Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Publication
London : Vintage, 2004
Description
Fiction. Mystery. HTML: In this case, only Wallander's obstinate desire to see that justice is done brings the truth to light. On the Swedish coastline, two bodies, victims of grisly torture and cold execution, are discovered in a life raft. With no witnesses, no motives, and no crime scene, Detective Kurt Wallander is frustrated and uncertain he has the ability to solve a case as mysterious as it is heinous. But after the victims are traced to the Baltic state of Latvia, a country gripped by the upheaval of Soviet disintegration, Major Liepa of the Riga police takes over the investigation. Thinking his work done, Wallander slips into the routine once more, until he is called suddenly to Riga and plunged into an alien world in which shadows are everywhere, everything is watched, and old regimes will do anything to stay alive..… (more)
Media reviews
Lecturalia
Una fría mañana de febrero llega un bote salvavidas a la costa sueca arrastrado por la corriente. Dentro encuentran los cadáveres de dos hombres que, como confirma el inspector Wallander, han sido asesinados hace días. Aquejado de estrés y de intensos dolores de pecho, con remordimientos por
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su anciano padre y sin haber encajado bien la separación de su mujer, Kurt Wallander, una vez abierta la investigación, debe hacer de tripas corazón y posponer sus buenos propósitos de cuidarse más. Al averiguarse que los dos hombres asesinados eran letones, Wallander no tiene más remedio que viajar a Riga, donde se introduce en los ambientes más corruptos, gobernados por bandas criminales. Show Less
Publisher's Weekly
Set against the chaotic backdrop of eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Mankell's intense, accomplished mystery, the last in his Kurt Wallander series (Firewall, etc.), explores one man's struggle to find truth and justice in a society increasingly bereft of either. Here the
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provincial Swedish detective takes on a probably fruitless task: investigating the murders of two unidentified men washed up on the Swedish coast in an inflatable dinghy. The only clues: their dental work suggests they're from an Eastern Bloc country; the raft is Yugoslavian. But their deaths mushroom into an international incident that takes Wallander to Riga, Latvia, and enmeshes him in an incredibly dangerous and emotionally draining situation, battling forces far larger than the ""bloodless burglaries and frauds"" he typically pursues in Sweden. In Riga, Wallander must deal with widespread governmental corruption, which opens his eyes to the chilling reality of life in the totalitarian Eastern Bloc: grim, harrowing and volatile. Wallander's introspection and self-doubt make him compellingly real, and his efforts to find out what happened to those men on the life raft makes for riveting reading. There's a pervasive sense of Scandinavian gloom, in Wallander and in the novel, that might be difficult for some American readers, but this is a very worthy book-a unique combination of police procedural and spy thriller that also happens to be a devastating critique of Soviet-style Communism. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member ctpress
This is the second of the Wallander-novels - and my first Wallander, so I can't compare it to the others in the series - but I really enjoyed this detective.
At least in [The Dogs of Riga] Wallander is surprisingly vulnerable - with chest pains and bowel problems - a distaste for police work and a
I like the mood of despair and disillusionment that pervades the novel. The case itself adds to the feeling of uncertainty and a life filled with grey areas - police corruption and political instability where one does not know whom the enemy is. I want to spend more time with Wallander. No doubt about it.
At least in [The Dogs of Riga] Wallander is surprisingly vulnerable - with chest pains and bowel problems - a distaste for police work and a
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misanthropic nature. And the case he's thrown into gets him quickly out of his comfort zone - a trip to Riga where he's powerless most of the time and has to rely on his instinct rather than facts. It's not even the case that drives him at last but a vague love for a women he hardly knows. And when hailed as a sharp detective he brushes it of because he feels like a complete failure.I like the mood of despair and disillusionment that pervades the novel. The case itself adds to the feeling of uncertainty and a life filled with grey areas - police corruption and political instability where one does not know whom the enemy is. I want to spend more time with Wallander. No doubt about it.
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LibraryThing member Lman
This book, the second in the Kurt Wallander series, is as much an indictment on the society of the time as a murder mystery. Written in the era of great upheaval in the Baltic state of Latvia, a neighbour to Sweden, it tells the story of two subsequent, but linked, murder cases leading Inspector
The book begins with a grisly find of two bodies in a lifeboat on a local beach in Sweden and ends in the streets of Riga, with Wallander fighting for his life and those of freedom loving Latvians. Along the way we are given more insight into the character of our Police Inspector and a detailed illustration of the life and horror during the changes occurring at the time.
I was surprised by this book as, even though the story is cognizant with the spy thrillers of the time, the murders became more of a tool for the author to depict the wrongs delivered to the ordinary people, while illustrating the chaos which allowed the corruption of the society during this breakdown of an empire. Don't get me wrong - I wanted to know 'whodunnit' from the very beginning and I was kept intrigued right to the very end. But I was just as interested in learning about a situation outside my experience and realising just how difficult it must have been to live through those times.
This story, notwithstanding some incongruous actions and reactions by our inspector, seemed totally believable to me and gave me much food for thought. While the story was resolved effectively and answered all the questions raised, it left the reader wondering more, especially in relation to Kurt Wallander. Next!
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Wallander on a journey, which becomes terrifying on both a personal and professional level, while delivering a social commentary on the state of the nation during this turbulence.The book begins with a grisly find of two bodies in a lifeboat on a local beach in Sweden and ends in the streets of Riga, with Wallander fighting for his life and those of freedom loving Latvians. Along the way we are given more insight into the character of our Police Inspector and a detailed illustration of the life and horror during the changes occurring at the time.
I was surprised by this book as, even though the story is cognizant with the spy thrillers of the time, the murders became more of a tool for the author to depict the wrongs delivered to the ordinary people, while illustrating the chaos which allowed the corruption of the society during this breakdown of an empire. Don't get me wrong - I wanted to know 'whodunnit' from the very beginning and I was kept intrigued right to the very end. But I was just as interested in learning about a situation outside my experience and realising just how difficult it must have been to live through those times.
This story, notwithstanding some incongruous actions and reactions by our inspector, seemed totally believable to me and gave me much food for thought. While the story was resolved effectively and answered all the questions raised, it left the reader wondering more, especially in relation to Kurt Wallander. Next!
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LibraryThing member lit_chick
Two bodies, having been tortured and executed, wash up on the Swedish shoreline in a life raft. When it is determined that the raft originated from
Latvia, Kurt Wallander and team host Major Karlis Leipa, the Latvian official who travels to Sweden to assist in unraveling the mystery. However,
“We live in a an age when the mice are hunting the cats, he thought. But that isn’t true either, as nobody knows any more who are the mice and who the cats.” (Ch 13)
I enjoyed the pace of this second Wallander novel much more than the first. Mankell has all the elements of a page turner here. Recommended!
Latvia, Kurt Wallander and team host Major Karlis Leipa, the Latvian official who travels to Sweden to assist in unraveling the mystery. However,
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before the mystery is revealed, Wallander finds himself in Latvia and in grave danger. Political intrigue plays a prominent role in the novel; it is 1991, and the Baltic countries are reeling to establish a firm foothold in their newfound independence from Russia. The uncertainty has left Latvia a prime target for corruption and organized crime. High ranking political and police officials are suspected of colluding with gangs for handsome profit. Wallander, of course, is out of his element in Latvia, and an outrageous adventure of cat and mouse ensues:“We live in a an age when the mice are hunting the cats, he thought. But that isn’t true either, as nobody knows any more who are the mice and who the cats.” (Ch 13)
I enjoyed the pace of this second Wallander novel much more than the first. Mankell has all the elements of a page turner here. Recommended!
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LibraryThing member cbl_tn
The bodies of two murdered men turn up in a lifeboat on Sweden's coast. Who were these men, where did they come from, who killed them, and why were they killed? Those are questions that detective Kurt Wallander and his colleagues must answer. The investigation ultimately takes him to Latvia, a
The book has all of the tension of a cold war drama. It was written during Latvia's transition from Soviet control to independence when it wasn't yet clear whose vision for the country would prevail. This is the first book I've read in the series (although I've seen several episodes of the TV adaptation), and some aspects of the book were different than I expected. One thing that surprised me was the absence, for the most part, of strong language. I had mistakenly formed a “tough guy” impression of Wallander from things I had heard about the books. What I discovered instead is a character who thinks more than he speaks.
I listened to the audio version of the book. I thought it was odd that the reader's accent sounded American, yet the English translation uses British English. I noticed that Wallander bought “petrol” rather than “gas”, and he lived in a “flat” rather than an “apartment”. I would have preferred listening to British English read by someone with a British accent.
This is the second book in the series, and there are several references to incidents from the first book in the series. Most readers would probably want to be familiar with the events of the first book before reading this one. I haven't read the first book in the series, but I had seen the TV adaptation, and that was sufficient for me to understand the references to the crime in the first book.
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country just emerging from decades of Soviet control. As he pursues leads in Latvia, he senses that he's being manipulated, but he's not sure who is doing the manipulating. He's suspicious of everyone, and his life as well as others may depend on who he chooses to trust.The book has all of the tension of a cold war drama. It was written during Latvia's transition from Soviet control to independence when it wasn't yet clear whose vision for the country would prevail. This is the first book I've read in the series (although I've seen several episodes of the TV adaptation), and some aspects of the book were different than I expected. One thing that surprised me was the absence, for the most part, of strong language. I had mistakenly formed a “tough guy” impression of Wallander from things I had heard about the books. What I discovered instead is a character who thinks more than he speaks.
I listened to the audio version of the book. I thought it was odd that the reader's accent sounded American, yet the English translation uses British English. I noticed that Wallander bought “petrol” rather than “gas”, and he lived in a “flat” rather than an “apartment”. I would have preferred listening to British English read by someone with a British accent.
This is the second book in the series, and there are several references to incidents from the first book in the series. Most readers would probably want to be familiar with the events of the first book before reading this one. I haven't read the first book in the series, but I had seen the TV adaptation, and that was sufficient for me to understand the references to the crime in the first book.
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LibraryThing member vancouverdeb
I thoroughly enjoyed this second book in the Kurt Wallender series by Henning Mankell.
While I enjoyed the first novel, Faceless Murder, I found that The Dogs of Riga was even more engaging. Henning Mankell does an excellent job of setting up a dark and dreary feeling to the story.
As Wallender must
This is a well written book that will engage the reader looking for something beyond the usual .
While I enjoyed the first novel, Faceless Murder, I found that The Dogs of Riga was even more engaging. Henning Mankell does an excellent job of setting up a dark and dreary feeling to the story.
As Wallender must
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travel to Latvia in this particular book, the atmosphere was especially chilling. I found this book to have even more of a political slant to it than Mankell's first book. In took on more of the tone of a political thriller. I could not turn the pages fast enough, and look forward to the next in the series. This is a well written book that will engage the reader looking for something beyond the usual .
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LibraryThing member kerns222
Come on, Mr Mankell. Puppy dog love/infatuation with a dead cop's wife by our Wallander nearing 50. Going renegade when Swedish. To much plot effort. Just write you detective novels at home in cold wet Sweden. Do not go spy novel on us. P.S. I left you in the seatpocket of a Delta jet. Enjoy
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yourself there. You were good enuf for the trip but not one to save on my Mystery shelf. Show Less
LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom
Even though the rating I give this book comes out like average, it's still a good story. Not quite as good as the first in this series featuring Kurt Wallander (Faceless Killers -- which I thought was excellent), but still an enjoyable read. I'd definitely recommend it to people who want to follow
It's 1991 and the skipper of a boat involved in somewhat nefarious activities is back home, about 6.5 miles from where he docks his boat. It's snowing and when it stops, the skipper sees a lifeboat out in the ocean. When he and his partner check it out, they find the bodies of two men wearing suits but nothing else. Once back in port, an anonymous phone call alerts the Ystad police that a lifeboat with bodies will be washing up on shore, and sure enough, the next day, it is found. Wallander is assigned to the case; all he and the other policemen know is that the men are from the Eastern Bloc somewhere, based on the way their dental work has been done. Based on other clues, it turns out that the boat may have been from Latvia, and a police officer from Riga is sent to Sweden to look into the case. His help on the case ultimately lands Wallander in Riga, where he's not sure who he can trust in a country where everyone is suspicious of everyone and everyone is unsettled after the events of 1989. I won't give away any more of the show here.
I enjoyed the book, although it just didn't seem as tightly written as the previous entry in the series, which was my intro into the world of Scandinavian mystery novelists. It will definitely hold your interest and will keep you guessing, but there was just (imho) something missing. I love Wallander and his gloomy self, and that's still here, but this was more like a CIA type thriller wannabe in parts and while it was a bit exciting at times, it just didn't have a lot of oomph.
Overall, good; on to number 3.
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the series, and to mystery readers in general. These mystery novels are very intense and may not appeal to people who would rather read cozy mysteries (not that there's anything wrong with them). It's 1991 and the skipper of a boat involved in somewhat nefarious activities is back home, about 6.5 miles from where he docks his boat. It's snowing and when it stops, the skipper sees a lifeboat out in the ocean. When he and his partner check it out, they find the bodies of two men wearing suits but nothing else. Once back in port, an anonymous phone call alerts the Ystad police that a lifeboat with bodies will be washing up on shore, and sure enough, the next day, it is found. Wallander is assigned to the case; all he and the other policemen know is that the men are from the Eastern Bloc somewhere, based on the way their dental work has been done. Based on other clues, it turns out that the boat may have been from Latvia, and a police officer from Riga is sent to Sweden to look into the case. His help on the case ultimately lands Wallander in Riga, where he's not sure who he can trust in a country where everyone is suspicious of everyone and everyone is unsettled after the events of 1989. I won't give away any more of the show here.
I enjoyed the book, although it just didn't seem as tightly written as the previous entry in the series, which was my intro into the world of Scandinavian mystery novelists. It will definitely hold your interest and will keep you guessing, but there was just (imho) something missing. I love Wallander and his gloomy self, and that's still here, but this was more like a CIA type thriller wannabe in parts and while it was a bit exciting at times, it just didn't have a lot of oomph.
Overall, good; on to number 3.
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LibraryThing member ehines
Have to say after two books I find Mankell to be rather overrated. Pretty much your standard procedural set in Sweden & Latvia. Mankell has some ability to create mood and convey atmosphere, but it all seems too sentimental and far too permeated by Swedish liberal guilt. So the Riga we see is the
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Riga that best plays out Swedish neuroses, not the Riga that is. Far inferior to, say, the better Renko novels. Show Less
LibraryThing member msf59
A life-raft containing two well-dressed men, washes up on the Swedish shore. Both men have been tortured and murdered. They have been stripped of identification and their origins are unknown. Inspector Kurt Wallander is handed this difficult case. Wallander is a divorced loner, with a sharp,
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deductive mind. The case finally leads him to the city of Riga, across the Baltic Sea from Sweden. Latvia is a country of turmoil and dark secrets and Wallander is drawn into this perlious, shadowy world. His only ally is Baiba Liepa, the wife of a slain police officer, (lovely name, by the way) and they soon find themselves on the run, vulnerable and alone. Mankell’s prose is lean and stark with just the right amount of eloquence. This is the second book in a terrific series. If you are looking for a launching point for Scandinavian crime fiction, search no more. Show Less
LibraryThing member DRFP
Very much a product of its times and not nearly as good as the first Wallender novel (which was itself only "good").
After the rather down-to-earth "Faceless Killers" Mankell decides to throw Wallender into post Cold War conspiracies and all manner of international high jinks. Suffice to say I
So unbelievable that I couldn't enjoy it. I hope Wallender gets involved in something more low key next time around.
After the rather down-to-earth "Faceless Killers" Mankell decides to throw Wallender into post Cold War conspiracies and all manner of international high jinks. Suffice to say I
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thought all this totally unrealistic and something very out of character for the rather stoic Wallender.So unbelievable that I couldn't enjoy it. I hope Wallender gets involved in something more low key next time around.
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LibraryThing member sarah-e
I really enjoyed this. My entire Wallander exposure to this point has been through Kenneth Branagh, so the book presented the case differently and brought a new Swedish mystery experience for me. Wallander is so complex, and I appreciate that this book offered more in terms of character development
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than I expected. Characterization and atmosphere overshadow the mystery itself, but Wallander's dedication to solving the crime was moving. Show Less
LibraryThing member VictorTrevor
More of a thriller than a crime novel, and a rather unlikely plot, to boot.
LibraryThing member annbury
The second in the Wallander series, and one of the best. This one, set in 1991, takes Wallander to Riga in Latvia, just as the Soviet Union is collapsing. It is a depressing and dysfunctional mileau; Wallander can't rely on the police being "the good guys", and has to cooperate with political
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dissidents. He also finds himself attracted to one of the Latvian underground. A terrific mystery, and a very solid novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member fieldsli
The 1991 discovery in a life raft of the bodies of two men clad in expensive suits sparks an investigation in Sweden to determine whether the men were Eastern European criminals, as investigator Kurt Wallander travels to Latvia at the height of the turmoil over the breakup of the Soviet Union.
LibraryThing member cathyskye
Protagonist: Swedish Detective Kurt Wallander
Setting: Sweden and Latvia shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall
Series: #2
First Line: It started snowing shortly after 10 A.M.
The provincial Swedish detective takes on a probably fruitless task: investigating the murders of two unidentified men
totalitarian Eastern Bloc.
The first Wallander novel didn't do much for me. Perhaps it was all the Scandinavian gloom that this desert dweller found off-putting. This second installment had me glued to the page with Wallander's doggedness and the nerve-wracking grimness of life in the Soviet Bloc. Gloom or no, I'll be reading more Wallander!
Setting: Sweden and Latvia shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall
Series: #2
First Line: It started snowing shortly after 10 A.M.
The provincial Swedish detective takes on a probably fruitless task: investigating the murders of two unidentified men
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washed up on the Swedish coast in an inflatable dinghy. The only clues: their dental work suggests they're from an Eastern Bloc country; the raft is Yugoslavian. But their deaths mushroom into an international incident that takes Wallander to Riga, Latvia, and enmeshes him in an incredibly dangerous situation, battling forces far larger than the "bloodless burglaries and frauds" he typically pursues in Sweden. In Riga, Wallander must deal with widespread governmental corruption, which opens his eyes to the chilling reality of life in thetotalitarian Eastern Bloc.
The first Wallander novel didn't do much for me. Perhaps it was all the Scandinavian gloom that this desert dweller found off-putting. This second installment had me glued to the page with Wallander's doggedness and the nerve-wracking grimness of life in the Soviet Bloc. Gloom or no, I'll be reading more Wallander!
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LibraryThing member AnneliM
Inspector Wallander and his team investigate a life raft washed ashore with two dead bodies in it. A detective from Latvia is assigned to help in the case. Several hours after he returns home, he is murdered and Wallander is sent to help the Latvian police.
LibraryThing member John
I like Mankell and this is another of his Kurt Wallander mysteries. A life raft washes up Swedish shores with two murdered men in it. This sets off a series of events and connections with a police officer from Latvia who is murdered immediately upon his return to Riga and this, in turn, involves
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Wallander in Riga investigations that turn up corruption and conspiracy beyond his wildest dreams. I like Mankell’s sparse style, but this plot was a little too contrived, too many highly improbable coincidences and strained circumstances. Show Less
LibraryThing member FicusFan
Book 2 in the Swedish mystery series based on police officer Kurt Wallander . This story takes place about a year after the first book, and is set in 1991. The story is set in Sweden and in Latvia.
The Soviet Union is still around, but weakened, and the Eastern block are no longer prisoners. They
The book opens with 2 men found dead in a life raft out at sea. They are found by Swedish smugglers, so they can't call the police. The life raft has no markings, and the sailors feel they can't leave the men to the sea. They tow them near the shore and let them go to drift onto the beach. It is winter and a woman walking her dog finds them. They are near Ystad and Kurt is called in.
Eventually they decide the men are Latvian, and a policeman from Latvia is called in. He comes, and is very dour and says little. He is a Major in the police. He takes the dead men back to Latvia and Sweden feels it is out of it. The story is very good up to this point, then it goes a bit wacky.
Kurt is called to Latvia because the Major was murdered as soon as he returned to Latvia. They want Kurt's input about the case.
What follows is a low-rent cold war spy thriller type of story. What Kurt is doing there, or can do for the power structure or the freedom fighters is never really explained. There is a lot of sneaking around, there is a massacre, and Kurt thinks he has fallen in love with the Major's widow, soon after he meets her. It has a sad low key ending and just seems to be a waste of a good setting (Swedish Smugglers).
The writing is good, the translator did a good job, and I hope the next book is less wacky.
The Soviet Union is still around, but weakened, and the Eastern block are no longer prisoners. They
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are not sure how far they can go without provoking a terrible response from the SU. They also have people inside the country who still follow the old hardline, and others who want western freedoms. The book opens with 2 men found dead in a life raft out at sea. They are found by Swedish smugglers, so they can't call the police. The life raft has no markings, and the sailors feel they can't leave the men to the sea. They tow them near the shore and let them go to drift onto the beach. It is winter and a woman walking her dog finds them. They are near Ystad and Kurt is called in.
Eventually they decide the men are Latvian, and a policeman from Latvia is called in. He comes, and is very dour and says little. He is a Major in the police. He takes the dead men back to Latvia and Sweden feels it is out of it. The story is very good up to this point, then it goes a bit wacky.
Kurt is called to Latvia because the Major was murdered as soon as he returned to Latvia. They want Kurt's input about the case.
What follows is a low-rent cold war spy thriller type of story. What Kurt is doing there, or can do for the power structure or the freedom fighters is never really explained. There is a lot of sneaking around, there is a massacre, and Kurt thinks he has fallen in love with the Major's widow, soon after he meets her. It has a sad low key ending and just seems to be a waste of a good setting (Swedish Smugglers).
The writing is good, the translator did a good job, and I hope the next book is less wacky.
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LibraryThing member cdeuker
Much better than your typical mystery. Kurt Wallender follows the mysterious murder of two men--discoverd washed up on the beach in a lifeboat--all the way to Riga in Latvia. Here he discovers the dysfunctional nature of the post-Soviet state. Corruption everywhere; incompetence everywhere;
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flickers of hope here and there. Mankell is definitely a notch above most mystery writers. Two notches. Show Less
LibraryThing member rodrichards
I liked this even better than the first Wallander mystery (Faceless Killers). Mankell combines world politics, existential meanderings, family dysfunction, evocative descriptions, and ill-fated romance into a gripping mystery and a solid novel...I'll read more.
LibraryThing member rodrichards
I liked this even better than the first Wallander mystery (Faceless Killers). Mankell combines world politics, existential meanderings, family dysfunction, evocative descriptions, and ill-fated romance into a gripping mystery and a solid novel...I'll read more.
LibraryThing member kaulsu
I found this book very slow reading and I am sure it was because it was so "dark." There seemed no light at the end of the political nightmare that was Latvia before the fall of the Soviet Union. Worse yet, the end of the novel did not satisfy me that Mankell had gotten it right and I was left
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prepared for the nightmare to continue. I will read one more of Mankell's books before I jettison him as an author to read. Show Less
LibraryThing member saroz
"The second mystery in the Kurt Wallander series improves upon the first in almost every way. This time, the mystery - or rather, the *true* mystery, after the initial scenario proves something of a red herring - is actually tense and fairly gripping. Never mind that the narrative device which
And as such, the novel works great. Wallander is a paunchy, depressive, overwhelmed man stuck (to all intents and purposes) in an Eastern European thriller film, complete with political intrigue and a widowed damsel in distress. The hoops he has to jump through to get to the bottom of it all form the real excitement of the story. The climax, when it comes, feels a little bit pat, and it's never entirely explained *why* Wallander falls in love with the Latvian widow to begin with (unless he's simply desperate), but it's still a large step up from the slow-slow-quick-quick pacing we saw in ""Faceless Killers."" I'm certainly looking forward to starting the third installment in the series very soon. "
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sends Wallander to Latvia doesn't really hold up to scrutiny; the entire exercise of the novel is to show the central character, already familiar to us from the first book, as a fish out of water in both a location and judicial system he finds completely foreign.And as such, the novel works great. Wallander is a paunchy, depressive, overwhelmed man stuck (to all intents and purposes) in an Eastern European thriller film, complete with political intrigue and a widowed damsel in distress. The hoops he has to jump through to get to the bottom of it all form the real excitement of the story. The climax, when it comes, feels a little bit pat, and it's never entirely explained *why* Wallander falls in love with the Latvian widow to begin with (unless he's simply desperate), but it's still a large step up from the slow-slow-quick-quick pacing we saw in ""Faceless Killers."" I'm certainly looking forward to starting the third installment in the series very soon. "
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LibraryThing member wbwilburn5
I like his books. I like the way he writes about that sense of impending doom we all have when we look around and see what we have become. But in saying that, this book felt like a spotty book. I did not feel as if I was walking with Wallender, felt rather uninvolved.
LibraryThing member jimrbrown
I have previously read Faceless Killers and enjoyed it immensely. I also enjoyed the TV series, both the English one with Kenneth Branagh, and the Swedish version. This second book in the Wallander series is not a traditional detective story as Wallander gets caught up in the 1991 Latvian
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revolution and corruption in high places. It left me a bit cold and I'm afraid bored at times in the second half of the book. I will continue to read Mankell's books but for me he has slipped below fellow Scandinavian/Nordic writers Nesser and Indridason with this book. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
LA Times Book Prize (Finalist — Mystery/Thriller — 2003)
Trophée 813 (2003)
Language
Original language
Swedish
Original publication date
1992
ISBN
1860469590 / 9781860469596
Other editions
The dogs of Riga by Henning Mankell (Paper Book)