The Hallmarked Man, by Robert Galbraith

This latest Strike novel sees detective agency partner Robin Ellacott suffering PTSD from her last case and Cormoran Strike havering over his newly-acknowledged feeling for her. Neither is in great shape for an investigation into a bizarre murder in a silver shop with Freemasonry links. The body has been identified by police as a crime figure, but their client believes it is her missing boyfriend and wants them to prove it. They discover five potential candidates and attempting to rule them in or out leads the agency into the murky worlds of the SAS, porn films, sex trafficking and, of course, Freemasons. At almost 900 pages this could be a slog, but Galbraith’s fluent style and short sharp chapters keep the action moving swiftly. Nevertheless the seven-year will they-won’t they URST between the two principals has become tediously self indulgent, ending the novel with a cliffhanger it’s hard to care about.