The Hallmarked Man

A Cormoran Strike Novel

De: Robert Galbraith

Narrado por: Robert Glenister

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

A dismembered corpse is discovered in the vault of a silver shop. The police initially believe it to be that of a convicted armed robber—but not everyone agrees with that theory. One of them is Decima Mullins, who calls on the help of private detective Cormoran Strike as she's certain the body in the silver vault was that of her boyfriend—the father of her newborn baby—who suddenly and mysteriously disappeared.

The more Strike and his business partner Robin Ellacott delve into the case, the more labyrinthine it gets. The silver shop is no ordinary one: it's located beside Freemasons' Hall and specializes in Masonic silverware. And in addition to the armed robber and Decima's boyfriend, it becomes clear that there are other missing men who could fit the profile of the body in the vault.

As the case becomes ever more complicated and dangerous, Strike faces another quandary. Robin seems increasingly committed to her boyfriend, policeman Ryan Murphy, but the impulse to declare his own feelings for her is becoming stronger than ever.

A gripping, wonderfully complex novel which takes Strike and Robin's story to a new level, The Hallmarked Man is an unmissable pick for any fan of this unique series.

©2025 Robert Galbraith (P)2025 Little, Brown & Company

So Wonderfully Complicated

To some fellow reviewers, please stop dropping spoilers into your reviews. It isn't fair.
Thanks.
**What I loved about this book: so many plots! Only a genius writer would dare throw so many balls into the air and keep juggling them successfully. Great addition to the series: surprise humor, and depth - a certain overarching consciousness of the razor's edge between tragedy and comedy. Strike and Robin are truly challenged physically, intellectually and emotionally by the various mysteries in the cases they have taken on. They are also grappling with their own pasts. There are many moments when they don't know what is happening. Listeners/readers need to pay very close attention to make sense of it all. Many characters from earlier books pop in, with Strike's memories adding context.
**Some reviewers have been critical of certain aspects of the lead characters. i would ask them to remember what the leads have been through in the previous books as well as the catastrophic life changing events they are each faced with in this one. As Robin notes silently to herself at one key turning point, ""Life had taught her that there were few limits on the lies that desperate men were prepared to tell." This recurrent truth colors her thoughts and choices as the adventures and life pile onto her.
**Sorting lies from truths is a key to this book. After all, in the precious metals world, the hallmark is the symbol that testifies to the value and truth of the object. The bitter irony of a "hallmarked man" is that desperate people frequently prefer the lie. **Lastly - Hurrah for the narrator! His performance is sheer pure perfection.

Love the characters

This storyline was hard for me to follow. I love the characters and that’s the only reason I read these books.
Ugh! Another cliffhanger. I hope I live long enough to know how it ever ends.

The complicity ruined it for me.

I feel like if this wasn’t an audio book, I would’ve walked away from it like I did Casual Vacancy. It was so complicated, it left my head spinning and gave me more questions along the way that distracted me even further. The characters’ personal lives were the only tethers that kept me going, because I could follow what they had going on. Strike said this was his least favorite case and I agree with that sentiment. I’m pretty disappointed, honestly.

Enough Already

Just skip to the last 8 mins if you want to know where things stand with Strike and Robin. I love the series and the narrator is my absolute favorite, but I think we deserve a bit more than the scraps we’ve been given on the key plot line of Strike and Robin’s relationship. And Robin’s behavior is getting ridiculous at this point. You’re a grown woman, take control of your life! As you can tell, I’m very invested in these characters 😄 but this is getting tiresome.

Fantastic Book

This one has so ment twists and turn I LOVE IT!! Sadly we’ll have to wait for another one

Too many red herrings not enough Robin or Strike

The details go on and on and you’ll need your own murder board to track the mystery. Try to ignore it. As usual- amazing characters make it worth the long listen (plus a perfect narrator)

The best so far

Ending in a cliffhanger
It is going to be a looong year waiting fot the next book

More of what I love

I love these characters and have an emotional connection to them. Not just Robin and Strike but all of them. And Robert Glenister is such a great narrator. He captures them all of perfectly. I would give this five stars, but the storyline wasn’t RGs best. It’s getting hard to maintain the tension between Robin and Cormoran. But yet, I still can’t wait for the next one!

Aaaahhhh (again)

Love these books -- the two protagonists are absolutely fantastic, and I adore many of the side characters. My main issue with this book is actually the main mystery -- I found this one a little hard to follow and sympathize with the many, many people involved, and I'm frustrated by feeling a little like a cat and a laser toy regarding the main plot's being dragged out, but otherwise, amazing character development and really beautiful writing! A few of the chapters (avoiding spoilers: chapter where Strike gets a lawyer and the last chapter) made me squeak, which doesn't happen often. And bravo to the absolutely incredible reader, who never misses an emotional beat!!

I love everything about this Book

I love the plot and jk Rowling ideas and the way she uses language. I also love her honesty and integrity. I couldn’t put the book down. Read it ! Just read it!