Excellent read; outstanding characters and lots of background on Sweden.

I chose to read this for an International Fiction class because I have seen the BBC show and really liked it. I would say that this is a very mediocre crime novel, especially when (invariably) compared to Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (same publishing house, country, etc.). The writing is okay, a little flat, and the story hits points where it feels stagnant, but the character Kurt Wallander is the reason to read this. He is a hero that is plagued by many demons and, while being a great detective, is self-destructive. Anyway, a decent read. I might read the next book in the series and see if it the writing is better. ( )

While the chief is on vacation, Kurt Wallander is temporarily in charge of the force and the investigation into the double murder of a couple murdered in a farmhouse. The woman's dying word was "foreign," and those trying to limit immigration into Sweden immediately seize upon the word as fodder for their cause although no one knows what the context involves. The investigation quickly shows the couple, or at least the man, was not quite as poor as believed, but the case is quickly on the road to landing in the dead case file because of the lack of clues. Just when hope seems lost, they receive a clue that helps. There's also another murder which may or may not be related that occurs and is investigated. It's an interesting start to the series. I listened to the audiobook. ( )

SPOILER ALERT!

Well, as a fan of Nordic noir and as someone who'd enjoyed episodes of the British Wallender TV series, I had expected more from this "classic". But I must say I was put off by Wallander as a person, not because he was flawed, but because I found the writing uncompelling and flat throughout. Mankell writes too frequently in the passive, with not enough dialogue for my tastes. I finished the book, but felt no interest or care whatsoever in its dénouement.

Moreover, I find I am quite sick of the hackneyed misogyny in so many of these male-penned novels. The description of Wallender's relationship with the lead prosecutor, as well as his dreams of the mysterious black woman who comes to his dreams, is quite off-putting and tiresome. It seemed almost expected that he would make a move on her and that she would eventually go to bed with him, although she did not leave her husband. Moreover, we learned nothing about any of the women in this novel, unless they were somehow useful to Wallender in completing some task or another.

I'm fairly sure I will not venture further into any of Mankell's works. ( )

My first Wallander, and definitely not my last. I love how terrible his indigestion is, and how he's always tired.

Also I didn’t expect action scenes, and this had action scenes! Pretty nifty! ( )