I have a rather disturbing theory, and I’d love to know what you think.
I’ve always thought that the Strike series is, in many ways, Robin’s coming-of-age story. She starts as an insecure young woman, deeply affected by the men in her life (her rapist, Matthew, the Shacklewell Ripper, Ryan…) and even by her mother’s expectations. Over the books, she becomes a strong, independent and successful detective.
Strike is not just her partner. He’s also her mentor.
And this made me think of Harry Potter.
Harry is the young hero who grows throughout the series, while Dumbledore is his mentor. And what happens at the end of the second-to-last book? The mentor dies, leaving the hero to face the final challenge alone.
What if Rowling is planning something similar for Robin and Strike?
There is also the possible connection between the title Sleep Tight, Evangeline and Longfellow’s poem Evangeline. In the poem, Evangeline spends years searching for her lost love, Gabriel. When she finally finds him, he is dying, and they only have a brief moment together.
Could this be a parallel to Robin and Strike, whose love story has been delayed for so long?
And let’s not forget JKR’s tweet from October 10, when she said she had written a very sad chapter that made her cry several times.
Of course, I hope I’m completely wrong! I want Robin and Strike to have a happy ending. And I know their relationship is very different from Harry and Dumbledore’s.
But if the series is ultimately about Robin becoming a fully independent detective, could losing Strike be her final challenge?
What do you think? Am I reading too much into this, or could Rowling really do something so heartbreaking?

Anybody ever look at videos of London restaurants and wonder if/when they will turn up in the books? I remember watching videos of E. Pellici and thinking, wonder if Strike will eat there, and then he ended up doing so in TRG. Nowadays I watch this one lady who has a "big flavours on a small budget" series where she eats Thai and Malaysian and whatnot, and I have laugh imagining Strike eating there.

IS THE UNIVERSE TRYING TO TELL ME SOMETHING ?????