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londonlisa's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
meghan111's review against another edition
3.0
Dark, spare, bleak mystery about an elderly couple murdered in their farmhouse in Sweden. The person charged with solving the crime is Inspector Wallander, a character with many personal problems. After reading this I wasn't interested in reading the other books in the series.
ankim's review against another edition
1.0
The one star is reserved for all the earnest and unintentionally hilarious 90s references, and the opportunities it fostered for reflection on the inner workings of police departments before the dawn of cell phones, and lonely divorcees before Netflix and Facebook stalking.
Hard to pinpoint exactly what I disliked most about this book. Perhaps it was the exhausting surly detective trope, or Wallander's depressing, defensive inner dialogue, or the two dimensional female characters described either in terms of physical attraction or capacity for errand completion, or the irritable shrug this novel ultimately offered in response to the question of immigration policy and refugees in Nordic countries.
Hard to pinpoint exactly what I disliked most about this book. Perhaps it was the exhausting surly detective trope, or Wallander's depressing, defensive inner dialogue, or the two dimensional female characters described either in terms of physical attraction or capacity for errand completion, or the irritable shrug this novel ultimately offered in response to the question of immigration policy and refugees in Nordic countries.
saroz162's review against another edition
4.0
Henning Mankell's first Wallander novel introduces us to the weary, self-doubting Swedish detective with a pacy double murder investigation. The crime is vicious, and the emphasis here is on Sweden as a changing world; Wallander constantly reflects on the horrific details that he would not have thought possible only a few years before. Wallander himself is slipping into a graceless middle age of divorce, bad eating and social anxiety, so both man and country are betraying their ideals. Mankell constantly infuses his writing (or, at least, the translated writing) with details that bring Wallander and his world alive as natural by-products of each other. The reader is invited to identify with the detective, not with sentimentality or pity, but with Wallander's own cold realization that all things fall apart. The mystery here is secondary, which for most of the novel isn't an issue; it does start to drag in the later chapters, only to very suddenly ramp up at the end. Taken as a crime novel, Faceless Killers isn't totally satisfying; there are mysteries out there that are simply constructed better, with a tighter grip. As the introductory portrait of a very believable man, however, it succeeds beautifully.
dantastic's review against another edition
3.0
An elderly couple is robbed and brutally murdered and it's up to police inspector Kurt Wallander to find the killer or killers. Can Kurt act on the meager information he has available and solve the case as his private life disintegrates around him?
On the heels of reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire, I decided to branch out and try a couple more Swedish crime authors. Faceless Killers is the first such book to fall into my hands.
Faceless Killers isn't a happy book, much as its title indicates. It's bleaker than a visit to an insurance office, mostly due to poor Kurt Wallander and his life.
The mystery is an intriguing one and delves into the secret life of one of the victims. The mystery is not of the solveable variety but that's ultimately not that important. My main attractions to Faceless Killers were the glimpse into Swedish society and Kurt Wallander himself.
The fact that one of Wallander's clues is that the killer is a foreigner thrusts the reader into a world of refugees, racism, and red tape. There are false leads and I have to admit I wasn't sure what was going on in the investigation part of the time.
And that brings us to Kurt Wallander himself. He's no super-hero unless lonliness and not having anything go right in his personal life is a super power. He's getting older and fatter, his wife left him, his daughter is a stranger, his relationship with his father is strained, and all he has is his job. Instead of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, what I was primarily reminded of when I read this was John Lutz's Alo Nudger series starring a similarly sad character.
Faceless Killers is a good police procedural story. It's pretty bleak and moves a little slowly for my tastes but is still a good read. I'll give it a 3, possibly upgrading to a 4 somewhere down the line.
On the heels of reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire, I decided to branch out and try a couple more Swedish crime authors. Faceless Killers is the first such book to fall into my hands.
Faceless Killers isn't a happy book, much as its title indicates. It's bleaker than a visit to an insurance office, mostly due to poor Kurt Wallander and his life.
The mystery is an intriguing one and delves into the secret life of one of the victims. The mystery is not of the solveable variety but that's ultimately not that important. My main attractions to Faceless Killers were the glimpse into Swedish society and Kurt Wallander himself.
The fact that one of Wallander's clues is that the killer is a foreigner thrusts the reader into a world of refugees, racism, and red tape. There are false leads and I have to admit I wasn't sure what was going on in the investigation part of the time.
And that brings us to Kurt Wallander himself. He's no super-hero unless lonliness and not having anything go right in his personal life is a super power. He's getting older and fatter, his wife left him, his daughter is a stranger, his relationship with his father is strained, and all he has is his job. Instead of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, what I was primarily reminded of when I read this was John Lutz's Alo Nudger series starring a similarly sad character.
Faceless Killers is a good police procedural story. It's pretty bleak and moves a little slowly for my tastes but is still a good read. I'll give it a 3, possibly upgrading to a 4 somewhere down the line.
kinnimomo's review against another edition
4.0
Almost 25 years separate my two reads and I must say, time have changed. I’ve always appreciated the slow pace of Wallander’s investigations but the sexism, racism and discrimination toward foreigners are quite blatant is this first book of the series. The 1991 original Swedish edition left me a bit jarred. Were those comments built in the story to represent the old generation or is it a representation of the author? I’ll have to continue my reread of the series to answer this.
brb_reads's review against another edition
3.0
He added a lot of detail throughout the entire story so it was interesting and easy to follow. However, both the main crimes they were trying to solve were committed by people who were not introduced throughout the entire story so it didn't really end how I had planned it. I guess not every mystery can be solved easily by a reader but it was by four random guys who were introduced and then found guilty not long after. I guess it's good that both crimes got solved but overall just not a favorite.
soy_sputnik's review against another edition
3.0
Como fan de la novela negra, sufría un poco por no haber leído a Mankell que es como quien marcó los detalles de este género en los 90's. Pero ya estoy aquí metida en la serie de Wallander, puedo decir que me gustó pero no mucho, quizás es porque ya estoy un poco harta de personajes masculinos que no saben entender sus emociones y hacen un cagadero (oh sorpresa) pero pues entiendo que a los escritorEs de novela negra esto les encanta, así que entiendo la intención pero no sé si seguiré aguantando esto en escritorEs más contenporáneos. Dejando de lado eso, sí me prendí con el crimen y anduve haciendo conjeturas sobre los asesinos, particularmente me gustó que tratara un tema tan delicado y violento como es la xenofobia en una país "de primer mundo", me parece que es una forma de entender cómo se ha venido gestando la creciente violencia contra inmigrantes en países europeos. En fin, a ver cómo me va con la que sigue.
jrobles76's review against another edition
3.0
This book was a very nice police procedural and a good introduction to the world of Kurt Wallander. I would like to comment that I bought the book used and it had a sticker that said, "What next to read for fans of the Girl with the Dragon Tatoo", which is a shame. The only thing these two books have in common is the country of origin. They read completely differently. This book would be more for fans of, actually I don't know, I don't read a lot of police procedurals. Kathy Reichs is as close I get. This story is more about the nitty gritty of police work, rather that the personality of the characters. Though we do get insights into Wallander's life, which I'm intrigued to find out more about as I continue to read the series.
As a first novel in a series, it's better than most I've read. I usually jump into the most recent and then work back (because in the past, I've never gotten past the first book. Which is like judging a tv show by it's pilot.) This one starts off good right away. The interesting thing about this book [possible spoiler] is that the killers don't figure prominently till the end. I read mostly detective fiction or crime fiction, and the motivations of the killers are usually shown. They are given voice by the author. We see their point of view, not so in this book. That made it feel more authentic to me. As an investigator you have no idea who may have committed a senseless act of violence and catching them will be part hard work, part dumb luck. The authenticity was also raised by having the police have to worry not only about an investigation, but also about the public, the press, current events, and red-tape.
The background political setting of this novel is an immigration debate that could easily be understood here in the U.S. People are tired of foreigners and when a crime is committed were the woman's last words are "foreign", it leads to tension and creates a story that could easily be adapted to present-day America. Switch the nationalities and the rhetoric could apply to Muslims and Mexicans in the U.S. Amazing to consider the book was written in 1991 and is still so relevant today.
Overall I think it's a good book and look forward to seeing how the character develops. I also look forward to seeing the television series to see how it compares.
As a first novel in a series, it's better than most I've read. I usually jump into the most recent and then work back (because in the past, I've never gotten past the first book. Which is like judging a tv show by it's pilot.) This one starts off good right away. The interesting thing about this book [possible spoiler] is that the killers don't figure prominently till the end. I read mostly detective fiction or crime fiction, and the motivations of the killers are usually shown. They are given voice by the author. We see their point of view, not so in this book. That made it feel more authentic to me. As an investigator you have no idea who may have committed a senseless act of violence and catching them will be part hard work, part dumb luck. The authenticity was also raised by having the police have to worry not only about an investigation, but also about the public, the press, current events, and red-tape.
The background political setting of this novel is an immigration debate that could easily be understood here in the U.S. People are tired of foreigners and when a crime is committed were the woman's last words are "foreign", it leads to tension and creates a story that could easily be adapted to present-day America. Switch the nationalities and the rhetoric could apply to Muslims and Mexicans in the U.S. Amazing to consider the book was written in 1991 and is still so relevant today.
Overall I think it's a good book and look forward to seeing how the character develops. I also look forward to seeing the television series to see how it compares.