book data
1,417 ratings,
3.68
average rating, 270 reviews
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published
April 20th 2003
by Harvill Press
(first published 1997)
details
Paperback, 279 pages
characters
setting
literary awards
isbn
1860467563
(isbn13: 9781860467561)
description
If you remember with pleasure those dark and gloomy Martin Beck mysteries by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo, you'll be glad to plunge into the first of He…more
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avg 3.68
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
Read in June, 2004
FACELESS KILLERS (Swedish Police Procedural)- G+
Henning Mankell – 7th in series
Vintage Crime/Black Lizard. English Translation, 2003 – Trade Paperback
Police Inspector Kurt Wallander is called to the scene of a particularly violent attack of an elderly couple on a small farm. The husband is dead but the wife, found with a noose around her neck, utters the work “foreign” before dying. Wallander becomes obsessed with solving the case before feelings against Sweden’s im...more
Henning Mankell – 7th in series
Vintage Crime/Black Lizard. English Translation, 2003 – Trade Paperback
Police Inspector Kurt Wallander is called to the scene of a particularly violent attack of an elderly couple on a small farm. The husband is dead but the wife, found with a noose around her neck, utters the work “foreign” before dying. Wallander becomes obsessed with solving the case before feelings against Sweden’s im...more
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Henning Mankell might be the most famous Scandinavian writer of crime novels in the US. May I humbly ask why? I can think of at least three Swedes and two Danes who are far, far superior. And let's not forget the Norwegians. Read Frederik Skagen for Christ's sake. I'm not sure he's been translated but he's brillant when it comes to the twisted mind of killers and rapists.
Actually, I don't like being hard on writer colleagues, but this book is simply not very good. The prose is flat,...more
Actually, I don't like being hard on writer colleagues, but this book is simply not very good. The prose is flat,...more
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5 comments
Read in September, 2007
This was my introduction to Mankell. Reading Faceless Killers is an excellent way to dispell any myths about Sweden as a peaceful country where nothing bad happens. Not only is Mankell one of the greatest contemporary mystery/crime novel writers, he presents the dark side of modern Sweden that you wouldn't otherwise think about if you've never been. He's not afraid to describe murder scenes in the most detailed and bloody way possible, but read a couple of his novels and you may be desensitized....more
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Read in March, 2009
I first learned about the Wallander series watching Kenneth Branaugh's made-for-television presentation. Faceless Killers is my first book and I have ordered the next two books in the series.
I am disappointed that amazon.com does not offer the series on the Kindle but understand the difficulties with foreign authors.
It's a good read, but I have to say that Wallander is far more interesting than the crimes he solves. Separated from his wife, estranged from his daughter a...more
I am disappointed that amazon.com does not offer the series on the Kindle but understand the difficulties with foreign authors.
It's a good read, but I have to say that Wallander is far more interesting than the crimes he solves. Separated from his wife, estranged from his daughter a...more
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Owns a copy
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Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
crime book readers
First book in the Wallander-series (Mördaren utan ansikte). This version is Finnish.
Ensimmäinen Wallander-sarjan kirja. Murhaajan henkilöllisyys pysyy salassa hyvin koko kirjan ajan viimeisille sivuille asti. Mankell kuvaa hyvin sitä välillä puuduttavaakin perustyötä, jota poliisit joutuvat tekemään rikoksia selvitellessään. Monet johtolangat johtavat umpikujaan, mutta ratkaiseviakin vihjeitä saadaan selville. Kirjassa on hyvä sekoitus rikosta ja Wallanderin henkilökoh...more
Ensimmäinen Wallander-sarjan kirja. Murhaajan henkilöllisyys pysyy salassa hyvin koko kirjan ajan viimeisille sivuille asti. Mankell kuvaa hyvin sitä välillä puuduttavaakin perustyötä, jota poliisit joutuvat tekemään rikoksia selvitellessään. Monet johtolangat johtavat umpikujaan, mutta ratkaiseviakin vihjeitä saadaan selville. Kirjassa on hyvä sekoitus rikosta ja Wallanderin henkilökoh...more
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Read in March, 2009
Mankell, Henning. FACELESS KILLERS. (1991). *****. An old farm couple living on the outskirts of Ystad are discovered in their house by their neighbors. The old man is dead – savagely beaten to death. His wife, also beaten, and with a noose around her neck, is close to death. When Kurt Wallander and his crew arrive they are appalled at the violence and bloodshed. The woman is rushed to the hospital, but cannot be safed. Just before she dies, she whispers the word “foreigner” over ...more
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Read in March, 2009
This is Henning Mankell's 1st book (of 9) in the Inspector Wallander series.
My review is based on the abridged audio version recently serialised on BBC Radio 7.
This is the first Henning Mankell book I've read/listened to and I know that he is a very popular Swedish best selling author.
Kurt Wallander is your typical over-worked Detective, working long hours but has tremendous dedication for the job at hand. In this book, Wallander has very few clues and no obvious mo...more
My review is based on the abridged audio version recently serialised on BBC Radio 7.
This is the first Henning Mankell book I've read/listened to and I know that he is a very popular Swedish best selling author.
Kurt Wallander is your typical over-worked Detective, working long hours but has tremendous dedication for the job at hand. In this book, Wallander has very few clues and no obvious mo...more
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Read in February, 2003
Ein guter Einstieg in die Wallanderreihe
"Mörder ohne Gesicht" ist der erste Titel aus einer Reihe von insgesamt 10 Romanen um den schwedischen Kommissar Wallander. Henning Mankells Wallanderserie hat zu Recht Furore gemacht.
Kurt Wallander ist ein wichtiger Mitarbeiter der Ystader Mordkommission. Er ist geschieden und hat eine Tochter und eine Schwester die er kaum sieht und einen Vater der merklich alt wird und sehr eigensinnig ist. Irgendwie befindet er sich ...more
"Mörder ohne Gesicht" ist der erste Titel aus einer Reihe von insgesamt 10 Romanen um den schwedischen Kommissar Wallander. Henning Mankells Wallanderserie hat zu Recht Furore gemacht.
Kurt Wallander ist ein wichtiger Mitarbeiter der Ystader Mordkommission. Er ist geschieden und hat eine Tochter und eine Schwester die er kaum sieht und einen Vater der merklich alt wird und sehr eigensinnig ist. Irgendwie befindet er sich ...more
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Read in February, 2010
I decided to read this book after reading a review praising Mankell's latest novel. (I am on the waiting list for the latest.) Faceless Killers is the first in his Kurt Wallander series, and clearly is not as well plotted as his subsequent novels. Mankell has gotten a lot better with his story line and his character development. But I always like reading the beginning works of an author, so am happy I read this. I love to see how writing styles and plot forming abilities evolve. Also I ha...more
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Read in February, 2010
I took a break from Henry Paulsen to read this mystery from the '90's by Swedish author, Henning Mankell. It's the first of the popular and well-reviewed mystery series, introducing a new detective. The main character is police detective Kurt Wallander, 40-something, newly divorced, gaining weight, working and drinking too much. He makes a lot of mistakes in his work, ignores his family, is the last to know when his co-worker is diagnosed with cancer. It's the traditional mystery formula, as d...more
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Read in December, 2009
I read this book for my book club. It's been translated into English, so at times the language comes across as stilted, but it's not enough to detract from the story. The prose is spare and easy to read. I think this works well with the dreary setting of Lenarp, Sweden, which is a fictional town closely resembling Ystad.
The main character, Kurt Wallander, is a police officer, but this isn't a police procedural book. It's more about Kurt's state of mind as he deals with this brutal ne...more
The main character, Kurt Wallander, is a police officer, but this isn't a police procedural book. It's more about Kurt's state of mind as he deals with this brutal ne...more
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Read in June, 2009
recommends it for:
mystery aficionados
Up Inspector Kurt Wallander of the Ystad (Sweden) Police!! Blessings on the day I bought another Wallander novel at a used bookstore and
discovered that it was not the first in the series!!! As a result, I bought this one online (it is the first in the series) and was hooked from the first sentence.
Wallander is acting chief in Ystad when an elderly couple living miles from the nearest town is butchered in their sleep. Soon, he starts getting phone calls threatening revenge agai...more
discovered that it was not the first in the series!!! As a result, I bought this one online (it is the first in the series) and was hooked from the first sentence.
Wallander is acting chief in Ystad when an elderly couple living miles from the nearest town is butchered in their sleep. Soon, he starts getting phone calls threatening revenge agai...more
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Read in August, 2009
Mankell can write. Good character development, great plot, nice sense of place, appropriately gloomy atmosphere. I appreciated "visiting" Sweden and the information about Sweden's immigration tensions was interesting. Mankell's written a nearly perfect police procedural here. The plot is complex but not convoluted, the red herrings are not so much red herrings as the natural dead ends that occur in real investigations (I presume, anyway). Wallender is a good detective, but he's no phen...more
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Read in December, 2009
I had never heard of Henning Mankell before I purchased this book over a year ago. It sounded exotic, and I have a thing for exotic mysteries. Faceless Killers is the first of the Kurt Wallander novels, named after a detective in Ystad in the South of Sweden.
From the moment Wallander hears about the brutal murder of an old farmer and his wife, Mankell's story builds up speed as we see the entire police force involved. When the news that the murdered farmer's wife's last word was "...more
From the moment Wallander hears about the brutal murder of an old farmer and his wife, Mankell's story builds up speed as we see the entire police force involved. When the news that the murdered farmer's wife's last word was "...more
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Read in September, 2009
I became interested in the Wallander mysteries after seeing the 3 PBS movie adaptations starring Kenneth Branaugh. Those films did not include this story, but I thought starting at the beginning made sense.
There were many aspects of Wallander's character which I did not expect. He drinks too much, barely eats and eats junk whe he does to the point of upsetting his stomach regularly. He is forgetful and disorganized. And, the style of police work depicted seems very inefficent and ...more
There were many aspects of Wallander's character which I did not expect. He drinks too much, barely eats and eats junk whe he does to the point of upsetting his stomach regularly. He is forgetful and disorganized. And, the style of police work depicted seems very inefficent and ...more
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The guy that read the book made it feel like the whole police is a retirement home... otherwise OK, but not that great
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Read in January, 2009
Any book set in Sweden in the winter should be read in the winter. Reading a book like Faceless Killers wouldn't feel right if you read in the hopeful mood of spring or the sun drenched months of summer. I read it in the cold of January and liked it very much.
Faceless Killers, as the title suggests, is a crime novel set in a small city in Sweden and based around a detectives quest to solve a brutal torture/murder of an elderly farmer couple. The detectives dead marriage, his estranged ...more
Faceless Killers, as the title suggests, is a crime novel set in a small city in Sweden and based around a detectives quest to solve a brutal torture/murder of an elderly farmer couple. The detectives dead marriage, his estranged ...more
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Read in November, 2009
This book is definitely different from the police novels I've read in the past. The majority of the ones I've read had been rather fast paced filled with lots of intrigue and twists that I'm racing through the novel at an alarming rate. This one was very different. It wasn't fast paced but it was steady and although a little slow at times, it actually got me interested as the criminal investigation went on. It was a gradual procedure, and not one that would take overnight to solve. It had its ex...more
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During one of my periodic efforts to prove to myself that I'm not one of The Great Unwashed, I watched PBS's Masterpiece Mystery series featuring the Swedish detective Kurt Wallander as played by Kenneth Branagh. (Yes, it had English actors playing Swedes and was filmed in Sweden. Just go with it.) I liked it quite a bit and since I also loved the The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, I decided to read some more about these murderous Swedes. And now I'm really hooked.
Written in 1990, t...more
Written in 1990, t...more
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This represents my first dip into the world of Swedish mystery writers. I anticipated following a Stellan Skarsgard inspired detective, one who would comb through the seedy underbelly of Swedish provincial life, working to get to the bottom of some heinous crime, all the while brooding over his cracked marriage, growing mid-section, and the ceaseless foreboding of permanently overcast skies. Sadly, the book met my expectations. Instead of being frozen with a new appreciation of genre fiction, ...more
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