Synopses & Reviews
Fourth in the Kurt Wallander series.
In the award-winning Sidetracked, Kurt Wallander is called to a nearby rapeseed field where a teenage girl has been loitering all day long. He arrives just in time to watch her douse herself in gasoline and set herself aflame. The next day he is called to a beach where Swedens former Minister of Justice has been axed to death and scalped. The murder has the obvious markings of a demented serial killer, and Wallander is frantic to find him before he strikes again. But his investigation is beset with a handful of obstacles—a department distracted by the threat of impending cutbacks and the frivolity of World Cup soccer, a tenuous long-distance relationship with a murdered policemans widow, and the unshakably haunting preoccupation with the young girl who set herself on fire. Fascinating and astute, Sidetracked is a compelling mystery enhanced by keen social awareness.
Review
"Presents Mankell at his best — if you haven't bought Sidetracked, do so ASAP". Los Angeles Times Book Review
Review
"Connoisseurs of the police procedural will tear into this installment like the seven-course banquet it is." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"[A]bove all, the novel stands out for its nuanced evocation of even the peripheral characters. Winner of Sweden's 1997 Best Crime Novel of the Year, this is another terrific offering from the talented Mankell." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Full of emotion yet cleanly written, apparently straightforward yet fraught with intriguing revelations, Mankell's latest mystery is strongly recommended." Library Journal
Review
"It is Wallander's anguished voice. . . that captures us....Mankell's philosophical hero vows to make it up to the coming generation while he still can." The New York Times Book Review
Review
"Mankell effectively contrasts Wallander's crisp attention to procedural detail with the all-pervading sense of melancholy that enshrouds his inner life. There is a sameness of tone to the Wallander novels that becomes a bit oppressive eventually, but they remain a quintessential example of the hard-boiled European procedural." Booklist
Review
"Full of emotion yet cleanly written, apparently straightforward yet fraught with intriguing revelations, Mankell's latest mystery is strongly recommended." Library Journal
Review
"Mankell's style [is] expansive, his details sharply observed...Wallander is as solid and credible as ever. Sidetracked presents Mankell at his best. If you haven't bought Sidetracked, do so ASAP." Los Angeles Times Book Review
Synopsis
From the dean of Scandinavian noir, the fourth riveting installment in the internationally bestselling and universally acclaimed Kurt Wallander series, the basis for the PBS series staring Kenneth Branagh.
In the award-winning Sidetracked, Kurt Wallander is called to a nearby rapeseed field where a teenage girl has been loitering all day long. He arrives just in time to watch her douse herself in gasoline and set herself aflame. The next day he is called to a beach where Sweden's former Minister of Justice has been axed to death and scalped. The murder has the obvious markings of a demented serial killer, and Wallander is frantic to find him before he strikes again. But his investigation is beset with a handful of obstacles--a department distracted by the threat of impending cutbacks and the frivolity of World Cup soccer, a tenuous long-distance relationship with a murdered policeman's widow, and the unshakably haunting preoccupation with the young girl who set herself on fire. Fascinating and astute, Sidetracked is a compelling mystery enhanced by keen social awareness.
Synopsis
From the dean of Scandinavian noir, the fifth riveting installment in the internationally bestselling and universally acclaimed mystery thriller series that inspired the Netflix crime drama Young Wallander
In the award-winning Sidetracked, Kurt Wallander is called to a nearby rapeseed field where a teenage girl has been loitering all day long. He arrives just in time to watch her douse herself in gasoline and set herself aflame. The next day he is called to a beach where Sweden's former Minister of Justice has been axed to death and scalped. The murder has the obvious markings of a demented serial killer, and Wallander is frantic to find him before he strikes again. But his investigation is beset with a handful of obstacles--a department distracted by the threat of impending cutbacks and the frivolity of World Cup soccer, a tenuous long-distance relationship with a murdered policeman's widow, and the unshakably haunting preoccupation with the young girl who set herself on fire. Fascinating and astute, Sidetracked is a compelling mystery enhanced by keen social awareness.
About the Author
Internationally acclaimed author Henning Mankell has written nine Kurt Wallander mysteries. The books have topped the bestseller lists in Europe, receiving a number of major literary prizes and generating numerous international film and television adaptations. He lives in Mozambique.