Faceless Killers

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What did take away from the book was the poor editing of the text. I lost count of the number of times that words grew hyphens for no rea-son. Line breaks appear in the most A few days later, he's informed that the Latvian detective has been murdered, and their authorities want Wallander to come assist with the case, as he was the last person who spent time with the murdered detective. The Darkness ( Mörkret) One beautiful summer day, a child is found abandoned in a parked car. Her father is nowhere to be found and her mother, committed to an insane asylum, is not much help to Linda, who must take charge when Kurt falls ill.

The following novel features Wallander's daughter Linda in the lead, while he is a secondary character: The Sad Bird ( Sorgfågeln) When a local restauranteur is kidnapped, Kurt suspects the Malmö police might be involved. He must solve the last case of his career for the Ystad police despite his worsening health, but his biggest challenge is facing his own mortality and the prospect of being alone in his final days. Handen (2004; novella; originally published in Dutch (2004) as Het Graf ( The Grave). [4] Published in Swedish, 2013. English translation by Laurie Thompson: An Event in Autumn, 2014) The introduction, discussion questions, author biography, and suggested reading list that follow are designed to enhance your group’s reading of Swedish novelist Henning Mankell’s brilliant mystery, Faceless Killers. IntroductionWe soon discover that a gruesome murder has taken place in a farm, with only a neighbouring farmhouse, outside the sleepy village of Lunnarp. A third series consisting of six episodes was released in 2013. This is the last season with Krister Henriksson. In these final episodes, Kurt Wallander suffers from memory problems because of Alzheimer’s disease, and he cannot continue to work as a policeman. Kurt Wallander, Henning Mankell’s Swedish police commissioner from the small town of Ystad, is a perfect example. The over-tired policeman’s health is less than perfect given his preference for fast food, coffee, alcohol, and little sleep. Middle-aged and divorced from his wife Mona (which he still regrets), Wallander lives the familiar life of a solitary detective. Yet he is shy and longs for a woman who will understand him. He is the sort of man who asks each morning whether life has a purpose—not his life, but life in general. Faceless Killers, the first novel in Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallander series, is a gripping, gritty crime thriller that has inspired a generation of Nordic Noir writers and influenced many contemporary authors across the globe.

Mankell is skilled at painting word pictures of the landscape in this part of Sweden - the Skäne area to the east of Malmö. The story begins in the depths of winter and the descriptions of the frozen landscape and extreme weather conditions actually made me feel cold. The area, particularly along the Baltic coast, seemed desolate and unforgiving. It's not an area with which I'm at all familiar and the map at the front of the book helped me to follow the story. The fact that one of Wallander's clues is that the killer is a foreigner thrusts the reader into a world of refugees, racism, and red tape. There are false leads and I have to admit I wasn't sure what was going on in the investigation part of the time. Kurt Wallander, Swedish detective, is inexplicably sent to Latvia to investigate the death of a Latvian police officer who was killed ...in Latvia. Like his predecessors, Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, Mankell offers a realistic portrayal of modern Sweden, where social and political issues such as immigration, racism, and national identity are intertwined with the crime story. He doesn't shy away from showing his characters' dark and complex sides, especially Wallander, who is flawed but sympathetic. The book also explores the themes of loneliness, guilt, and morality as Wallander faces ethical dilemmas and personal challenges. The writing style is clear and concise, with vivid descriptions and dialogue that capture the mood and atmosphere of the setting. Dogs of Riga, the second in the Kurt Wallander series places Wallander outside of his comfort zone: in Riga, capital of Latvia and without the presence of his familiar Swedish colleagues to whom we were introduced in the first of the series.

The Angel of Death ( Dödsängeln) A choir girl disappears after a local performance. Questioning her former boyfriend gets Kurt nowhere, but when another member vanishes, he begins to look more closely at the choir’s other singers. One frozen January morning at 5am, Inspector Wallander responds to what he believes is a routine call out. When he reaches the isolated farmhouse, he discovers a bloodbath. Gilbert, Gerard (2012-06-23), "Wallander: Swede dreams are made of this", The Independent (feature), UK .

Inspector Kurt Wallander, Our Hero, is a detective in a provincial town in southern Sweden. When two murdered Latvians wash up on his shores in a life raft, he ends up falling down a rabbit hole trying to solve the crime and the associated murder of his Latvian counterpart, whom he befriended earlier in the story.

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Many twists and turns follow as Wallander finds himself in a drowning sea of intrigue, lies, agents, and the collapsing Soviet Union, communists, Latvian nationalists, and strong feelings developing for his murdered colleague's widow...

How important is Wallander’s relationship with Rydberg? What does Rydberg add both to the investigation and to the novel? Wallander got pretty tiresome for me towards the end of the book and reading about his infatuation with a new woman just made me bored. I don't know, I think the only stories that I have actually liked starting Wallander have been the short stories I read. I think I can digest this character in small bites, and not longer novels. Inspector-Wallander.org. "Timeline of the Kurt Wallander Stories". Archived from the original on 2010-03-08 . Retrieved 2010-03-20. The Arsonist ( Mordbrännaren) When a convicted arsonist is released from prison, he is set upon by vigilante neighbours after local fires crop up. Kurt, now officially diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, tries to hide the fact from his family and colleagues while struggling to solve the case despite his deteriorating condition. Gallagher, Paul (27 December 2009). "Henning Mankell creates a 'female Wallander' following star's suicide". The Observer.

Books by Henning Mankell

Klart för 13 mer politiska Wallanderfilmer" (in Swedish). Dagens Nyheter. 2008-03-25. Archived from the original on 2008-12-08 . Retrieved 2009-11-06. The Phantom ( Vålnaden) A couple engaged in an extra-marital affair are blown up in a beach house. Kurt looks into the business dealings of the affected spouses, but the motive may be revenge of a very personal nature. Still more typical of modern life is Wallander’s strained relationship with his aging father, who lives on a farm near Ystad, where he paints Swedish landscapes, alternately with or without a wood grouse. His failed attempts to reconcile himself with his stern father’s disapproval of his career as a policeman remains a constant source of consternation for Wallander. Each time he fails to visit his father because of his job, readers cannot help but feel sympathy for this awkwardly helpless guardian of the law. Mankell thus sets the stage for a clever police procedural set against the larger social issue of how welcoming Sweden--or any other country--should be to growing numbers of immigrants. Wallander is typical of the breed of plodding Scandinavian detectives who refuse to give up until they have deduced the solution to the case. At times, though, you find yourself wondering why he soldiers along in the face of the overwhelming personal problems in his life off-duty. This is the second book in the series and is almost in a different genre from the first. Whereas 'Faceless Killers' saw Wallander trying to solve a crime and revolves around police procedure, 'The Dogs of Riga reads more like an espionage novel in the style of John Le Carrė. Whilst there are still leads to be chased down and things to be discovered, much of this book is about clandestine meetings and giving an insight in to the lives of the people who must live in a police state.