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Fiction. Mystery. HTML: It was a crime of senseless violence. On a cold night in a remote Swedish farmhouse, an elderly farmer was bludgeoned to death, his wife left to die with a noose around her neck. As if this didn't present enough problems for Ystad police inspector Kurt Wallander, the dying woman's last word, his only tangible clue, was "foreign." If publicized, it could be the match that would inflame Sweden's already smoldering anti-immigrant sentiments. In this case, unlike the situation with his ex-wife, his estranged daughter, or the young prosecutor who has piqued his interest, Wallander finds a problem he can handle. He quickly becomes obsessed with solving the crime before the already tense situation explodes�??though it will require all of his talent to do so.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Lman
Faceless Killers is the first book in this series and, as such, serves as much as an introduction to Kurt Wallander's life and country, as to his abilities in solving crime.
Despite Wallander's mess of a life - enabling the usual odious comparisons to another flawed and driven police inspector - he
Starting off with the brutal murder of two elderly farmers the story takes an interesting path into the country's social consciousness, the attitude to immigration through the differing opinions expressed in the society of the day, while following the course taken to find the perpetrators of this crime. Along the way Wallander's character is enlarged through personal and professional experiences related as he follows the case to its completion.
I could describe this book as lightweight, with quick, unsatisfactory resolutions to some of the personal dilemmas; and I wondered if the translation stayed true to the original for the prose jarred in places - but I read this book in one sitting. I really wanted to know the reason behind the killings and found the solution reasonable and credible. And I felt it was just the beginning of a much longer and more satisfying relationship being built between Inspector Wallander and myself.
I want to know more about this man and I want to read more of these books.
You should too.
Despite Wallander's mess of a life - enabling the usual odious comparisons to another flawed and driven police inspector - he
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remains a likeable character, professional in his police procedural work, while allowing glimpses into his thoughts and beliefs about his world in general.Starting off with the brutal murder of two elderly farmers the story takes an interesting path into the country's social consciousness, the attitude to immigration through the differing opinions expressed in the society of the day, while following the course taken to find the perpetrators of this crime. Along the way Wallander's character is enlarged through personal and professional experiences related as he follows the case to its completion.
I could describe this book as lightweight, with quick, unsatisfactory resolutions to some of the personal dilemmas; and I wondered if the translation stayed true to the original for the prose jarred in places - but I read this book in one sitting. I really wanted to know the reason behind the killings and found the solution reasonable and credible. And I felt it was just the beginning of a much longer and more satisfying relationship being built between Inspector Wallander and myself.
I want to know more about this man and I want to read more of these books.
You should too.
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LibraryThing member elliepotten
I'd already come across Kurt Wallander thanks to the excellent Kenneth Branagh series, but this is the first time I've picked up one of the original novels. Happily, I liked it so much that I'm all ready to go on a rampage and buy the rest of the books AND the two television series. I love it when
The novel opens with the discovery of a horrific murder in the isolated farming community of Lunnarp. Called in by a terrified neighbour, Inspector Wallander arrives to find a mutilated and bloodied old man dead in his farmhouse bedroom. His wife is alive, but only barely, with a noose cruelly knotted around her neck. Armed with a host of confusing clues, uneasy hunches and the word 'foreign', repeated by the old woman on her deathbed, Wallander and his team must pull out all the stops to find the killers before the media storm around the case sparks a national wave of racial hate crime.
I found the whole novel absolutely fascinating, and it was a great brain work-out. I couldn't stop mulling over everything that had happened so far, and every time I put the book down I was itching to get back to it again! I think it helps that the reader is basically inside Kurt Wallander's mind from start to finish, even though it's written in the third person. He's a thoughtful, clever, kind and immensely human character, with a fierce sense of justice and a touch of quiet vulnerability - the kind of cop every reader will be rooting for! I also liked that this was very much a procedural novel, rather than a forensic gorefest, and the way the Swedish setting really came to life on the page. Mr Mankell - you have another new convert! Highly recommended.
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that happens!The novel opens with the discovery of a horrific murder in the isolated farming community of Lunnarp. Called in by a terrified neighbour, Inspector Wallander arrives to find a mutilated and bloodied old man dead in his farmhouse bedroom. His wife is alive, but only barely, with a noose cruelly knotted around her neck. Armed with a host of confusing clues, uneasy hunches and the word 'foreign', repeated by the old woman on her deathbed, Wallander and his team must pull out all the stops to find the killers before the media storm around the case sparks a national wave of racial hate crime.
I found the whole novel absolutely fascinating, and it was a great brain work-out. I couldn't stop mulling over everything that had happened so far, and every time I put the book down I was itching to get back to it again! I think it helps that the reader is basically inside Kurt Wallander's mind from start to finish, even though it's written in the third person. He's a thoughtful, clever, kind and immensely human character, with a fierce sense of justice and a touch of quiet vulnerability - the kind of cop every reader will be rooting for! I also liked that this was very much a procedural novel, rather than a forensic gorefest, and the way the Swedish setting really came to life on the page. Mr Mankell - you have another new convert! Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member lauralkeet
Kurt Wallander is a middle-aged Swedish police detective working in the town of Ystad. He's recently divorced, and estranged from his only daughter. In the midst of these emotional struggles he suddenly finds himself investigating the brutal murder of an elderly farmer and his wife. Before her
Wallander and his crew conduct a thorough investigation, learning more about the elderly farmer's life and some personal secrets that offer clues. There's a fair amount of criminal-stalking, chase scenes, and drama. But about 2/3 of the way through this novel, the story's pace flags and the investigative team seems to wander about aimlessly. And then, just as suddenly, everything is solved and neatly tied up in a bow.
This novel is the first in a series of Wallander mysteries. I enjoyed the 2008 Wallander dramatizations starring Kenneth Branagh, which are adaptations of later books. I wanted to read this book before more episodes -- including Faceless Killers -- air on PBS this autumn. It might just be this particular storyline, but this book did not live up to the drama and excitement of the TV series.
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death, the wife repeatedly uttered a single word: "foreign." Shortly after the double murder, a Somali man is killed at a refugee camp. It's up to the police team to determine whether the murders are linked, and the significance of the dead woman's last words.Wallander and his crew conduct a thorough investigation, learning more about the elderly farmer's life and some personal secrets that offer clues. There's a fair amount of criminal-stalking, chase scenes, and drama. But about 2/3 of the way through this novel, the story's pace flags and the investigative team seems to wander about aimlessly. And then, just as suddenly, everything is solved and neatly tied up in a bow.
This novel is the first in a series of Wallander mysteries. I enjoyed the 2008 Wallander dramatizations starring Kenneth Branagh, which are adaptations of later books. I wanted to read this book before more episodes -- including Faceless Killers -- air on PBS this autumn. It might just be this particular storyline, but this book did not live up to the drama and excitement of the TV series.
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LibraryThing member Replay
Good take-off, long and hardly entertaining flight, smooth landing. It was OK though but don't expect a vibrant thriller. Characters seem frozen by the swedish breezy wind.
LibraryThing member Darrol
A somewhat plodding book. Maybe quite realistic how police work actually is. But I think I want more than that. Narrative style seems deliberately dry, not to say lifeless. Some odd things in the translation I think. The story did not grab me, and in the end I was almost hoping the crime would go
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unsolved. The multinational elements of this story will be what brings me back to this series (but maybe not so soon). Show Less
LibraryThing member marsap
Faceless Killers, the first book in the Kurt Wallender series, brings Wallender to a remote Swedish farmhouse where an elderly farmer is bludgeoned to death, and his wife is left to die with a noose around her neck. The dying woman’s last word is foreign, leaving the police the one tangible clue
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they have–and in the process, could inflame Sweden’s already smoldering anti-immigrant sentiments. The timing of the case couldn’t be worse for the already stressed and depressed Wallender-- His wife has left him, his daughter won't speak to him, and his father is drifting into a resentful, disoriented old age. Despite an interesting premise I found this procedural mystery bleak and ultimately boring. I would give this novel 2 out of 5 stars and probably will not continue with the rest of the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member saroz
Henning Mankell's first Wallander novel introduces us to the weary, self-doubting Swedish detective with a pacy double murder investigation. The crime is vicious, and the emphasis here is on Sweden as a changing world; Wallander constantly reflects on the horrific details that he would not have
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thought possible only a few years before. Wallander himself is slipping into a graceless middle age of divorce, bad eating and social anxiety, so both man and country are betraying their ideals. Mankell constantly infuses his writing (or, at least, the translated writing) with details that bring Wallander and his world alive as natural by-products of each other. The reader is invited to identify with the detective, not with sentimentality or pity, but with Wallander's own cold realization that all things fall apart. The mystery here is secondary, which for most of the novel isn't an issue; it does start to drag in the later chapters, only to very suddenly ramp up at the end. Taken as a crime novel, "Faceless Killers" isn't totally satisfying; there are mysteries out there that are simply constructed better, with a tighter grip. As the introductory portrait of a very believable man, however, it succeeds beautifully. Show Less
LibraryThing member maneekuhi
Well written, prose flows very nicely. Good story with a brisk pace. Not much tension, but enough for a reader to stay interested. It's about the violent murders of an elderly farm couple. No apparent motive, few clues. It appears to be the deed of a foreign born resident or visitor, and when word
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gets out in the papers of that speculation by the police, there is a backlash against immigrants and Sweden's immigration policies. That theme is woven very well into the story and the underlying issues are presented well and fairly. I have two criticisms of the book, the first in the Kurt Wallander series, published in 1991. I didn't care for any of the characters. Wallander is another flawed cop with a lot of baggage, and I didn't feel any sympathy toward him at all. There is a station house full of supporting cops, but by book's end I couldn't tell one from the other. My other problem with the book is that it is vey gloomy. It seems to be an ideal script for a 1950's Ingmar Bergman black and white movie. No thanks. Works fine as a stand-alone book, but I have no interest in committing to reading this series. Show Less
LibraryThing member devenish
Having just read the latest Wallander from the library and greatly enjoyed it,I now read the first of the series.
'Faceless Killers' I found slightly disappointing,but I suppose that as it was the first,I must not be too critical. It certainly sets the scene of Wallander's depressing life in his
Hope for an improvement in book two.
'Faceless Killers' I found slightly disappointing,but I suppose that as it was the first,I must not be too critical. It certainly sets the scene of Wallander's depressing life in his
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depressing country with his depressing family and colleagues. As for the crime it concerns the double murder of an old couple who lived in an remote farmhouse. They were brutally done to death after being tortured. A vital question is left unanswered at the end of the book,which left me rather unsatisfied.Hope for an improvement in book two.
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LibraryThing member msf59
A strong Swedish police thriller! Dark, moody and well-crafted. I look forward to reading the other books in this series.
LibraryThing member esigel
I'm a sucker for atmosphere and setting, and Mankell does these very well (Swedish winter: gray, cold, snow, ice: what could be better?). There's nothing particularly appealing about the protagonist, Kurt Wallander, and his relations with those around him--his father, fellow cops, the beautiful
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prosecutor--are a little too sketchy for full character development. Still,the story moves along smartly and interplay between the setting and the plot development works to a T. This was my first book by Mankell and I liked it well enough to get more. Show Less
LibraryThing member callmecayce
This is the first book in Mankell's Wallander series. I thought, since I'm such a big fan of Scandinavian mysteries, I ought to give it a try (especially if I'm eventually going to watch the BBC/PBS show based on the books). I guess I liked the book. The mystery was engrossing, but I'm not sure I
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liked Wallander. I definitely see why the books are popular, Wallander is a very flawed detective who is good as his job. But in this book, there were certain things that he did that I just didn't like and I don't think I'm going to read any of the other books. I might still watch the series, but one Mankell is enough for me. Show Less
LibraryThing member ShanLizLuv
I LOVED it. I don't read an enormous amount of fiction, but I saw the Masterpiece Mystery and enjoyed it. I figured, "What the Heck?" I'm so glad I did. If you like a good, tightly written (non-cozy...Who wants a brownie recipe halfway through a murder?) this is for you. I'm off to get the rest of
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his books. Show Less
LibraryThing member Kathy89
A dreary dark murder of an old married couple of farmers starts the investigation. Main character of Wallander is depressed and saddened with his life. He never gives up on solving the murder. Wanted to read this because of PBS series but it's too dark for my likening.
LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom
Two elderly people living next door to friends they've had coffee with every day for the last 40 years wake up one night and hear a scream for help. The man goes over to their friends' home to find a veritable bloodbath and calls the police. Assigned to the the call is Kurt Wallender, and he
Very good novel, and a really honest look at how other cultures are dealing with the rising immigrant issue. Highly recommended.
Mystery readers who read or want to read beyond the cozy realm would really enjoy this book - and anyone looking for a good series to read would enjoy it as well. The author is not afraid to tell it like it is...which is refreshing.
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discovers that the woman is still alive and before she dies, she says only one word: foreign. As Wallender gets more into the case, he realizes that he is going to have to play this very carefully amid rising anti-immigrant fervor. As he begins his investigation, he also has to sort through a lot of bizarre leads, and he has his own family problems to deal with. Very good novel, and a really honest look at how other cultures are dealing with the rising immigrant issue. Highly recommended.
Mystery readers who read or want to read beyond the cozy realm would really enjoy this book - and anyone looking for a good series to read would enjoy it as well. The author is not afraid to tell it like it is...which is refreshing.
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LibraryThing member FicusFan
First book in the Kurt Wallandar series. It is a mystery set in Sweden in Ystad, and Kurt is a police officer.
The story is about an elderly couple killed on a remote farm. Very messy murder, and their one neighbor, another farm family, didn't see or hear anything in the night. There are tensions
Besides the mystery there is detail about the officers, and their families. It was the first Swedish mystery where I could keep all the characters straight.
It was very good and I enjoyed it. I liked the characters, the setting was set well so it seemed to be in a different place. The story was interesting, and the mystery well done. Not too easy, and not too obscure.
The book was translated from Swedish. The translator seemed to have both UK and US tendencies. Didn't find it as jarring as the Indridason book.
At some point I will continue with the rest, but don't have them now.
The story is about an elderly couple killed on a remote farm. Very messy murder, and their one neighbor, another farm family, didn't see or hear anything in the night. There are tensions
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in the country about immigrants and some suspect the killers are foreigners so there are hate crimes popping up too. The book is set in 1990 I think, around the time that a lot of Eastern Europeans were fleeing their poor countries.Besides the mystery there is detail about the officers, and their families. It was the first Swedish mystery where I could keep all the characters straight.
It was very good and I enjoyed it. I liked the characters, the setting was set well so it seemed to be in a different place. The story was interesting, and the mystery well done. Not too easy, and not too obscure.
The book was translated from Swedish. The translator seemed to have both UK and US tendencies. Didn't find it as jarring as the Indridason book.
At some point I will continue with the rest, but don't have them now.
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LibraryThing member riverwillow
This is the first Wallender book which came to me as highly recommended and it lives up to its reputation. Wallender is a very human policeman, who tries to do his best, but recognises that he doesn't always get it right. The book is dark and Wallender is probably clinically depressed, even so this
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was a good read. Show Less
LibraryThing member astults
Faceless Killers introduces the Swedish detective, Kurt Wallander, to US readers. (There are approximately a dozen books featuring Wallander but not all have been translated into English.) One cold evening, an elderly farm couple is attacked. The husband is killed and the wife is found barely
Kurt Wallander is a middle-aged man alienated from his daughter, recently divorced from his wife, distant from his sister and too preoccupied with work to deal with his aging father. Each of the relatives make an appearance and not always at convenient times. Add an attractive prosecutor to the mix and Wallander's work is no longer the refuge it once was.
Mankell packs a lot into this novel. In less adept hands this could be a mess. The police procedural information and work environment are easy to follow. Mankell provides enough details to keep the reader informed and engaged without giving a course or lecture on the topic. The writing is also superb. When Wallander is out on surveillance your own joints ache as though you were the one asked to move in the freezing cold weather.
Wallander is not a super detective; he's a man who is trying to do the best he can in his present situation. He's aware of his imperfections and tries to figure out what he can change so he can have a happier life. Faceless Killers is one of the best books I've read this year.
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alive. She's able to offer clues to solve the crime before she passes away from her injuries. The clues point to non-Swedish suspects which can turn the case into a political situation if not handled with tact. While trying to thoroughly follow the leads Wallander receives threatening phone calls, discovers a source leak in the department and more blood is shed. Kurt Wallander is a middle-aged man alienated from his daughter, recently divorced from his wife, distant from his sister and too preoccupied with work to deal with his aging father. Each of the relatives make an appearance and not always at convenient times. Add an attractive prosecutor to the mix and Wallander's work is no longer the refuge it once was.
Mankell packs a lot into this novel. In less adept hands this could be a mess. The police procedural information and work environment are easy to follow. Mankell provides enough details to keep the reader informed and engaged without giving a course or lecture on the topic. The writing is also superb. When Wallander is out on surveillance your own joints ache as though you were the one asked to move in the freezing cold weather.
Wallander is not a super detective; he's a man who is trying to do the best he can in his present situation. He's aware of his imperfections and tries to figure out what he can change so he can have a happier life. Faceless Killers is one of the best books I've read this year.
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LibraryThing member rodrichards
Heard these were coming up on Masterpiece Mystery, so thought I would check them out. Interesting to read about the "refugee" controversy in Sweden, following behind a well-drawn character in the person of police inspector Kurt Wallander. Also get a taste of the complications of his family
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life...Dark (as one might guess from the title) but I liked it. Show Less
LibraryThing member rodrichards
Heard these were coming up on Masterpiece Mystery, so thought I would check them out. Interesting to read about the "refugee" controversy in Sweden, following behind a well-drawn character in the person of police inspector Kurt Wallander. Also get a taste of the complications of his family
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life...Dark (as one might guess from the title) but I liked it. Show Less
LibraryThing member DRFP
The first of the famous Wallender novels.
Given Wallender's and Mankell's great reputation I was expecting a little more from this. Overall, even though I don't read much crime, I found "Faceless Killers" perfectly okay - everything seemed largely plausible. It was a little odd how quickly Mankell
Nothing amazing but this was good enough to not put me off reading more of Wallender's adventures.
Given Wallender's and Mankell's great reputation I was expecting a little more from this. Overall, even though I don't read much crime, I found "Faceless Killers" perfectly okay - everything seemed largely plausible. It was a little odd how quickly Mankell
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sped through events towards the end though. Nothing amazing but this was good enough to not put me off reading more of Wallender's adventures.
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LibraryThing member m4marya
I blame the book Well of Lost Plots for not being into this short tale. In Well of Lost Plots the stereotypical divorced, drinking, insomniac detective is much mocked. The lead character in this book fits the bill. Perhaps when I have distanced myself from the other book I will be able to return
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and enjoy this one. Show Less
LibraryThing member the.ken.petersen
Kurt Wallander comes to life, in a way that the screen versions have never quite captured. Mankell manages to walk a very tight line, taking a look at racism. Wallander risks his life when he believes that Asylum seekers are in danger, but also expresses concern about the ease with which all and
This seems to be a popular topic, at the moment, but when this book was written, the views must have raised the hackles of many a reader.
The story concerns a gruesome murder and greed, as well as the race issue. Wallander's own life is in turmoil as his wife has left him and his dad is starting to go senile. I was a little unsure about the scene where Wallander gets caught drink-driving but gets away with it. It was a good way of showing the man unravelling but the concern was more skewed towards his embarrassment at his colleagues knowing, than of what he had done.
Kurt clearly develops, as the series continues. In this, his first outing, he is a little too gun hoe for my liking: leaping at killers and falling off buildings. I suppose that Mankell felt the need to launch his hero with a bang. I am not sure, that were this to have been my introduction to Wallander, I would have rushed to get to know him better.
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sundry can wander into, in this case Sweden. This seems to be a popular topic, at the moment, but when this book was written, the views must have raised the hackles of many a reader.
The story concerns a gruesome murder and greed, as well as the race issue. Wallander's own life is in turmoil as his wife has left him and his dad is starting to go senile. I was a little unsure about the scene where Wallander gets caught drink-driving but gets away with it. It was a good way of showing the man unravelling but the concern was more skewed towards his embarrassment at his colleagues knowing, than of what he had done.
Kurt clearly develops, as the series continues. In this, his first outing, he is a little too gun hoe for my liking: leaping at killers and falling off buildings. I suppose that Mankell felt the need to launch his hero with a bang. I am not sure, that were this to have been my introduction to Wallander, I would have rushed to get to know him better.
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LibraryThing member TadAD
I really enjoyed this first book in the Kurt Wallender series—a very real detective dealing with an intriguing murder. Wallender came across as completely human—nabbed for drunk driving, struggling with a separation from his wife, unsure how to deal with his daughter. I also liked the social
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commentary as Wallender contemplated the changes happening in Swedish society. Show Less
LibraryThing member joshberg
Smooth noir detective fiction exploring anti-immigrant feelings in Sweden, this is the first of Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallander novels from the series that would later inspire the BBC series Wallander. The opera-loving detective is an appealing underdog, bad at just about every part of his life
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except his job: he's gloomy, drinks too much, weighs too much, has troubled family relationships, dreads the Swedish winter, and frets over his country falling apart. Ultimately, though, his courage and unwavering insistence on justice make him worthy of our care and attention. Though the novel's moments of high drama are limited, Faceless Killers is a likeable, realistic, understated police procedural. Show Less
Awards
Glass Key Award (Winner — 1992)