Stephanie Jane reviewed Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell
Underwhelming, considering all the Wallander hype
3 stars
Twenty-five years after it was first published, I have finally read the first in the highly-praised Kurt Wallander crime series by Henning Mankell. What was most surprising for me was how topical this book still is. Its themes of anger against refugees and public paranoia being whipped up by irresponsible media outlets mean much of this book could have been written in 2016, not 1991. I liked how Mankell portrays Wallander although at some points I found it difficult to believe that the detective could keep functioning in such a battered state and with so little sleep! His burgeoning relationship with Brolin seemed a tad far-fetched too. I understand why he was attracted to her, but why on earth would she leave her family for him?
The Lunnarp case is an interesting one to follow. I liked seeing its ramifications spread and appreciated that it wasn't an easy case to …
Twenty-five years after it was first published, I have finally read the first in the highly-praised Kurt Wallander crime series by Henning Mankell. What was most surprising for me was how topical this book still is. Its themes of anger against refugees and public paranoia being whipped up by irresponsible media outlets mean much of this book could have been written in 2016, not 1991. I liked how Mankell portrays Wallander although at some points I found it difficult to believe that the detective could keep functioning in such a battered state and with so little sleep! His burgeoning relationship with Brolin seemed a tad far-fetched too. I understand why he was attracted to her, but why on earth would she leave her family for him?
The Lunnarp case is an interesting one to follow. I liked seeing its ramifications spread and appreciated that it wasn't an easy case to crack and that Mankell didn't resort to dragging Wallander's close relations into improbable situations! With regards to actual police procedure, this novel felt far more realistic than many thrillers and the lack of 21st century technology meant we could focus on the police carrying out painstaking investigation work. I would have appreciated getting to know Wallander's colleagues better, but perhaps they will be more fleshed out as the series progresses. Overall though, and especially considering all the Wallander hype, I was disappointed by Faceless Killers. It is well-written, but I expected an amazing novel and this, I think, is only a good one.