Patricia Chauncey is the agency’s new office manager, and she could not be less impressed with Cormoran Strike. Described as looking sixty-five instead of her true age of fifty-six, Pat feels “none of the reverence some of their temps had displayed toward the now famous detective” and repeatedly calls Strike out on his sometimes grumpy behavior with comments like, “Would a ‘thanks’ kill you?” Troubled Blood, Chapter 7
Puzzled by their contentious relationship, Robin likes Pat and both she and Barclay praise Pat’s work ethic to Strike. “… The filing was up to date, the accounts were in order, all receipts were neatly docketed, the phone was answered promptly, messages were passed on accurately, they never ran out of teabags or milk, and Pat had never once arrived late, no matter the weather and irrespective of Tube delays.” Troubled Blood, Chapter 7
Pat is a “thin woman with a deeply lined, monkeyish face and implausibly jet-black hair” and has a voice so deep that she is often mistaken for Strike on the phone. Pat is almost never seen without her vape pen in the office, and she switches to her favorite brand of cigarettes — Superking — “the moment her feet touched the pavement.” Troubled Blood, Chapter 7
Pat Chauncey has a somewhat tough exterior demeanor, and while she initially has it out for Strike, we begin to see a softer side of the office manager emerge as Troubled Blood develops. With some strong encouragement from Robin, we gradually see the tension between Strike and Pat ease as they work toward making their team a perfectly well-oiled machine.
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