The Hallmarked Man

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The Hallmarked Man
The Hallmarked Man Cover.jpg
First edition in the United Kingdom
Authors Robert Galbraith
Audio read by Robert Glenister
LanguageEnglish
Series Cormoran Strike
Release number
8
Genre Crime fiction
Set inUnited Kingdom
Publisher Mulholland Books
(Little, Brown & Company)
Publication date
2 September 2025 (2025-09-02)
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint, Digital, Audiobook
Pages912 (Hardcover)
ISBN 978-0-316-58600-9 (Hardcover)
Preceded by The Running Grave  
Website The Hallmarked Man at robert-galbraith.com

The Hallmarked Man is an upcoming crime fiction novel written by British author J. K. Rowling, scheduled to be released on 2 September 2025. [1] It will be the eighth book in the Cormoran Strike series of detective fiction novels, following The Running Grave which was released in September 2023. Like previous books in the series, it will be released under the pen name Robert Galbraith, and features protagonists Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott solving a murder case.

Contents

Plot

The Cormoran Strike detective agency is called in to consult on a case involving a dismembered body that is found in the vault of a silver shop located on a street behind London's Freemasons' Hall and specializing in Masonic silverware. The police believe that the body belongs to a known convicted robber. However Decima Hall thinks it is the body of her missing boyfriend and the father of her child, and hires the agency to investigate. The investigation spans London, Shropshire, Scotland, and the Channel Islands, and reveals the existence of several other missing men who could also fit the profile of the victim.

A secondary plot explores Robin's growing relationship with her boyfriend Ryan Murphy, and Strike's feelings for her.

Characters

Protagonists

Secondary Characters

Development

Background

Rowling announced the title of the book through X 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 included Iron Bridge, Wild Court (a street behind Freemasons' Hall in London), the island of Sark in the Channel Islands, Crieff in Scotland, and the Savoy Hotel in London.

Rowling partly confirmed these speculations when she said that a few chapters would be set on Sark during an interview. [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 of Freemasonry. Rowling revealed in an interview that Masonic concepts like the Pigpen Cipher would be plot points.

Publication

The novel will be published by Mulholland Books, which has published all the books in the series since Troubled Blood ; previous books were published by Sphere Books. Both Mulholland and Sphere are imprints of Little, Brown and Company (part of the Hachette Book Group), which has published all of Rowling's adult fiction, including The Casual Vacancy .

The novel will have hardback, paperback, eBook, and audiobook editions. The audiobook is narrated by Robert Glenister, who also narrated all the previous books in the series. [4] Early copies of the hardcover edition started going out on 27 August. [5]

Sequel

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. [6]

References

  1. ↑ Galbraith, Robert (2 September 2025). The Hallmarked Man: A Cormoran Strike Novel. Little Brown. ISBN   978-0-316-58600-9.
  2. ↑ "J.K. Rowling confirms name of new Cormoran Strike novel as 'The Hallmarked Man' on visit to Sark". ITV News. 18 March 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  3. ↑ Brown, Andy (30 August 2025). "JK Rowling teases Sark details ahead of book release". guernseypress.com. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  4. ↑ The Hallmarked Man. 4 November 2024. ISBN   978-1-6686-5090-5.
  5. ↑ Borland, Ben (28 August 2025). "JK Rowling offers to send Nicola Sturgeon a review copy of her new Strike novel". Scottish Daily Express. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  6. ↑ "JK Rowling's new Cormoran Strike novel announced - including release date". The Scotsman. 29 May 2025. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
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