary is a bit much – particularly when it is used for several characters it means that some characters don’t feel as distinctive as they could.
There are many different layers to The Hallmarked Man that ensures that there is plenty to keep readers engaged from start to finish. The writing really takes the reader into the character’s minds to make sure that readers are emotionally invested in what is happening. But it is also interesting to see how strands from previous books are interwoven into what Robin and Strike experience in this one, again heightening the emotional connection.
Overall, at first appearance The Hallmarked Man is a marathon of a read but because of the quality of the writing and compelling nature of the plot it is easy to breeze through the book. It is one of the best in the series.
By Emma Clarendon
The Hallmarked Man is available to buy now.
Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️