Police and paparazzi crowd the scene as Lula Landry's body is discovered at the base of her apartment building.

After media coverage and police review, Lula Landry's death is officially ruled a suicide.

Robin Ellacott begins her first day as Strike's temporary secretary and nearly falls down the stairs after colliding with him.

John Bristow hires private detective Cormoran Strike to prove his sister Lula's death was murder, not suicide.

Strike reviews John's evidence package, including CCTV images of an unidentified Runner approaching and fleeing Lula's building.

Strike interviews security guard Derrick Wilson, who recounts the events at Lula's apartment building on the night she died.

Strike meets Detective Wardle and trades information on an open case in exchange for access to Lula's police file.

Strike secretly records his restaurant meeting with Tansy Bestigui, her sister Ursula, and John about Lula's death.

Wardle delivers Lula's full police case file to Strike, granting him access to official witness statements and evidence.

Strike interviews designer Guy Somé and confronts him with the observation that a CCTV runner wore a custom Guy-branded hoodie.

Rochelle Onifade's body is pulled from the Thames River with Strike's business card found in her pocket.

Strike confronts Freddie Bestigui at Pinewood Studios, exposing that Tansy was locked on the balcony by Freddie when Lula died.

Strike searches Yvette Bristow's house and discovers Lula's handwritten will hidden inside the lining of a handbag.

Strike accuses John of murdering Lula; John attacks Strike with a knife before Robin intercedes and calls for help.

Strike and Robin negotiate a permanent salary, securing Robin's future as Strike's full-time detective agency partner.

Cormoran Strike is hired by John Bristow to prove that his sister, supermodel Lula Landry, was murdered rather than died by suicide. Strike gathers key witnesses, trades favors with police, and builds his case from CCTV footage, witness testimony, and the official police file. His investigation reveals that fashion designer Guy Somé's custom clothing connects an unidentified runner on CCTV footage directly to Lula's building on the night of her death. The murder of Rochelle Onifade confirms Strike's theory that someone is covering their tracks, pushing the investigation toward its climax. Strike uncovers a hidden will that reveals who truly stood to inherit Lula's fortune and uses it to confront the killer. The investigation ends with John Bristow exposed as the murderer and Robin saving Strike's life, cementing their partnership.

The murder investigation from first case to final confrontation.

Charlotte nearly knocks Robin over while exiting Strike's office building on Robin's very first day of work.

Robin discovers Strike's overnight bag hidden in the office, realizing he has been secretly sleeping there.

Strike visits Charlotte's apartment to collect his belongings but leaves before she returns, resisting the urge to ask to reconcile.

Strike impulsively agrees to keep Robin on beyond her temp contract while she continues searching for permanent work.

Chauffeur Kieran Kolovas-Jones tells Strike that Lula wrote something on paper that later disappeared during her boutique visit.

Robin and Strike visit the Vashti boutique, where Robin charms the staff and learns about a private phone call Lula made there.

Strike lunches with Tony Landry alone and learns Tony blames Yvette's parenting for Charlie's death and opposed Lula's search for her biological family.

John joins Strike and Tony for lunch and afterward hands Strike Lula's laptop computer to examine.

Strike delivers Lula's laptop to his contact Spanner, asking him to recover its contents and any deleted files.

Robin locates Rochelle by calling her outpatient psychiatric service while pretending to be a patient needing an appointment time.

Strike meets Rochelle for coffee; she is guarded about her friendship with Lula but accepts his business card before leaving.

Charlotte calls Strike's office and passes a message through Robin that she is now engaged to Jago Ross.

Ciara Porter tells Strike that Lula was subdued but not suicidal on her last afternoon and promised to leave her possessions to her brother.

Evan Duffield reveals to Strike that he saw an email from Tansy threatening Freddie with damaging information about the night Lula died.

Strike meets Jonah Agyeman at a bar, where Jonah explains how Lula secretly reached out to him as her long-lost half-brother.

Beneath the central investigation, a series of secondary events shapes Strike's world and the progress of the case. Robin's sharp instincts surface early, from discovering Strike is sleeping in the office to tracking down a key witness by impersonating a patient. Strike's fraught personal life — his breakup with Charlotte, her later engagement, and his emotional unraveling — runs in parallel to the professional investigation. Witness interviews with Kieran, Rochelle, Ciara, and Evan build a detailed portrait of Lula's last day and the relationships that surrounded her. John's handover of Lula's laptop and Strike's quiet work through contacts behind the scenes provide crucial technical evidence. These secondary threads ultimately converge on the resolution, with Jonah Agyeman's identity as Lula's half-brother confirmed and the full truth about her final wishes revealed.

The people and moments shaping Strike's investigation from the outside.

Strike agrees to take John's case after learning John is the adoptive brother of Strike's own late childhood friend Charlie.

Strike reviews the CCTV evidence and notices a second unidentified man near Lula's building who may have served as a lookout.

Wardle explains the police dismissed Tansy's account because the building's soundproofing made overhearing an argument from her bathroom physically impossible.

Strike reads Ciara's testimony in the police case file and finds that Lula told Ciara she intended to leave everything to her brother.

Strike notices that hoodies on Guy Somé's website closely match the clothing worn by the men fleeing the scene in the CCTV footage.

Spanner delivers Lula's computer with a memory drive of deleted photos; the account password turns out to be the surname Agyeman.

Strike and Robin tour Lula's apartment building with Derrick; Strike steps onto Lula's balcony and pauses in silent reflection.

The apartment building's cleaner reveals she overheard Tansy telling someone on the phone that she no longer wanted to lie.

Strike interviews Lula's biological mother, Marlene Higson, and learns Lula's father was an African student who studied in England.

Strike gets drunk after learning Charlotte is engaged and tells Robin about the false pregnancy claim that ended their relationship.

Robin secretly investigates Tony's alibi hotel and discovers that Tony was not present at the hotel the night Lula died.

Robin researches Professor Agyeman and discovers he left behind a son currently serving as a Royal Engineer in the British military.

Strike interviews Yvette Bristow alone and learns that Tony once accused John of killing Charlie, a claim that tore the family apart for years.

Strike reveals during the confrontation with John that John also murdered Charlie as a child, making Lula his second victim.

Strike attends a doctor's appointment to care for his injured amputation, choosing deliberate self-care for the first time since his breakup.

This pool follows the decisive moments when new information reshapes Strike's understanding of the case and the people involved. From his quiet recognition that the CCTV runners wore Guy-branded hoodies to Robin's covert discovery that Tony's alibi does not hold up, each turning point steadily narrows the field of suspects. The recovery of deleted files and the Agyeman password opens the door to Lula's secret biological family connection, ultimately leading Strike to identify her half-brother and true heir. Strike's personal life intersects with the investigation as his drunken confession to Robin about Charlotte deepens their trust and changes their working dynamic. The climax of revelations comes in the confrontation with John, where Strike exposes not only Lula's murder but John's decades-old killing of Charlie. The pool closes with Strike taking his first steps toward personal healing, reflected in his choice to finally see a doctor about his amputation.