First in the Kurt Wallander series.
It was a senselessly violent crime: on a cold night in a remote Swedish farmhouse an elderly farmer ... read full description
It was a senselessly violent crime: on a cold night in a remote Swedish farmhouse an elderly farmer ... read full description
reviews
Jan 18, 2011
Kemper
rated it: 
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...
11 comments
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(15 people liked it)
Nov 25, 2011
Angela
rated it:
My initial reaction to this book “Faceless Killers” was “Poor Kurt Wallander”!
Our introduction to the character of Inspector Wallander by Henning Mankell, was certainly unusual . As the hero of many detective novels after this story, he cuts a sorry figure - and yet, a realistic one. At the beginning of the novel, we quickly discover that Wallander’s marriage has finished, his daughter doesn’t want to have much to do with him and his father doesn’t appear to like him much either! However, More...
Our introduction to the character of Inspector Wallander by Henning Mankell, was certainly unusual . As the hero of many detective novels after this story, he cuts a sorry figure - and yet, a realistic one. At the beginning of the novel, we quickly discover that Wallander’s marriage has finished, his daughter doesn’t want to have much to do with him and his father doesn’t appear to like him much either! However, More...
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May 31, 2011
Elizabeth
rated it: 
There are three things I don't like about mysteries:
1. The author reveals too little so it's impossible for me to figure it out;
2. The author gives away too much and I've figured it out long ago;
3. The author does it perfectly, all the clues were there, and I still didn't figure it out.
Knowing this about myself, I don't read mysteries for the mystery. I read them for the other parts: the character study, the political or village landscape in which they're set, More...
1. The author reveals too little so it's impossible for me to figure it out;
2. The author gives away too much and I've figured it out long ago;
3. The author does it perfectly, all the clues were there, and I still didn't figure it out.
Knowing this about myself, I don't read mysteries for the mystery. I read them for the other parts: the character study, the political or village landscape in which they're set, More...
37 comments
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(29 people liked it)
Dec 17, 2009
LJ
rated it:
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 immigrants b 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 immigrants b More...
4 comments
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(5 people liked it)
Oct 31, 2008
Peter H.
rated it: 
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...
6 comments
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(9 people liked it)
Dec 20, 2007
ahdid
rated it:
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.
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Jul 04, 2011
Ben
rated it:
it was 15 pages before the end before anyone in the police department thought to follow the most obvious trail. i mean i'm not even trying to solve the case, i'm just lying in bed sick, idly flipping 250 pages, but i'm ahead of these people? pretty sad. in the meantime there's no suspense, the characters are dull, and the scenes are boring and poorly written. nice title, though, i suppose... can't imagine reading more of these...
3 comments
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(3 people liked it)
Jan 01, 2012
notgettingenough
rated it: 
Ugh.
Maybe this book is dreadfully translated...or maybe it's like Ikea furniture. Mostly you end up with a bunch of bits that don't make sense. It's a popular theory in Australia that Ikea furniture is some sort of revenge upon people who live in sunlight. Maybe Henning Mankell is a plot to get the people who escaped the Ikea trap.
We all over here prefer more Abba and less bad furniture and miserable books please.
Maybe this book is dreadfully translated...or maybe it's like Ikea furniture. Mostly you end up with a bunch of bits that don't make sense. It's a popular theory in Australia that Ikea furniture is some sort of revenge upon people who live in sunlight. Maybe Henning Mankell is a plot to get the people who escaped the Ikea trap.
We all over here prefer more Abba and less bad furniture and miserable books please.
0 comments
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(2 people liked it)
Mar 01, 2009
Atalanta16
rated it:
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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(2 people liked it)
Aug 30, 2010
g
rated it:
Do these get better? I flew through this first in the Kurt Wallander series, but the writing was squarely in the spectrum of unremarkable to outright you've-got-to-be-kidding-me. The police officers are barely differentiated (Wallander himself is the only one with any character traits to speak of, and he comes across as kind of a schmuck), and the book cries out for description and emotion. Not really psychological and only half-heartedly political, this novel strikes me as gratuitous and forget
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3 comments
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(3 people liked it)
Jan 05, 2010
Pilvi
rated it:
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 henkilökohtaista elämää. 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 henkilökohtaista elämää. More...
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Nov 15, 2010
Agent Zero
rated it:
Sono stato indeciso fino all'ultimo sul giudizio, ma alla fine, mi sono detto, questo è un giallo, e nei gialli sono due gli elementi fondamentali su cui non si può transigere: il protagonista e la verosimiglianza nello sviluppo delle indagini.</p>
Il protagonista.
Questa è la prima delle indagini del commissario Kurt Wallander scritte da Mankell ed è qui che lo scrittore ci fornisce le prime coordinate sulla sua creatura.
Bè, come ve lo immaginate un poliziotto sui quaranta, appena scaricato
Mar 14, 2009
Tony
rated it: 
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 and ov
More...
Mar 13, 2009
Carole
rated it:
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...
Dec 14, 2008
Reinhold
rated it:
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 s 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 s More...
Jan 19, 2012
Regan
rated it:
Since stumbling on the extraordinary trilogy by Steig Larsson, I’ve learned that Swedish writers have a long-standing reputation for producing great crime writing and have followed the hordes in tracking down some of these writers. First, of course, came Per Wahloo and Maj Sjowall, a fabulous writing team from the 1960s and 70s. Now, the hugely popular Henning Mankell and his famous police detective of the 90s, Kurt Wallander.
Given his enormous popularity I was really looking forward t More...
Given his enormous popularity I was really looking forward t More...
Jan 03, 2012
Andy
rated it:
I've been wanting to read the Wallander books for a while after being told about them (and the TV shows) repeatedly by friends, so despite needing to ship my library back to NZ and spending the next month in India I took advantage of the Christmas sales to buy more books.
Having read many a police/thriller type book in the past (and not being that sold on Rebus recently) I actually quite liked Wallander. It's very much a procedural, sparse, not overly sensational with a certain relentl More...
Having read many a police/thriller type book in the past (and not being that sold on Rebus recently) I actually quite liked Wallander. It's very much a procedural, sparse, not overly sensational with a certain relentl More...
Dec 02, 2011
Josh
rated it:
Henning Mankell hits the ground running in Faceless Killers, the first in the internationally acclaimed Kurt Wallander series made popular in part by both the (multiple) Swedish and BBC series that aired in the US under the Masterpiece Mystery! banner on PBS, the latter starring Kenneth Branagh as the titular Swedish Police Inspector.
The thing that sets Mankell's work apart from the standard detective fare is that he uses the genre as a vehicle by which he can shine a light on the il More...
The thing that sets Mankell's work apart from the standard detective fare is that he uses the genre as a vehicle by which he can shine a light on the il More...
Nov 19, 2011
Jules
rated it:
I'm not sure precisely what it was that made this mystery sub-par, compared to other mysteries, including the other Mankell I read. It might've been a shoddy translation (there were word choices throughout that felt inapt, or maybe were just relics of the 1990 publication date). It might've been that the bare prose, often so repetitive, and near absence of emotional detail didn't sit right with me, particularly after reading a Laura Lippman novel (comparatively so skilled at speaking to both the
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(1 person liked it)
Oct 31, 2011
astried
rated it:
so this book made me lost a night sleep. it has been a while since a book made me do that. today, finishing the book during breakfast, i realized that it dissapointed me a bit.
it started good, really good, the opening scene gave me goosebump and i enjoyed reading the story carefully not skipping much. investigation story can be dreary but mankell is a new writer for me so i haven't figured out his tricks and habits which made all wallander's to and fro enjoyable. the proof is on how More...
it started good, really good, the opening scene gave me goosebump and i enjoyed reading the story carefully not skipping much. investigation story can be dreary but mankell is a new writer for me so i haven't figured out his tricks and habits which made all wallander's to and fro enjoyable. the proof is on how More...
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(1 person liked it)
Oct 31, 2011
Nina
rated it:
Das alte Bauernehepaar Lövgren wird auf seinem Hof in der schwedischen Provinz brutal ermordet. Kurt Wallander nimmt die Ermittlungen auf und hat als einziges Indiz die letzten Worte der sterbenden Maria Lövgren: „Ausländer, Ausländer“.
Er weiss, dass diese Information einige Brisanz enthält. Auch in Schweden tummeln sich Anhänger der rechtsextremen Szene, die nur darauf warten, einen weiteren Grund für Anschläge auf Ausländer geliefert zu bekommen.
Aber wollte Maria Lövgren wirklich mi More...
Er weiss, dass diese Information einige Brisanz enthält. Auch in Schweden tummeln sich Anhänger der rechtsextremen Szene, die nur darauf warten, einen weiteren Grund für Anschläge auf Ausländer geliefert zu bekommen.
Aber wollte Maria Lövgren wirklich mi More...
Sep 28, 2011
Hikachi
rated it:
The first in Kurt Wallander series.
I can't even understand why I gave this three stars. xD
But despite the quick and abrupt ending, and how much I consider Wallander as a loser. I pretty like this book. Maybe it's because the first impression was pretty much alike with Stieg Larsson's The Girl with Dragon Tattoo. There's this subtleness in the prose that pretty much enticing.
It's started with a brutal murder of an elderly couple. Which obviously pretty much out of place, since More...
I can't even understand why I gave this three stars. xD
But despite the quick and abrupt ending, and how much I consider Wallander as a loser. I pretty like this book. Maybe it's because the first impression was pretty much alike with Stieg Larsson's The Girl with Dragon Tattoo. There's this subtleness in the prose that pretty much enticing.
It's started with a brutal murder of an elderly couple. Which obviously pretty much out of place, since More...
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Sep 11, 2011
Ape
rated it:
Den ar forsta Wallander bok jag har last. Jag har bara sett ett avsnitt av Kenneth Branaghs engelsk sprakiga version av teve serien ocksa. Men den ar en stor grej i Sverige, sa jag tankte att jag maste testa lite!
Den har boken ar fran 80talet, och det marks lite, men brist i tekniker polisen anvande... man undrar varfor de inte gor vissa grejer, och sedan tanker man efter, jaha, for att vissa tekniker troligen inte fanns da. Det kanns som om boken utspelar sig i en Sverige som haller More...
Den har boken ar fran 80talet, och det marks lite, men brist i tekniker polisen anvande... man undrar varfor de inte gor vissa grejer, och sedan tanker man efter, jaha, for att vissa tekniker troligen inte fanns da. Det kanns som om boken utspelar sig i en Sverige som haller More...
Sep 05, 2011
Jacqie
rated it:
I got about a hundred pages into this book, so I do think I gave it a fair change.
***SPOILER*** one hundred pages into the 300-some page book, the killer hasn't even made an appearance yet. I don't think this plays fair. END SPOILER.
I'm not really sure exactly why the Scandanavian mysteries are so popular these days. I've tried quite a few of them, and have yet to finish any but the Stieg Larsson trilogy. That's not because the GIRL trilogy is so fantastic, either. Bu More...
***SPOILER*** one hundred pages into the 300-some page book, the killer hasn't even made an appearance yet. I don't think this plays fair. END SPOILER.
I'm not really sure exactly why the Scandanavian mysteries are so popular these days. I've tried quite a few of them, and have yet to finish any but the Stieg Larsson trilogy. That's not because the GIRL trilogy is so fantastic, either. Bu More...
Jun 23, 2011
Bartek
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Apr 03, 2011
James
rated it:
This is the first entry in Henning Mankell's series featuring Swedish detective Kurt Wallander. When we first meet him, Wallander has a boatload of personal problems: he is recently divorced; he's estranged from his daughter; he's drinking too much; he has a lousy diet, and his father is showing signs of senility.
Against the backdrop of this troubled personal life, Wallandar is assigned to lead the investigation of the savage murder or an elderly farm couple. There is no apparent mot More...
Against the backdrop of this troubled personal life, Wallandar is assigned to lead the investigation of the savage murder or an elderly farm couple. There is no apparent mot More...
6 comments
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(8 people liked it)
Mar 29, 2011
Beth
rated it:
An elderly Swedish farmer wakes up early one cold morning and is sure he has forgotten something.
After a few minutes, the farmer realizes it's too quiet, so he gets out of bed and starts to investigate. Within minutes, the farmer discovers two bodies at a nearby farm, and Kurt Wallander's homicide team is brought in to investigate.
I discovered Henning Mankell's Wallander stories on PBS, with Kenneth Branagh starring as Wallander. The PBS stories are pretty good, so I thought More...
After a few minutes, the farmer realizes it's too quiet, so he gets out of bed and starts to investigate. Within minutes, the farmer discovers two bodies at a nearby farm, and Kurt Wallander's homicide team is brought in to investigate.
I discovered Henning Mankell's Wallander stories on PBS, with Kenneth Branagh starring as Wallander. The PBS stories are pretty good, so I thought More...
Mar 18, 2011
sabisteb
rated it:
In einem kleinen Dorf in Südschweden, wird Nachts ein altes Bauernehepaar überfallen. Er ist sofort tot, sie stirbt einige Zeit später im Krankenhaus. Ihr letztes Wort lautet „Ausländer“. Ein einziges Wort, das jedoch für politischen Sprengstoff und Unruhe in der schwedischen Bevölkerung sorgen kann zumal es einen Maulwurf zu geben scheint, der die Presse mit Insiderinformationen versorgt.
Kurz darauf brennt das Asylbewerberheim und der Hauptverdächtige ist ein ehemaliger Polizist.
„Mörd More...
Kurz darauf brennt das Asylbewerberheim und der Hauptverdächtige ist ein ehemaliger Polizist.
„Mörd More...
Mar 03, 2011
Cheryl
rated it:
After recently seeing a view of the BBC productions of the Inspector Wallander Series on Masterpiece Mystery! on my local PBS station, I became intrigued by the plots and thought perhaps the books would read much better than the film, and perhaps I would understand the plot much better in the book (found parts of the story difficult to follow on TV). I was not disappointed.
I borrowed Faceless Killers (Wallander #1) by Henning Mankell from my local library. First clue that it was a More...
I borrowed Faceless Killers (Wallander #1) by Henning Mankell from my local library. First clue that it was a More...
Feb 07, 2011
Steven
rated it:
Mankell is a writer of Swedish noir; he inspired Stieg Larsson, and, perhaps, me. I've been purposely trying to learn as I read these days. Not in an academic way--at least until I take my next Masters class--but in a way that I understand writing better so that my writing is also better. I wrote a recent blog about this, using Dan Simmons' Drood as a primer, so I won't do that again here.
In short, here's what I liked about Faceless Killers (besides the title). The thing that struc More...
In short, here's what I liked about Faceless Killers (besides the title). The thing that struc More...
