I haven't read a detective thriller for a few years now, they kind of fell out of favour when I O.D.'d on Patricia Cornwell. But just before Christmas I'd happened upon three episodes of 'Wallander', a Swedish detective series made into films by Kenneth Brannagh (not my favourite actor but absolutely brilliant in this role).
After watching them I thought I'd give one of the books a try, and since my mother in law owned a few it was perfect. I started with Faceless Killers, the first of nine books about the detective.
An old couple are brutally murdered in their home in the Swedish countryside, and at the same time as having to deal with his increasingly senile father, his non-existant relationship with his daughter and is life generally spiralling downwards, Wallander has to try and find out who committed the crime.
Throw in racial unrest and snowstorms, and this makes for a better read than I'd expected. Nothing special, by no means particularly unique. But Mankell's writing style (or perhaps I should say the translators?) is easy and enjoyable. The story doesn't drag and by the end you feel you know Wallander and the people in his life - and you want to meet them again.
I can't say I want to 'own' this book, but I have ordered the next in the series, and I do hope that Brannagh will be making more programmes in the near future.
Lent to me by Jo.
December 2008 - 2nd January 2009
After watching them I thought I'd give one of the books a try, and since my mother in law owned a few it was perfect. I started with Faceless Killers, the first of nine books about the detective.
An old couple are brutally murdered in their home in the Swedish countryside, and at the same time as having to deal with his increasingly senile father, his non-existant relationship with his daughter and is life generally spiralling downwards, Wallander has to try and find out who committed the crime.
Throw in racial unrest and snowstorms, and this makes for a better read than I'd expected. Nothing special, by no means particularly unique. But Mankell's writing style (or perhaps I should say the translators?) is easy and enjoyable. The story doesn't drag and by the end you feel you know Wallander and the people in his life - and you want to meet them again.
I can't say I want to 'own' this book, but I have ordered the next in the series, and I do hope that Brannagh will be making more programmes in the near future.
Lent to me by Jo.
December 2008 - 2nd January 2009
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