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A review by jrobles76
Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell
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.