Faceless Killers, by Henning Mankell

November 29, 2008 by
Filed under: book review, crime book, Henning Mankell, International bestseller, Kurt Wallander, recommendation, Swedish writer 

An aging farmer and his wife have been attacked on their isolated farm. When Inspector Kurt Wallander arrives, he finds the elderly couple brutally tortured, the husband dead and the wife barely clinging to life, They appear to have little money and no enemies. The only clue is the dying word of the farmer’s wife: “foreign”.

That is where the plot starts in Faceless Killers, by Henning Mankell Henning Mankell’s first Kurt Wallander detective mystery: Faceless Killers. The result is a well-done, intense and enjoyable police procedural..

Since Faceless Killers is the first book in a series, the reader is provided with some background information on the main characters. Kurt Wallander is gritty and determined, newly separated from his wife and somewhat estranged from his daughter. He often drinks too much, and he has problems dealing with the interim prosecutor, who is an attractive young woman sent down from Stockholm. Also, he has a somewhat strange relationship to his father, an ageing artist, who is showing the first signs of senility. As well, he is a little grumpy at times.

In Faceless Killers, Mankell lets the reader join in on the investigation process. There are no hidden clues as in Agatha Christie’s books. It is all hard work, sweat and reasoning.

With a keen sense of the psychological dimensions of his characters, Henning Mankell delivers a fast paced, very interesting and highly entertaining read in Faceless Killers.

You can read more reviews of Henning Mankell’s books at ScandinavianBooks.com.

Order Faceless Killers from amazon UK: Faceless Killers (Kurt Wallender Mystery).

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