Faceless Killers - Henning Mankell

[Kristel]

Faceless Killers is a 1991, police procedural mystery by Swedish author Henning Mankell and translated from the Swedish by Steven T. Murray. It is the first in the series featuring the senior police officer Kurt Wallander. The story is set in Sweden, it is January 1990 and Wallander is covering for the chief who is on vacation. He is called out to an isolated farmhouse and discovers a heinous murder of an old farmer and his wife. There is no clues except for a word spoken by the woman prior to her death. This word causes an outbreak of racial hatred when it is leaked to the press. As the first book of a series, we are introduced to Wallander, a man in his forties, his wife has left him, his daughter is not talking to him and his aging father is ornery and possibly senile. It's a decent mystery of the police procedural type and like most mystery thriller's easy to read. It is a 1001 Book You Must Read Before You Die but other than being Swedish I am not sure what it offers in the development of the novel. The theme of racial hatred stems from the influx of foreigners seeking asylum and the political and social problems that occur.

This was from my randomized list.

[Jan]

I love the Wallander series of novels. As a set of books, they explore the human condition well. Wallander has a whole set of issues in his life, and as we journey through the books with him, we see how he tries to manage them and to improve himself as a person. I think Mankell created a very human protagonist in Wallander. Sometimes the lead character in a crime series can be quite clichéd, and I see Wallander as stepping to the side of that cliché. I cried when I read the final book.

[Kristel]

Jan wrote: "I love the Wallander series of novels. As a set of books, they explore the human condition well. Wallander has a whole set of issues in his life, and as we journey through the books with him, we se..."
That is good to know as I hardly ever finish a series.

[Jan]

Kristel wrote: "Jan wrote: "I love the Wallander series of novels. As a set of books, they explore the human condition well. Wallander has a whole set of issues in his life, and as we journey through the books wit..."

I was completely gripped by this series, Kristel. I've even hunted down short story collections so I could read the asides to the main run of books! Faceless Killers perhaps isn't the best of the novels, but it does set the story in motion. That might be why it is on the list rather than one of the others.

[Jen]

I think I gave this one 3 stars. My mother-in-law loves the series so I've debated reading on but since I liked (not loved) the first one, I haven't felt compelled to read on. Good to know that you (Jan) have enjoyed the rest of them.

[Judith]

I liked rather than loved this one, too; but I found that if you go on with the series, it grows on you. Good character development and study.

[Jan]

Judith wrote: "Good character development and study."

Yes! That's how I feel about them. I am a Crime and Thriller junkie, and the Wallander series was different in that Kurt is human, not a caricature.

The Icelandic series by Arnaldur Indradson about Detective Erlendur is similar in the way the main character has depth to him.

Jen, I think I recall you saying you're not the biggest fan of Crime novels, so for you to like Faceless Killers is actually a compliment!

[Jen]

Jan wrote: "Judith wrote: "Good character development and study."

Yes! That's how I feel about them. I am a Crime and Thriller junkie, and the Wallander series was different in that Kurt is human, not a caric..."

that may be true. It's not generally a genre that I'm drawn to so I haven't read a very wide variety. I did like The Late-night News which is on this list but mainly for the other elements and not just the crime part.

[Diane]

Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell
4/5 stars

On the front cover of my book a sticker reads “What to read next for fans of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” I read the millennium trilogy and liked it so I figured that I would like this one too. I have enjoyed the books I have read from Scandinavian writers and this one was no exception. Kurt Wallander is a good cop but his personal life is in a shambles. Kurt works tirelessly at trying to solve murders in his small hometown and his personal life pays the price. He drinks, does not get enough sleep, is separated from his wife and has a strained relationship with his daughter. I enjoyed the mystery and thought it was well written. I like the character Kurt Wallander and would read the rest of the series if I had time.

This was a breath of fresh air for me given the 2 star reads I have read off the list lately. I like crime novels but don't have a chance to read them much.

[Paula]

4 stars

An old man and his wife are found murdered in an isolated farmhouse, and Kurt Wallander and his team of policemen have a hard job finding the killers. The murders seems meaningless, the family didn't have a lot of money or valubles in the house, and they didn't seem to have any enimies. Then the public finds out that the police suspects foreigners might have been involved and xenophobia rears its ugly head. A refugee camp is attacked and suddenly the police have two murders on their hands.

Wallander has a sympathetic characters, very human and flawed. The story itself reminded me of Truman Capote's In cold blood, in that an isolated house is targeted and that there initially didn't seem to be any motives for the murders.

I'm assuming this book is on the list because Mankell was one of the authors that pioneered the 'Nordic Noir' genre. I used to think he was overrated, but I might have to revise my opinion, since I actually liked this police procedural and wouldn't mind reading more in the series.

[Jessica-sim]

2 stars

Even though I like to read detective stories/ mysteries, Scandinavian detectives do not agree with me. There is too much violence, too much gruesomeness for me to handle. Due to the "1001-books to read before you die"-status, and the elements of realism in the personal life of the main character, I kept giving the story the benefit of the doubt. Towards the end, the solution seemed to come together nicely. Until the very question of the why behind the outrageous use of violence did explicitly not get solved.
The level of personal drama in the main character's life is very realistic. I got to care about his life and would want to know how it all will pan out. My involvement does not go so far as to want to read more of these books, however.

I also appreciate the handling of the immigration issues that are actually still (or again) very relevant in society today, yet not openly talked about. The one change in general attitude to asylum seekers is that they no longer are offhandedly regarded as either opportunists or victims, there is a third category feared now: terrorists.
I also found it interesting to read about East-Germans trying out their newfound freedom by travelling to Sweden. That is something that really marks the time of writing for this book.

I can appreciate this book status as a first of its kind and am glad to have read it. I tried to move past my own preconceptions of this book, but it is still too violent for my own taste. My star rating is therefore based on personal enjoyment only.

[Jamie]

I always like being able to check off books I'd be reading for fun on a list like the 1001 List. I had not started the Wallander series yet, but I love murder mystery series, especially ones from different countries, so I knew I'd enjoy this one. I like the TV series developed from these books, so I already knew a bit about the characters. I liked this book more than I liked the episode of the show that corresponds to this book. So, I am looking forward to reading the rest. I did finish book #2 as well, and it was also good.
I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads.