This is an excellent political thriller and detective mystery which unfolds with the discovery of a dead man missing a leg in the snow outside a rural Swedish village followed by eighteen other bodies of elderly residents and a boy in the houses. The only clues are a red ribbon and a 19th-century diary found at the scene.

Mr. Mankell provides just enough information to keep the reader going without losing interest. The story moves from the present into the past mid-nineteenth century to Guangzhou, then to Nevada, returning to 21st century Beijing to Zimbabwe and Mozambique and back to Sweden while using international political issues as a background. The underlying motives are dealt with through a variety of characters to provide political and social explanations of China’s involvement with foreign countries, as well as the reason behind the murders.

Judge Birgitta Roslin begins her own inquiry into the murders when she discovers that her mother’s foster parents are among those found dead. Off work for high blood pressure she studies the journals found in the foster parents’ home. She finds a link to the red ribbon and follows it to a local hotel where Birgitta uncovers another clue. The suspense builds until the naïve Birgitta finally realizes that the killer is after her.

I would recommend this book for any avid mystery crime reader as it does provide good elements for a thriller.