Synopsis
In the seventh installment in the Strike series, Cormoran and Robin must rescue a man ensnared in the trap of a dangerous cult.
Private Detective Cormoran Strike is contacted by a worried father whose son, Will, has gone to join a religious cult in the depths of the Norfolk countryside.
The Universal Humanitarian Church is, on the surface, a peaceable organization that campaigns for a better world. Yet Strike discovers that beneath the surface there are deeply sinister undertones, and unexplained deaths.
In order to try to rescue Will, Strike’s business partner, Robin Ellacott, decides to infiltrate the cult, and she travels to Norfolk to live incognito among its members. But in doing so, she is unprepared for the dangers that await her there or for the toll it will take on her. . .
Utterly page-turning, The Running Grave moves Strike’s and Robin’s story forward in this epic, unforgettable seventh installment of the series.
Title
On 12th January, 2023, J.K. Rowling revealed on Twitter that the title of the seventh novel is The Running Grave. She first gave us the clue “Disentangle the hanging venturer,” which happened to be an anagram for “the running grave.” The title was guessed by the Strike & Ellacott Files podcast account. The title is likely inspired by the poem “On A Friend’s Escape From Drowning Off The Norfolk Coast” by George Barker. The poem references Cromer and the “running grave”.
Pre-Release
| Pre-Release Timeline – What we know so far about the book, from tweets by J.K. Rowling. |
General Information
From J.K. Rowling’s Twitter header photos, we know that Norfolk locations Cromer, St John the Baptist church in Aylmerton, and the Lion’s Mouth road are to be locations in the book. Also, Rupert Court, London, was another Twitter header. She also told us on Twitter that the Italian restaurant Il Portico will be in the book and said it was one of the best Italian restaurants in London. Another of her header photos was that of an I Ching hexagram.
J.K. Rowling’s Twitter header photos:
In a Twitter Q&A with JKR’s Barmy Books, Rowling revealed a few details about the book. She told us that we will finally meet Strike’s half-sister Prudence Donleavy, that Strike will stop smoking, and that someone will suggest therapy to Strike.
Epigraphs
On 4th April 2023, Rowling revealed on Twitter that all the epigraphs for The Running Grave are from the I Ching/The Book of Changes.
