Faceless Killers: Read the first thrilling Kurt Wallander novel (Kurt Wallander, 1)

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The Courier ( Kuriren) A murdered drug courier leads to a local biker gang who threaten Isabelle and Svartman. A young recruit in the gang is their chance to infiltrate and break up the vicious drug ring.

From 2005 to 2006, 13 new stories, starring Krister Henriksson as Kurt Wallander and Johanna Sällström as Linda Wallander, were produced. The first film, based on Before the Frost, was released in cinemas. The rest are original stories not based on any of Mankell's books, and were released on DVD, with the exception of Mastermind which was also released in cinemas. Polito, Robert (April 2005). "Murder, My Swede: Henning Mankell's Scandinavian Noir". Artforum International. archived at AccessMyLibrary. The Collector ( Indrivaren) Isabelle graduates but her leaving the force and cooling off with Pontus is put on hold when her friend is murdered. The investigation opens up Isabelle’s past in ways that force her to choose between two worlds. Wallender is a man whose life is in a mess; his wife has left him, his daughter is estranged, his father is becoming senile and Wallender himself is lonely, drinking to much and eating badly. However he is always focused on the job and his best breakthroughs come from following his intuition and allowing his subconscious to muse over problems. The novel starts with a horrendous crime. An old farmer and his wife brutally tortured and left for dead on a freezing January night in the depths of the country. No one has seen anything and although the farmer's wife is found still just alive she manages to say only the word "foreign" before dying.

READERS GUIDE

One Step Behind ( Steget efter). Made in 2005; directed by Birger Larsen, with screenplay by Klas Abrahamsson and Michael Hjorth. [7] The Man Who Smiled ( Mannen som log). Made in 2003; directed by Leif Lindblom, with screenplay by Klas Abrahamsson and Michael Hjorth. [6] The Troubled Man ( Den orolige mannen) The last series begins like the first, with an episode adapted from a book. Charlotta Jonsson takes over the role of Linda Wallander. Kurt, now a grandfather, loses his gun. Although on suspension because of the incident, he investigates his new father-in-law’s disappearance, which involves an historical submarine incident in Swedish waters. There are many people who presumably like these books, as they have sold lots of copies despite the flat characters, the wooden dialogue and unconvincing relationships. Frankly, I was surprised - why translate these books into English at all? On reflection though, I shouldn't have been, as there are lots of English language authors who are just as bad and just as popular.

Wallander investigates the disappearance of retired naval officer Håkan von Enke, who happens to be his daughter’s future father-in-law. To his dismay, Wallander learns he is victim of the same disease that claimed his father. With a surprise visit from his long-lost love Baiba, he learns that she is also mortally ill. When von Enke’s wife is found dead, Wallander races to solve a mystery of a spying scandal with Cold War roots. In this swan song for the series, Wallander’s past is the main character, and his entire life journey is thrown into relief: His loves, conflicts with his father, his relationship with his daughter, and his joy at being a grandfather. Wallander suffers a breakdown after shooting a man to death in the previous book, and takes a year off. He contemplates quitting altogether, but work is the best medicine. An old friend who suspects his father’s death was foul play himself is murdered, triggering Kurt’s instincts and also his sense of duty. All roads seem to lead to a prominent businessman with strong ties to the authorities, but he is elusive and all but untouchable. Fortunately, Wallander is aided by a new cop on the force, Ann-Britt Höglund, who helps him get to the truth. What they uncover is as abominable as it is far reaching. The Guilt ( Skulden) A missing six-year-old boy is found dead. As the team explores other lines of inquiry, Martisson is convinced the culprit is a recently released pedophile, leading to an unfortunate escalation of vigilantism in the the surrounding town.

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The mystery is an intriguing one and delves into the secret life of one of the victims. The mystery is not of the solveable variety but that's ultimately not that important. My main attractions to Faceless Killers were the glimpse into Swedish society and Kurt Wallander himself.