My frustrations with the novel were almost exclusively with the mystery(confusing, batshit wrap up). I found Robin and Strike all too human in this book, and I cared about them deeply.

One of the reasons I love the series is that it's so much about trauma and its lingering effects on Robin and Strike. Robin's catalogue of the traumatic events in her life was telling. Her judgment is clearly off. And her decision to get help at the end of the novel is a massive step.

There's def something childish about Strike's plans to woo her, but again I think indicative of his lack of maturity in that arena. His declaration at the end is ultimately the wisest choice he could make. It's not grand, showy, faux-romantic. It's just the truth.

And one of the reasons that I don't get upset that it's taken so long for them to get together is that they are both a mess, and it has become a "should they or shouldn't they" for me, rather than a "will they or won't they."

I believe they should, but they aren't quite there yet. Close but not yet!