Throughout the Strike novels, the theme of starting afresh is ever present – Cast your mind back to times in the stories that centred upon new beginnings. To get the most enjoyment out of this quiz (and a better result!), we recommend reading the book before attempting!
Question 1 of 10
This time, there was no near-miss. Sixteen unseeing stone of dishevelled male slammed into her; Robin was knocked off her feet and catapulted backwards.
The Cuckoo’s Calling begins in January, with Lula Landry’s story. But Strike and Robin first meet in which month?:
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Question 2 of 10
‘Right, OK – no, give me a couple of minutes, please, [ WRONG NAME ], and then show him in.’
…Strike wasted barely a second on asking himself why he had called her [ WRONG NAME ], before leaping to his feet and setting about looking and smelling less like a man who had slept in his clothes.
In these lines from The Cuckoo’s Calling, Strike calls Robin by the wrong name on her first day, what name does he call her?
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Question 3 of 10
‘There’s a woman here. She hasn’t got an appointment. I’ve told her you haven’t got room for another client, but she’s refusing to leave.’ Strike yawned, rubbing his eyes.
‘Five minutes. Make them tea or something.’
Which case is about to land on Strike and Robin’s desks?
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Question 4 of 10
Perhaps he ought to be glad that the Temporary Solution had forced him to abandon the chase. There could be no going back from the scene in the early hours of this morning. This time, it had to be over.
Strike is preoccupied with an ending rather than a beginning in this scene from The Cuckoo’s Calling. What ‘has to be over’? Who was he chasing when Robin arrived?
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Question 5 of 10
She had a Home Counties accent and her tone contained that precise mixture of apology and excitement that he usually encountered in those who wanted to talk about his detective triumphs.
Who is Strike meeting for the first time?
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Question 6 of 10
The prospective client followed Robin into the room... The stranger might be distinctly rabbity in appearance, with a short upper lip that failed to conceal large front teeth…
Who has just walked into Strike’s office, with a case that needs solving?
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Question 7 of 10
Strike used the handrail to pull himself up the last few steps of the metal staircase leading to his office. Two raised voices were reverberating through the glass door, one male, the other shrill, frightened and female.
Strike is about to open the door to the first hint of another new case. Which book is it from?
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Question 8 of 10
‘Sticking with it, then, are you?’ he had said roughly… His tone had nettled her, as had the fact that he had never asked why she was trying, never asked about her home life from that point onwards
What does Strike’s question – ‘sticking with it’ – refer to?
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Question 9 of 10
Her eyes met those of the driver in the rear-view mirror. ‘Sorry,’ said Robin nonsensically, and then, bewildered by her own apology, she said, ‘I’ve – I’ve just left my husband.’ ‘Yeah?’ said the driver, switching on her indicator. ‘I’ve left two. It gets easier with practice.’
In which book does Robin start afresh, single for the first time since her teens?
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Question 10 of 10
‘She’s my partner. We work the same jobs.’ Robin glanced sideways at Strike. He had never before described her as his partner to somebody else, or not within Robin’s hearing.
Strike calls Robin his partner for the first time in which book?
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