The Ink Black Heart
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 2022-08-30 |
| Founder | J. K. Rowling (as Robert Galbraith) |
| Products | Crime novel |
The Ink Black Heart is a crime novel authored by British writer J. K. Rowling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, published on 30 August 2022. It represents the sixth and lengthiest entry in the Cormoran Strike series.
Plot
Following a celebration at The Ritz for Robin's 30th birthday, Strike attempts to kiss her, but she avoids the gesture. Feeling rejected, Strike quietly begins a relationship with Madeline, who is connected to his former fiancée Charlotte.
Edie Ledwell, an animator and co-creator of the popular cartoon The Ink Black Heart, which is currently being adapted into a Netflix film, contacts the agency to help identify Anomie, the anonymous co-creator of Drek's Game, an online game based on the cartoon. After Edie criticized the game, Anomie started harassing her on social media. Robin directs Edie to a cybercrime-focused agency. Within the game community, two moderators claim to have evidence that Anomie and Edie are the same individual and share this with Josh Blay, Edie's ex-partner and fellow co-creator. Subsequently, Edie and Josh are attacked in Highgate Cemetery; Edie is killed while Josh becomes paralyzed.
A film producer working on the adaptation of The Ink Black Heart hires the agency to discover Anomie's identity. The investigation centers on people associated with the cartoon and the North Grove Art Collective, exploring online harassment and another figure known as The Pen of Justice, who accuses the cartoon of racism, ableism, and transphobia. In Drek's Game, Anomie openly admits to the murder—a confession dismissed by other moderators including co-creator Morehouse. Two moderators appear linked to Halvening, a far-right group suspected by police of involvement in the crime. To aid the inquiry, Robin immerses herself in the game.
Robin and Strike conduct surveillance to refine their suspect list but receive threats including phone calls demanding they exhume Edie's grave and open letters buried with her. A relationship develops between moderators Paperwhite and Morehouse; however, Paperwhite mistakenly includes Anomie in a private message.
After interviewing Yasmin at Comic Con—a former employee of Edie and Josh—Robin assists in rescuing a man pushed onto train tracks by someone dressed as Batman. The victim is Oliver Peach (moderator Vilepechora), connected to Halvening. Anomie confesses this attack within the game before banning Oliver’s brother Charlie (LordDrek). A parcel bomb damages Strike’s office but causes no injuries. The ensuing publicity prompts Morehouse to consider contacting the agency; meanwhile, Robin forms a connection with moderator Fiendy1 (Edie's cousin), who reveals Morehouse’s identity but is murdered before an interview can take place.
Strike interviews Yasmin and learns she was blackmailed by Anomie into logging in as them multiple times, complicating efforts to rule out suspects. Robin traces a provocative photo allegedly sent by Paperwhite to Anomie back to an art student in Glasgow, uncovering that Paperwhite was actually a sock puppet controlled by Anomie monitoring Morehouse and other moderators. Robin receives a death threat call. Strike discovers that Edie's uncle did not bury Josh's letter with Edie; misogynistic abuse in the letter suggests someone with access to Katya (Josh’s agent) replaced it.
Katya’s daughter calls for assistance; at her home, Gus (Katya’s son and revealed as Anomie) tasers Strike. Robin triggers a rape alarm and escapes upstairs where she finds Gus’s father dead. Gus chases her with a machete but neighbors respond to the alarm, enabling Robin to subdue him.
At the hospital, Strike informs Robin that her name has been added to the office door, moving her emotionally, and reveals he has ended his relationship with Madeline. Robin confides she is dating officer Ryan Murphy. After she leaves, Strike reflects on possibly having missed his opportunity with Robin.
Main
- Cormoran Strike – A private investigator with a degree of public recognition, partly due to his famous rock star father and involvement in prominent homicide investigations. A veteran of war who lost a leg in an explosion, Strike struggles with mobility issues caused by pain and weight gain, which affect his performance during crucial moments.
- Robin Ellacott – Initially Strike’s assistant and now his business partner, she is trained in criminal investigation. Having survived an assault, she continues to face persistent harassment that impacts both her career and personal life.
Recurring
- Pat Chauncey – The agency’s office manager and habitual smoker.
- Sam Barclay – A proficient Scottish contract investigator.
- Charlotte Campbell Ross – Strike’s ex-fiancée, characterized by neuroticism and narcissism; a socialite and supermodel.
- Jago Ross – Charlotte’s abusive spouse.
- Michelle "Midge" Greenstreet – Contract investigator notable for her baking talents.
- Dev Shah – Contract investigator.
- Madeline Courson-Miles – Strike’s new girlfriend, sharing similar emotional instability and neediness as Charlotte.
- Lucy – Strike’s half-sister who has three sons; Strike is particularly fond of the middle child, Jack.
Offline characters
- Edie Ledwell – Co-creator of The Ink Black Heart, a popular YouTube animated series poised for film adaptation. She endures online harassment before her murder and faces false allegations from the Pen of Justice blog.
- Josh Blay – Edie’s co-creator and former boyfriend who was left paralyzed after defending Edie from an attack; he manages to avoid the same level of online abuse.
- Grant Ledwell – Edie’s affluent uncle intent on profiting from the upcoming movie adaptation following her death.
- Rachel Ledwell – Grant’s daughter and Edie’s cousin; serves as a moderator in Drek's Game and provides crucial information about co-creator Morehouse.
- Seb Montgomery – Animator for early episodes of The Ink Black Heart suspected by Edie to be the figure known as Anomie.
- Wally Cardew – Josh’s friend and former voice actor on the series; currently runs a YouTube channel after being dismissed due to controversial content.
- Preston 'Pez' Pierce – A womanizing digital artist and voice actor from early episodes; resident of the North Grove Art Collective.
- Tim Ashcroft – Ex-actor and leader of a theatre group; identified as the author behind the Pen of Justice blog and a predatory individual grooming teenagers online.
- Zoe Haigh – Artist at the collective, fan of the cartoon, moderator in Drek's Game, and victim of Ashcroft’s abuse.
- Philip Ormond – Edie’s self-centered boyfriend working on a book about The Ink Black Heart alongside Yasmin Weatherhead.
- Yasmin Weatherhead – Former employee and moderator in Drek's Game, manipulated by the far-right group Halvening; silenced through threats from Anomie.
- Nils de Jong and Mariam Torosyan – Owners of North Grove Art Collective where significant individuals connected to The Ink Black Heart gather; Nils is a Neo-Nazi affiliated with Halvening.
- Bram de Jong – Nils’s highly intelligent but mentally unstable teenage son.
- Kea Niven – Chronically ill former girlfriend of Josh who accuses Edie of stealing her idea for the cartoon.
- Katya Upcott – Agent representing Josh and formerly Edie.
- Inigo Upcott – Katya’s husband, a former musician suffering from chronic illness; emotionally abusive toward family while obsessively managing their son Gus’s musical career.
- Gus Upcott – The talented but bullied adult son of Katya and Inigo.
- Flavia Upcott – Their exceptionally bright 12-year-old daughter who plays an important role in resolving the case.
- Ryan Murphy – Local CID officer connected to Robin’s account of meeting Edie; develops a romantic interest in Robin.
Online personas
- Anomie – One of the co-creators and moderators of Drek's Game, who targets Edie after a video surfaces showing her disdain for the game. Exhibiting vengeful misogyny and domineering behavior, he kills Edie Ledwell, leaves Josh Blay paralyzed, attempts to murder Oliver Peach to conceal his crimes, and eliminates fellow co-creator Vikas Bhardwaj when he plans to expose him.
- Morehouse – The online persona of Dr. Vikas Bhardwaj, also a co-creator and moderator of Drek's Game; in contrast to Anomie, he refrains from attacking Edie.
- Vilepechora and LordDrek – Oliver and Charlie Peach, members of the Halvening group and moderators who assemble false evidence accusing Anomie of being Edie prior to her death; they share this dossier with Hartella.
- Paperwhite – A moderator engaged in an online relationship with Morehouse, later uncovered as a fabricated account controlled by Anomie.
- Fiendy1 – A moderator who views Anomie as a threat and consents to communicate with Robin.
- Hartella – A moderator who claims to possess proof that Edie is Anomie but was manipulated by the Halvening faction; eventually admits to impersonating Anomie under Strike's direction.
- Worm28 – A Drek's Game moderator who deals with dyslexia.
Reception
The Ink Black Heart achieved sales of 50,738 copies during its initial week in the UK, securing the top position on the Official Top 50 book sales chart.
Jake Kerridge from The Daily Telegraph awarded it 3 out of 5 stars, describing the series as "comforting crime fiction" but criticizing the novel’s length and limited additional complexity. Similarly, Mark Sanderson of The Times expressed concerns about its length.
According to Kirkus Reviews, the book is an "overblown whodunit" with an excessive emphasis on online dialogues, suggesting readers might lose engagement after reaching 1,000 pages. In contrast, Darragh McManus from Irish Independent commended its intricate characters and interwoven storylines.
The narrative—which includes a woman murdered following allegations of transphobia—prompted comparisons to J.K. Rowling’s contentious real-world remarks on transgender topics, resulting in accusations of self-insertion. Rowling refuted these claims by stating the manuscript was completed prior to her own experience with online criticism.
The novel was shortlisted for the 2023 CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger award.
Adaptation
The Ink Black Heart has been transformed into an installment of the Strike television series, starring Tom Burke as Cormoran Strike and Holliday Grainger portraying Robin Ellacott.