Although we have a while to wait for the planned 2026 return of the BBC series Strike, we will have the eighth book to keep us distracted from September! The Hallmarked Man, written by J.K. Rowling, under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, sees Cormoran and Robin back, solving another crime.
While very little is known about the plot so far, Joanne has dropped plenty of tantalising clues about the upcoming novel via social media—and here’s what we know so far…
© Sam TaylorLocations
According to internet sleuths, Joanne’s X (Twitter) header images could have plenty to do with the show. One location is Ironbridge, a historic site in Shropshire. The author shared a photo of the Iron Bridge crossing the River Severn, which fans think has a connection to the novel.
She also changed the photo to Wild Court, a street behind Freemasons’ Hall in London, which has sparked theories that there will be a Freemasonry plot in the new novel.
© Sam TaylorA visit to Sark
However, perhaps most intriguing is her trip to Sark, a small island in the Channel Islands.
Revealing that she had visited the island while researching the novel, she posted: “Thank you, Sark. You and your people are wonderful, and I’m leaving with a very appropriate souvenir, given the title of #Strike8: #TheHallmarkedMan.”
After a fan contemplated that the novel would be set there, Joanne replied: “Not the whole thing. But a few chapters.”
© Laurence CendrowiczLiterary references
The novel will be released on 2 September, and a recently shared literary reference from James Elroy Flecker also had fans speculating that it was involved in the book somehow. It read:
“We are the Pilgrims, master; we shall go
Always a little further; it may be
Beyond that last blue mountain barred with snow,
Across that angry or that glimmering sea.”
We’re certainly intrigued!
© Rob YoungsonCormoran and Robin’s relationship
The author has also teased plenty of plot details, particularly regarding a specific foreshadowed moment. Referring to the book, she wrote:
“I’m getting there. Just finished a very satisfying chapter indeed. There’s nothing like writing an encounter you’ve foreshadowed for years.”
She also joked about a writing victory, explaining: “Just typed ‘manoeuvre’ correctly on the first attempt, without even thinking about it. There are no worlds left to conquer.”
After a fan quizzed her on the achievement, she revealed that the sentence came “VERY close to the end” of the novel.
