The Strike & Ellacott Files

I know it hasn’t even been finished yet, but I think it’s safe to guess that #SleepTightEvangeline is already my favorite Strike and Robin book.

I could not resist the challenge.... Presenting: Murphy's luck. @TheSEFilesPod

👀 SNEAK PEEK! 👀 In this week's episode, we... - are taken on an emotional roller coaster 🎢 - find something we have in common with Murphy - want Robin to show us her sock drawer - discuss the loudness of the silence from Strike's friends and family after the Candy story - are unsure about an aspect of Strike's characterization - wonder why Strike asks Robin to leave the room while talking to Robertson This and more in Episode 16 ("Unromantic, Unwilling, Unbearable,") covering chapters 31 and 32 of #TheHallmarkedMan, out Thursday, 21 May at 4pm PT/7pm ET! 🩶

Happy Open Pursuit Day to all who celebrate. 5.19.2026 ♥️🌹 🐻 🫠

@deborah_hilliam @LudicrousMonica @UllaLauridsen 3/5 of the way through!

@SwuishyTofu @deborah_hilliam @LudicrousMonica @UllaLauridsen I’m really enjoying writing it because of the change in their relationship. After a mere seven years, Strike is finally in open pursuit.

@UllaLauridsen Yes, I'm on chapter 72 but I'm mid-migraine so sustained writing might not be resumed until tomorrow 😖

✍️ NEW BLOG POST! ✍️ In a new guest blog on our website, listener Sophia delves into the Wizard of Oz-inspired parallels found throughout #TheHallmarkedMan. She explores whether the novel’s characters are punished for the very qualities that should make them heroic, and examines the devastating impact of reputation. Link in bio 🔗

🌊 TRG TV News! 🌊 Nichola McAuliffe will be playing Shelley Heaton in the upcoming BBC adaptation of #TheRunningGrave. Source: app.spotlight.com/4371-8974-0454/

Big podcast milestone for us here at TSEF today! ❤️

Tower Alley and the Round Tower, Portsmouth. #SleepTightEvangeline

@jk_rowling We're recording today, and we're curious- does Robin still have the Moët & Chandon champagne cork from #LethalWhite in a keepsake box somewhere? 🍾 We've always thought it was so sweet that she kept it!

🧬 NEW EPISODE! 🧬 Today, we cover chapters 28-30 of #TheHallmarkedMan. We discuss Strike's interview with Jim Todd, Robin's altercation in Harrod's, Robin's interview with Albie Simpson-White, and pickles. Next episode (21 May): Chapters 31-33 Link in bio 🔗

✍️ LISTENER QUESTION! ✍️ @jk_rowling recently described #TheHallmarkedMan as “a very male-focused book,” touching on themes like homelessness, suicide, trauma, heroism, and depravity through the mystery of an unidentified victim. We’d especially like to hear from the men in the Strike fandom: what parts of JKR’s comments here resonate with you? Are there aspects of masculinity, friendship, pressure, loneliness, or identity in the Strike series that you feel are especially well observed? Source: youtu.be/-B4v5oB38-k?si… Leave your comments down below! 👇

👀 SNEAK PEEK! 👀 In this week's episode, we... - discuss how the setting of Jim Todd's interview foreshadows the kind of person he is - love Strike's power move of flipping back and forth through his notebook to unsettle an interviewee - analyze how the green and gold where Albie works could connect to alchemy - were terrified during the incident in Harrod's 😱 - are reminded that Strikes have more rights than Murphys, in the grand scheme of things - cheer on the additional cracks in Robin and Murphy's relationship 💔 - know where Robin *really* wants to run to 🫂🏠 - have a long-winded digression about pickle terminology - realize both Strike and Robin are projecting their past pain on to their perception of Rupert Fleetwood - appreciate how Robin ends her interview with Albie 🤝 This and more in Episode 15 ("The Pickled Interviews") covering chapters 28-30 of #TheHallmarkedMan, out Thursday 7 May at 4pm PT/7pm ET! 🩶

We would be so grateful for any hints about #SleepTightEvangeline, @jk_rowling! 💘

Tom Burke confirms on the One Show this evening that the next season of Strike, The Running Grave, will air ‘in the run up to Christmas’

@PAmotherrunner @4pm Keeping you and your family in our thoughts! It’s a nice long episode today so hopefully should present a welcome distraction ❤️

Just trying to figure out what to do with myself until @TheSEFilesPod releases the next ep @4pm EST. Prolly should get on those wildfire evac go bags since it’s 10 mi away… 😳😵‍💫🔥

🧬 NEW EPISODE! 🧬 This week, we cover chapter 27 of #TheHallmarkedMan. (Kenz was ill when we were meant to record the second half of this episode together.) We discuss Robin and Murphy looking at a house, Lindsay and Pools deep dive into whether Strike is a bastard to Midge, and include the partner's chat we recorded for episode 15. Next episode (7 May): Chapters 28-30 Link in bio 🔗

👀 SNEAK PEEK! 👀 In this week's episode, we... - don't let Robin's relationship status stop us from being resentful that she and Murphy have woken up in each other's beds - discuss Robin inadvertently continuing the UHC's work with her continued self-brainwashing - are ready to love Dr Broccoli 👩‍⚕️🥦 - can't help but notice a difference in how Robin treats a work call for Murphy versus if it had been Strike - marvel over clues that we missed, and how Jo keeps us distracted while reading - ponder the idea of a Murphy series (ugh!) - can't handle Robin's refusal to acknowledge male anatomy around Strike - welcome back the return of #TherapyEdition All this and more in Episode 14 ("The Cursed Cut & Paste Episode,") out Thursday, 23 April at 4pm PT/7pm ET! 🩶