Sidetracked (Kurt Wallander Mysteries (Paperback)) - Softcover

Mankell, Henning

4.08

23,557 ratings by Goodreads

9781565846111: Sidetracked (Kurt Wallander Mysteries (Paperback))

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1565846117 ISBN 13: 9781565846111

Publisher: The New Press, 2000

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"Another terrific offering from the talented Mankell" (Publishers Weekly), pitting Inspector Wallander against a brutal serial killer. Inspector Kurt Wallander's long-anticipated vacation plans are interrupted by two horrific deaths: the self-immolation of an unidentified young woman and the brutal murder of the former minister of justice. As the police struggle to piece together the few clues they have, the killer strikes again. Hailed by the Los Angeles Times Book Review as "Mankell at his best," Sidetracked merges blistering suspense with adroit social and political commentary, from the disintegration of the family and the exploitation of women to corruption and scandal at the highest levels of government, in "a quintessential example of the hard-boiled European procedural" (Booklist).

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Review:

"The Swedish summer-time is too beautiful and too brief for something like this to happen." A young girl commits self-immolation, a former government minister is killed with an axe and scalped; these are the two brutal facts that confront Inspector Kurt Wallander as he prepares for his holiday. As the Swedish midsummer approaches there is no escaping from the darkness of society.

Sidetracked, the fifth of Henning Mankell's acclaimed Kurt Wallander mysteries, and the second to be translated into English, is an engrossing police procedural. The hard-boiled Kurt Wallander has softened slightly since he was first introduced in Faceless Killers, the first title in the series. He drinks less, has more functional relationships and has developed a faith in his investigative team. Despite this, it is his other qualities as a character, his philosophical angst and his intuitive pursuit of hunches, which drive this novel as Wallander struggles to discover the leads that will trap the killer.

Mankell manages to squeeze in serious comments on the state of Swedish society. The over-stretched police force, child prostitution and the corruption of high politics, all come under the scrutiny of Wallander's wearied gaze as he struggles to come to terms with the new violence of his society. This is a dark novel peppered with genuinely nasty violence, but it is Wallander's struggle to uncover the truth and face his own demons that provide the real thrills. --Iain Robinson

Review:

"Wallander's investigations are perfectly judged to create a thrilling mood of growing tension culminating in a satisfying climax" (The Times)

"Wonderfully bleak thrillers...somehow unremitting and gripping at the same time" (Sean French Independent)

"Mankell is one of the most ingenious crime writers around. Highly recommended" (Observer)

"Sweden's answer to Morse and Wexford" (Mail on Sunday)

"Gripping... Expert plotting" (Daily Telegraph)

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