Having met Henning Mankell earlier this year at JLF and listening to him speak. I knew I just HAD to start reading him. The BBC series "Wallander" just had me further intrigued. But it also made me lazy - If I could watch a well made tv series, should I spend more time on reading the books? Especially when my pile of "to read" books is toppling over itself?
I'm really glad for myself, that I answered that question with a "Yes"! I'd admired Mankel's plots through the televised series, but there is so much more than just a plot and a story in his books. The descriptions of the way of life, procedures etc give the reader an insight into life in Sweden. Since I read in English, I'm not sure if anything is being lost in translation, but even if it is, the books are still wonderful reads.
However, the plots are definitely not a reflection on life in Sweden. Sweden has one of the lowest crime rates in the world, but the highest number of crime fiction writers in the world.
The plot begins with an unidentified girl committing suicide by setting herself on fire in a field, a former minister of justice is butchered and the body count just keeps piling up like a Tarantino movie and Inspector Kurt Wallander is forced to struggle to keep his professional life from destructing his personal life.
Rating : 3.8/5
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