Wallander is remorseful after how the events ended in the last book in the series. While going through an emotional crisis, he takes a sabbatical from work and wanders around the world. When a friend tracks him down to a seaside rental house to uncover the inconsistencies surrounding the dead of the friend's father, Wallander is not only interested but also have determined to put forward his resignation letter. But before Wallander can put in his resignation as a police officer, there is one more murder. This time, Wallander cannot help himself to stay detached from this case. The subsequent hunt for the perpetrators leads Wallander to a man who never ceases to smile.
After briefly foraying into storytelling using multiple perspectives in the previous book, Henning Mankell returns to his original style of first person narrative with this novel which also is the fourth in the Wallander series. Henning with his simple style of describing a complex world through the eyes of Wallander quickly throws us into the vortex with his language. Although Mankell's villain is a cold blooded criminal, his main arena is the financial world. Hence it becomes difficult for an officer like Wallander with limited resources to catch him in the act without raising suspicions. This unique scenario told by Mankell makes this book a worthwhile read. Moreover, the remorse of Wallander and how he struggles out of it also whets our curiosity.
I am a self confessed Mankell fan by now. I have also read all three previous books in this series. So, don't expect anything from me other than a "must read" in the chronological order.
The earlier titles in this series are
Tags: Books,Henning Mankell,Kurt Wallander
I have just finished reading Faceless Killers, and am now looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
ReplyDeleteSo you are a Mankell fan like me?
DeleteI think I am on my way to becoming a Mankell fan :-)
Delete