 First edition in the United Kingdom | |
| Authors | Robert Galbraith |
|---|---|
| Audio read by | Robert Glenister |
| Cover artist | Duncan Spilling |
| Language | English |
| Series | Cormoran Strike |
Release number | 8 |
| Genre | Crime fiction |
| Set in | United Kingdom |
| Publisher | Sphere Books |
Publication date | 2 September 2025 (2025-09-02) |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print, Digital, Audiobook |
| Pages | 912 (Hardcover) |
| ISBN | 978-0-3165-8600-9 (Hardcover) |
| Preceded by | The Running Grave |
| Website | The Hallmarked Man at robert-galbraith.com |
The Hallmarked Man is acrime fiction novel written by the British authorJ. K. Rowling, and published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.[1] The eighth novel in theCormoran Strike detective series, it followsThe Running Grave. As with previous books in the series, it features the protagonists Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott solving a murder. Themes explored in the plot involveFreemasonry,human trafficking, the silver antiques trade, corruption in the media, secrecy surrounding the military and intelligence services, mental health issues and the interpersonal relationship between the protagonists.
The book was released on 2 September 2025 and received a mixed reception from the press and public. It debuted at the top of the bestseller lists in both the US and UK.
Decima Mullins hires the agency to investigate the body of "William Wright" found in the vault of Ramsay Silver. Identification is difficult due to mutilation and the outdated security system. The police say that Wright was Jason Knowles, a convicted robber. Mullins thinks Wright was her lover, Rupert Fleetwood. Shanker states that Wright was neither man, that a freemason is behind the execution, and that Knowles was sent to "Barnaby's". Information from Ryan Murphy reveals that Niall Semple and Tyler Powell also fit the profile. A letter encoded with apigpen cipher says that Wright was "Dick DeLion". Fleetwood's social circle believes he is in New York. The agency receives threatening calls, and Robin is attacked and threatened inHarrods by a masked assailant.
Robin discovers the 1998 murders in Belgium of Reata Lindvall and her daughter Jolanda. The office door is defaced with a letter "G" from theSquare and Compasses. A music producer, Calvin Osgood, has his identity stolen. Sapphire Neagle is the only connection between him and the impostor "Oz", whom Wright had emailed. Oz ransacked Wright's apartment of anything personally identifiable with Sofia Medina, a student found dead onNorth Wessex Downs. Jade Semple tells Strike that her husband became obsessed with Freemasonry after atraumatic brain injury, and that Ralph Lawrence ofMI5 took the note he left behind. The stalker threatens Robin again and drops a Masonic dagger. Lawrence warns against investigating Semple, and places Rena Liddell in apsychiatric hold before Strike can interview her.
Strike runs into Nina Lascelles, who tells Dominic Culpepper that Kim took photos of his wife having an affair. Culpepper writes articles portraying Strike as an abusive womaniser who coerced an escort into sex. Jonny Rokeby's lawyers quash a false story about Strike fathering Bijou Watkins' daughter. Strike discovers that the encoded letter was from Fiona Freeman, who thinks De Leon was executed by a freemason who uses porn actors and unsuspecting laypeople to fulfil his fetishes. Strike believes that the freemason is Oliver Branfoot, who is colluding with Culpepper and is part of the sameMasonic lodge as Malcom Truman, the DCI who investigated the vault case. De Leon is found alive onSark. "Barnaby's" is deduced to be a scrap yard where bodies are destroyed in the car compactor. Jim Todd, Ramsay Silver's cleaner, is killed by Oz along with his mother. Kim Cochran obtains photos that show the body marked with theCross of Salem.
Dilys Powell and Ian Griffiths explain that Tyler leftIronbridge due to a scandal involving a car crash. Griffiths' daughter Chloe explains that Tyler was aggressive and possessive with women. Faber Whitehead voices his suspicions of Ian Griffiths. Robinpepper-sprays the assailant who is arrested and identified as Wade King. Hussein Mohamed mentions seeing dumbbells with the logo ofWolverhampton Wanderers, which Powell supported. Strike deduces that Griffiths is Oz and runs atrafficking ring. He killed Lindvall and passed off Jolanda as Chloe. When Powell tried to rescue Chloe, Todd got him a job at Ramsay Silver and lured him to the vault, where Griffiths murdered him. Medina aided Powell at both Ramsay Silver and Powell's apartment, after which she was killed. Strike, Barclay and Wardle subdue the ring at Griffiths' house and discover Sapphire chained in the basement. It is revealed that Griffiths was impersonating Chloe, who was murdered and buried in the basement after Griffiths got her pregnant.
Robin and Midge find the stolen silver behind a wall at Ramsay Silver. Kim works with Farah Navabi and Branfoot to foil Strike's investigation, but becomes the subject of one of his sex tapes. Fergus Robertson's piece inThe Sunday Telegraph exposes Branfoot, and Culpepper is fired for fabricating articles. Information from Tara Jenson helps Robin find Fleetwood inSardinia. He reveals that Decima is Fleetwood's half-sister through Dino Longcaster's affair with Fleetwood's mother, and Robin convinces him to reconcile. Using information from Rena Liddell, Semple's body is found where he committed suicide inRegent's Canal. At the funeral, Ralph Lawrence reveals the circumstances of Ben Liddell's execution byDaesh. Spurred by Murphy's impending proposal, Strike confesses his feelings to Robin.
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Rowling started writing the novel after the release ofThe Running Grave in September 2023. She announced the title of the book throughX on 15 March 2024.[2] Public speculation about the setting and plot of the novel grew due to images and posts on Rowling's X account. These includedIron Bridge, Wild Court (a street behindFreemasons' Hall in London), the island ofSark in theChannel Islands,Crieff in Scotland and theSavoy Hotel in London.
Rowling partly confirmed these speculations when she said during an interview that a few chapters would be set on Sark.[3] She also teased a few plot details, revealing that she had written about an encounter that had been foreshadowed for years. On 17 December 2024, Rowling announced that she had finished writing the novel.
The involvement of the Masons was further hinted at when the cover, which was leaked through Apple books on 23 May 2025, featured Freemasons' Hall. Retail listings later revealed the inclusion of a new character called Decima Mullins and confirmed the involvement ofFreemasonry. Rowling revealed in an interview that Masonic concepts like thePigpen Cipher would be plot points.
The novel was published bySphere Books in the UK and byMulholland Books in the USA. Both Mulholland and Sphere are imprints ofLittle, Brown and Company (part of theHachette Book Group), which has published all Rowling's adult fiction, includingThe Casual Vacancy.[4]
The novel has hardback, paperback, large-print paperback, eBook and audiobook editions. The audiobook is narrated byRobert Glenister, who also narrated all the previous books in the series.[5][failed verification] The cover art was created by Duncan Spilling, who has designed the covers for all the books in the series.[6][failed verification]
Early copies of the hardcover edition started going out on 27 August.[7] The book was released to the public on 2 September.
The book sold 53,207 copies in the UK during its first week on sale, outselling the previous two entries in the series.[8] It made its debut at the top of the UK Top 50, and also landed at the top of the hardcover fiction sales lists in the US.[9]
Press reception was mixed.[citation needed] A critic described the book as another strong, emotionally engaging entry in the series.[10] Praise was given to the construction and handling of multiple intertwining plot lines.[11] Points of criticism were the lack of resolution for the romantic tension between the protagonists and the handling of colloquialisms in dialogue.[12] The length of the book was noted as excessive, although it is shorter than the three previous entries in the series.[13]
On 16 December 2024, Rowling revealed that she was already making plans for the ninth book in the series. Rowling has previously stated that she intends to end the series after ten books.[14]