One Step Behind

Kurt Wallander #7

by Henning Mankell

It is Midsummer's Eve, three young friends gather in a wood. In the still-sunlit, Scandanavian dusk, they don costumes joyfully to enact - or so it appears to an unseen observer - a kind of masque. The hidden watcher soon brings their performance to an end. His approach is careful; his aim is perfect - three bullets, three corpses. The murderer, then, carefully photographs the grisly tableau. The Ystad police station, meanwhile, is experiencing a summer lull, indeed Inspector Wallander is at last at liberty to attend to - albeit reluctantly - his deteriorating health, but his peace of mind is shattered when one of his colleagues is murdered. An unknown killer, seen by no-one, is on the loose, and the police's only lead is a photograph of three dead young people in costume. Forced to dig more deeply than he would have wanted into the personal life of one of his colleagues, Wallander's investigation reveals something none of his team could ever have imagined. However, they remain tantalisingly, terrifyingly one step behind the lethal progress of a killer Wallander would have to suppose was deranged if his methods were not so meticulous and his victims so clinically targeted.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Thriller, Sweden, Scandinavian Literature, Detective

450 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Henning Mankell was an internationally known Swedish crime writer, children's author and playwright. He was best known for his literary character Kurt Wallander.

Mankell split his time between Sweden and Mozambique. He was married to Eva Bergman, Swedish director and daughter of Ingmar Bergman.

Reviews

[Natxo Cruz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sòlid. Malgrat que una altra vegada l'enemic sembla copiat d'aventures anteriors, la descripció dels protocols policials d'investigació és minuciosa, el ritme de la novel·la és l'adequat i la figura de Wallander ja és entranyable.
Un cop s'han llegit set llibres de la sèrie, ja no hi ha cap motiu per no arribar fins al final.

[Carles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wallander es fa gran. Fora de la feina, la seva vida personal segueix sent un desastre. Les seves cabòries recurrents envers el que ha de ser un policia en la Suècia canviant. Pel que fa a la salut, no es cuida gens. Comença a tenir algun problema. Cada cop es troba més sol. L’entorn familiar ―pare, filla, ex-dona, germana, amb destacada presencia en la primera novel·la, ―ha anat minvant mica a mica en les pàgines. Ara, bàsicament tenim la investigació del crim, liderada per Wallander, amb l’ajut de l’estol de policies de la comissaria de Ystad, que tan bé coneixem. Com a lector trobo a faltar més interacció de la part familiar de Wallander. Aportava credibilitat i matisos al personatge, i “airejava” la trama policial.

Violència de gènere, maltractament infantil, racisme, màfies, corrupció, misèria..., cada trama de la sèrie Wallander es basa en una lacra social, com si Mankell aprofités la popularitat de la novel·la negra com altaveu per denunciar-les.
En aquesta última, no hi he sabut trobar tal detonant. Això sí, la trama està meravellosament ordida, com sempre. Mankell és un mestre. El tempo. Com va accelerant en la part final. L’angoixa que ens sap transmetre. Com et porta per on vol. Literalment. L’episodi de la camisa.... genial!