From The Baochi Book Collection
I picked up Faceless Killers because 1) the book was on display at the bookstore 2) the author, Henning Mankell, is a well-known Swedish mystery writer and 3) I was hoping to slake some of my thirst for Stieg Larsson, Swedish author of the Millennium Series (Girl With The Dragon Tattoo).
The verdict: Faceless Killers is a fast-paced, enjoyable read with an ending not quite as exciting as the preceding scenes. The book opens with the brutal killings of an elderly couple on a farm and continues with page after page of compelling clues, left-turns, and interesting character development. Then, in the last ten pages or so, the action flounders and concludes after a somewhat decent reveal.
Faceless Killers is the first of ten novels featuring Kurt Wallander, a forty-something detective who lives and works in Ystad, a small town on the southern tip of Sweden. Wallander is that stereotypical but well-loved police character who gets obsessed with solving his homicide cases. Meantime, his personal life is unraveling: alcoholic binges, a junk food diet, an aging father, an ex-wife, and an estranged daughter.
If you’re looking for another Stieg Larsson (as I was), Henning Mankell is not your guy. The two Swedish writers have different approaches to crime thrillers. Mankell’s style reminds me of the more traditional mysteries while Larsson’s is decidedly contemporary. I prefer Larsson’s triology — the plot, the complex characters, the reveals.
All that said, Mankell’s Faceless Killers is good entertainment, and I plan on reading The Dogs of Riga, the second book in the Wallander series.
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