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Faceless Killers (1991)

by Henning Mankell

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Kurt Wallander (1)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
5,3212041,973 (3.58)423
Fiction. Mystery. HTML:

It was a crime of senseless violence. On a cold night in a remote Swedish farmhouse, an elderly farmer was bludgeoned to death, his wife left to die with a noose around her neck. As if this didn't present enough problems for Ystad police inspector Kurt Wallander, the dying woman's last word, his only tangible clue, was "foreign." If publicized, it could be the match that would inflame Sweden's already smoldering anti-immigrant sentiments.

In this case, unlike the situation with his ex-wife, his estranged daughter, or the young prosecutor who has piqued his interest, Wallander finds a problem he can handle. He quickly becomes obsessed with solving the crime before the already tense situation explodes??though it will require all of his talent to do so.… (more)

  1. 122
    The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (Ronoc)
  2. 40
    The Dogs of Riga by Henning Mankell (Ronoc)
  3. 00
    The Black Angel by John Connolly (Gmonti)
    Gmonti: O cualquier otro libro de H. Mankell, aunque no tan negro no fantástico. También pueden disfrutar de Cell o la saga de La Torreo Oscura de Stephen King
  4. 00
    The Locked Room by Maj Sjöwall (ehines)
    ehines: For an American like I am, Sweden is an almost mythical land--a sort of soft-porn socialist paradise. Both these books let you in on a very different side of Sweden. More real, but not offputting.
  5. 00
    Because of the Cats by Nicolas Freeling (ehines)
  6. 00
    The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths (MissBrangwen)
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» See also 423 mentions

English (173)  Spanish (9)  Dutch (5)  French (4)  Italian (4)  Catalan (2)  German (2)  Swedish (1)  Basque (1)  Portuguese (Brazil) (1)  Norwegian (1)  All languages (203)
Showing 1-5 of 173 (next | show all)
This was more of a procedural than I was expecting. There were two separate cases , both of which involved the social and political atmosphere of the country . There is a lot of somewhat gloomy character development of wallander, the detective. Will have to try more, kept my interest, but I like a bit of humor sometimes in my mysteries ( )
  cspiwak | Mar 6, 2024 |
"There is no such thing as the face of a murderer"

"Justice is the pursuit of truth without end."

A solid start to the series. I was a little disappointed by the major drops in intensity. The mystery was sometimes lost in Mankell's realism, earning him the genre name of "police procedural" more than anything else. The thorough characterization of Wallander prepares him to be reused for story after story. I love this curmudgeony cop and will gladly return to the series. The Swedish politics around immigration is the pet topic of the book. And the author is forgiven of his "conservative" stance due to him nodding toward neutrality or multiple perspectives. His opinion was a bit on the nose sometimes. An enjoyable read, I hope the next book is a more intricate/thrilling mystery. ( )
  Aidan767 | Feb 1, 2024 |
Story: 7 / 10
Characters: 7.5
Setting: 7
Prose: 6 ( )
  MXMLLN | Jan 12, 2024 |
This was an interesting read. Was looking for a book for a prompt called Nordic Noir and this was one of the books suggested.

I was invested from the first chapter. I think I will definitely be reading this book again in the future. I really enjoyed the character of Kurt Walldander and may even see if I can’t find the BBC series they made based on this book series. ( )
  TiffanyCutshall | Jan 6, 2024 |
A gripping crime novel that introduces us to Inspector Kurt Wallander, a brilliant but flawed detective that has to deal with a series of brutal murders and racism in his Swedish town. Wallander is a very relatable character, I like that he has not only strengths but weaknesses as well. His personal struggles add more depth to the story and the character, making him more than just a crime solver.

Faceless Killers is an excellent introduction to the Kurt Wallander series and a great read for fans of Scandinavian crime fiction.

Plot Summary from Bard AI

In the quiet town of Ystad, Sweden, Inspector Kurt Wallander is called to the scene of a gruesome double murder. An elderly couple, Johannes and Maria Lövgren, have been found brutally slain in their remote farmhouse. The only clue left behind is Maria's dying word, spoken in a foreign language.

Wallander's investigation quickly takes him into the murky depths of xenophobia and racism, as he uncovers a series of hate crimes targeting immigrants. He soon realizes that the Lövgrens' murder was not an isolated incident, but part of a larger, more sinister plot.

As Wallander delves deeper into the case, he finds himself facing not just a ruthless killer but also the prejudices and fears that fuel his crimes. He must confront his own biases and grapple with the complex social and political issues that lie at the heart of the case. ( )
  Aristocats | Nov 8, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 173 (next | show all)
Mankell was developing not only the characters but his own style, here, which is not nearly as polished as some later works..Faceless Killers is a worthwhile read for those who've come to the Wallander series late, perhaps through the recent BBC series with Kenneth Branaugh, or as a re-read for long-time series fans. Since most of the tension in the book comes from the characters, not the mystery they're solving, even knowing the ending doesn't take much away from this very solid book.
 

» Add other authors (23 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Mankell, Henningprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Bouquet, PhilippeTraductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Mannila, MarkkuTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Murray, Steven T.Translatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Polet, CoraTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Puleo, GiorgioTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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He has forgotten something, he knows that for sure when he wakes up.
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...Wallander realized he was not alone in his feelings of uncertainty and confusion at the new society that was emerging.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Wikipedia in English (1)

Fiction. Mystery. HTML:

It was a crime of senseless violence. On a cold night in a remote Swedish farmhouse, an elderly farmer was bludgeoned to death, his wife left to die with a noose around her neck. As if this didn't present enough problems for Ystad police inspector Kurt Wallander, the dying woman's last word, his only tangible clue, was "foreign." If publicized, it could be the match that would inflame Sweden's already smoldering anti-immigrant sentiments.

In this case, unlike the situation with his ex-wife, his estranged daughter, or the young prosecutor who has piqued his interest, Wallander finds a problem he can handle. He quickly becomes obsessed with solving the crime before the already tense situation explodes??though it will require all of his talent to do so.

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Book description
Sinopsis de la contratapa: En este histórico primer encuentro con sus lectores, el inspector Wallander debe resolver un caso casi tan complicado como su vida personal. Mientras procura desenmascarar a los despiadados asesinos de una anciana que ha muerto con la palabra "extranjero" en la boca antes de que los prejuicios raciales latentes en la comunidad desaten una ola de violencia vengadora, Wallander debe enfrentar el abandono de su esposa, la hostilidad de su hija, la demencia senil de su padre y hasta su propio deterioro físico a causa del exceso de alcohol y comida barata y la falta de sueño. Wallander terminarán por hallar la inesperada solución del caso, pero sus problemas familiares no acabarán con este libro. Por no hablar de los de su país, arrojado a una nueva era en la que, como cree el inspector, "la inquietud aumentará bajo el cielo".
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