An Event in Autumn

An aging Wallander is feeling his years, with some dissatisfaction over how much things have changed ("When he had first started to patrol the streets there was a big difference between what happened in a city like Malmö and small towns like Ystad. But nowadays there was hardly any difference at all."), yet chafing at the parts of his life that have gone too long without changing. When his partner offers him a chance at a house out of the city ("He wanted to get out into the counrtyside, he wanted to acquire a dog."), Wallender agrees to take a look at the property. While he's strolling in the garden, picturing his possible life (...[he] found himself already imagining a dog drinking water from a bowl by his side."), he show more stumbles--literally--on a gruesome mystery: the remains of a human hand, sticking up out of the ground. And although Wallander will never now be able to live in the house, he will also be unable to stop investigating until he knows who was buried there--and why.
This slender novella offers a brief glimpse at a Kurt Wallander case, but works as a stand-alone for those not familiar with Mankell's fictional detective (myself included)--or for those just looking for a thumping good yarn. show less

Originally written as a promotion to get Hollanders interested in reading, this was republished years later as an installment in the Kurt Wallander series.
After a long career, Inspector Kurt Wallander is looking for a peaceful place to live. He has long admired a farmhouse, but when he visits the property, he stumbles over something in the garden. He makes an offer on the house, but the stumble nags at him. He inspects the area and realizes that there was a hand pushing up from the ground which caused the stumble. Now, he has to bring in the police and determine if there are skeletal remains in the ground, and was it a murder?
This was my first Wallander book, and I will read more. I liked the way the story evolved and the eventual reveal.

Kurt Wallander's life looks like it has taken a turn for the better when his offer on a new house in the country is accepted. Unfortunately while exploring the garden, he discovers a skeletal hand reaching out from the ground. It turns out to be the skeleton of a middle-aged woman. As police officers search the property for more remains, Wallander attempts to get his life back on course by finding the woman's killer. When another discovery is made in the garden, Wallander is forced to search even further back into the past in his attempt to put things right.

Set in 2002, this compelling short novel (176 pages) depicts an episode in the life of Kurt Wallander shortly before the Swedish detective ended his career in 2011's The Troubled show more Man. There is an extensive afterward by the author in which Mankell discusses his long term relationship to Wallander and the difficulty he had in ending the series. If you are already a fan of Kurt Wallander you will probably enjoy this novella which was originally conceived in 2002 as a BBC show and only recently translated into English. If you are interested in the Wallander series this is certainly not the one to start with. Many of the familiar characters are there there is not enough time to give them any depth. Recommended for fans only. show less

Kurt Wallender goes to inspect a house he is considering buying, and discovers a skeletal hand emerging from the garden. This kicks off an investigation going back many decades, made more difficult by a lack of missing persons reports in the period in question.

Although I've read a lot of Scandi noir, I haven't read much Mankell. Wallender is not a character that appeals to me. I'm all for characters who bring their human problems to the case, but those problems need to have some kind of grounding that makes them relevant, such as Erlendur's childhood-based obsession with missing people. Wallander's brand of self-pity does not add to the story, it just provides a whiny inner dialogue that does not enhance it.

Kurt Wallender is an aging police detective who wants to buy a house in the Swedish countryside. Wallender is a morose individual who lives with his daughter. One of his colleagues mentions that a relative’s house is for sale. When Wallander tours the home, he can envision himself buying it, but he comes across a human hand protruding from the garden. This sets off a cold-case investigation. The storyline follows the police procedures involved in figuring out what happened decades ago. It is a book in the Nordic noir genre and part of a series. I have not read any of the other Wallender books, so perhaps I should not have started with this one. The characters are not developed in depth and the plot is not particularly noteworthy. For show more me, it is difficult to find a detective story or mystery that stands out. It is one of those middle-of-the-road types – not bad but not great, either. show less

Kurt Wallander receives a call from Martinson on his day off. Wallander really does not want to be interrupted, but he takes the call. Martinson is offering Wallander the first opportunity to purchase a property from some of his wife's relatives and wants Wallander to go out and take a look. He almost buys it but discovers a hand sticking up in the ground. Further investigation locates an entire skeleton that has been there for awhile. A good bit of time is spent awaiting the forensic report, and when it finally arrives the investigation must seek to determine the deceased woman's identify. I'll leave the rest of the book for you to discover. I enjoyed this visit with Kurt Wallander. The plot is not as action-filled as some of the show more others, partially due to the dynamics of this particular investigation, but it does not bog down because of the short length of the installment. Mankell's writing even in this briefer volume is a cut above that of many mysteries. The author actually wrote this book awhile ago as a free novel for those who purchased a crime novel in Holland during a particular month, and it fits chronologically before the last installment of the series, The Troubled Man. It is a short, quick, and enjoyable read that certainly foreshadows Wallander's retirement. Fans of Wallander will want to read this one. Those who are reading the series in order may wish to read this one prior to The Troubled Man. I received an uncorrected proof e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley for review purposes. show less

This short and rather melancholy novel features morose Swedish detective Kurt Wallander, who decides to check out a possible house for himself. His colleague Martinson is helping to sell it for his wife’s elderly cousin. Unfortunately, the appeal of the house for Wallander suffers when he stumbles over a skeleton buried in the back yard. Soon, another skeleton is found as well.

For the rest of the story, Wallander and his colleagues try to work out the identities of these two people and what happened to them. Wallander becomes increasingly doleful, but then unexpectedly finds a reason to keep on living, just as he finally solves the crime.