Reviews

Mittsommermord by Henning Mankell

michael5000's review against another edition

4.0

One Step Behind is a bit too similar to The Fifth Woman, its immediate predecessor in the series, in the nature of its criminal. And Ystad, at this point, most have the highest murder rate in the world. AND Mankell spends way too much time toying with us about where his killer is hiding towards the end of the book, a location that it's hard to imagine Wallander & Co. not at least considering. But despite all this, it's another entertaining piece of genre fiction starring Sweden's loneliest detective.

elia123's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

4.0

bernardino's review against another edition

4.0

Mi visión de Pisando los talones
http://calvincliffordbaxter.wordpress.com/2012/03/29/pisando-los-talones-kurt-wallander/

storymi's review against another edition

3.0

Like :) De hoofdpersoon is leuk. Het is niet een standaard sterke detective man, maar eentje die onder overhoringen dingen denkt als 'ik moet plassen', uit zijn slof schiet en onverstandige dingen doet. Hij is heel menselijk en daarom ga je van ' em houden. Ook het onderzoek zelf komt met alle gebreken en verkeerde sporen over het algemeen realistisch over. Het verhaal is spannend en het leest lekker weg.
Aanrader voor detective liefhebbers.

smemmott's review against another edition

4.0

Kurt Wallander: 7

The one where Wallander has diabetes. The mystery is a bit faster paced and more of a puzzle than the average Wallander mystery.

hsblechman's review against another edition

4.0

This is the first Wallander novel I read, plucked off a shelf in Dublin basically at random. I knew I wanted to read a Wallander novel, and this one seemed as good as any. And damn it was good. Well paced, well written. The characterizations and details in writing knock me off my feet. Good. Book.

You know, for a Swedish detective novel.

zenit's review against another edition

dark mysterious

3.0

kmg365's review against another edition

4.0

It was lovely to revisit Kurt Wallander after several years. My access to the titles in the series was sporadic. I read the first 6, then couldn't get my hands on the next 3, then read the last 2. I finally located the entire series on audio, and snapped it up right quick.

It was like slipping back into a relationship with an old friend that you don't see very often. I caught up on the state of Wallander's health (or lack of it), his workmates, his family, and his perpetual state of existential crisis.

It took a long time for the murder investigation to get into gear. It wasn't until the halfway point or so that I started to believe they'd actually arrest the killer. Still, I never regret the time spent watching Kurt travel around Sweden, putting things together piece by piece.

Everyone seemed to be cranky in this book. All the cops, all the suspects, all the witnesses. The audiobook narrator has perfected the art of the sigh, conveying everyone's eternal frustration with life. Maybe that's why I like the series so much-- I can relate to cranky.

I'm going to try to remember to check back in to read the reviews on this one, since sooner or later the Fiction Police will discover it, label it problematic, and one-star it en masse without even reading it. In the meantime, if you enjoy a well-plotted mystery solved by a clinically depressed cop in what must be the town with the most fatalistic residents in Sweden, you should check out a Wallander novel.

trukoni's review against another edition

3.0

Lydbok. Wallander sliter med helsa, han er overvektig og i ferd med å utvikle diabetes og tre tenåringer er forsvunnet. De sender postkort fra ulike steder i Europa, men den ene moren er sikker på at det er noe galt. Når ungdommene blir funnet drept iført kostymer og arrangert i en slags scene i et naturreservat viser det seg at hun har rett. Kort etter blir Wallanders kollega Svedberg også funnet drept, og når et brudepar og deres fotograf skytes i hjel er det ikke lenger noen tvil om at det er en seriemorder på ferde. Bokas største svakhet er at vi aldri får noen god forklaring på morderens motiv eller beveggrunner. Det brukes mye tid på å spekulere på nettopp dette og så er det som Mankell får det travelt med å avslutte boka og farer over slutten med harelabb.

rmarieb's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0