My third Kurt Wallander mystery is set in Ystad, a town in Sweden, not far from Oslo. Wallander is recovering from his previous novel, where he actually kills a man. As a result, he's on leave, distraught, walking beaches, trying to decide what to do with his life, whether to give up police work. The son of a friend finds him on a beach and wants Wallander to help him, as he fears his father, a lawyer friend of Wallander's has been murdered. Wallander hesitates until a few days later when he finds that the son had also been murdered. This thrusts Wallander back into the thick of things, as he feels guilty for not having listened to the son. He's welcomed back, and the search for the killer takes time, eventually leading to a rich and reclusive Swedish industrialist, Dr. Harderberg, living in Farnholm Castle, just outside of Ystaad. He's one of Sweden's most respected rich, giving lavishly to charities, so Wallander has to fight the higher ups who fear upsetting this great man. Of course, Kurt, as he gets closer, has only distain for the man, even more so because he's convinced that he's a killer. In the process, Wallander's car gets blown up by a bomb, an older lady, the lawyer's secretary narrowly escapes a mine planted in her garden. As things unwind, Kurt finds that the two murdered lawyers, and a friend, also murdered though it's made to look like a suicide. have discovered that the industrialist has basically set up ponsi schemes and because of this, he must murder them. He's also involved in secret organ transplants, often taking place in third world countries where the poor will sacrifice an organ, even kill, for a few thousand dollars. My only beef is the end. As usual, Wallander goes off alone, without a weapon, to confront the industrialist and his two lethal body guards, is captured, but at the last minute, he somehow disarms both guards, shoots them, and thwarts the industrialists plan to flee the country via his private jet. And he does this all by himself without a gun, without telling anyone what he was doing though he could have easily called for help. He reminds me of a Jason Bourne or Jack Reacher though he lacks their macho. The story itself, the characters, the psychological underpinnings, however, make the novel fun to read. Mankell has also added a new detective, this time a women, versed in the new ways of policing, challenging the old boys net work. Her name is Ann-Britt Hoglund, and Wallander befriends her, becoming her mentor, as we was once taught.
No comments:
Post a Comment