Faceless Killers

A Kurt Wallander Mystery

By: Henning Mankell, Steven T. Murray - translator

Narrated by: Dick Hill

Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

First in the Kurt Wallander mystery series.

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, were foreign. If publicized, they could be the match that would inflame Sweden's already smoldering anti-immigrant sentiments.

With this case - unlike the situation with his ex-wife, his estranged daughter, or the young prosecutor who has piqued his interest - Wallander feels he has 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.

©1991 Henning Mankell, English translation 1997 Steven T. Murray (P)2006 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"An exquisite novel of mesmerizing depth and suspense." (Los Angeles Times)
"Mankell's work mixes compelling procedural details with strong social consciousness....A superior novel and a harbinger of great things to come." (Booklist)
"[A] brilliant U.S. debut....The author goes well beyond the narrow police procedural in creating a full-bodied Wallender and in casting light on the refugee problem in contemporary Swedish society." (Library Journal)

Crisp, Cold, Cruel

Like other Scandinavian detective thrillers. This is spare but effective and convoluted but understandable. Really between Mankell and Nesbo I'm never going to be able to sleep peacefully again. Job well done.

Riveting story

Dick Hill's performance was top notch. Henning Mankell crafted an intriguing story. The clues came throughout and the climax of the tale came at the end. Well done!

Faceless Killers does not disappoint!

I would listen to ANYTHING read by Dick Hill, as I feel sure that he is most selective in his choices of books. I had not read anything by Henning Mankell until the Pyramid and four other short stories. I am hooked!!! I plan to read them all.

Predictability

Seems like you’ve read it before. Predictable. Situations and stories. Couldn’t get into it although I struggle thru.5

In a changing world, detective work is still value

Kurt struggles with his personal relationships are in turmoil. but his detective skills are still in their prime.

Something About Swedish Fiction

Maybe it is the long winters, but there is nothing "uplifting" about any of the Swedish authors I have listened to. However, what they all have in common is a brutal reality. There are no super heros or fancy CSI solutions. Crime is solved by grinding it out and a little luck. In other words, it is real.

If you aare looking for fast paced drama or on-the-edge-of-your seat suspense, you are not going to like the Henning Mankell series offered at audible. However, if you like great character development and first rate writing, give them a try. The understated reading by Dick Hill is also perfect for the characters.

A Chill Winter Mystery

Have you ever watched an episode of “Law and Order - Special Victims Unit” and thought, just for once, it would be at least amusing to have some random call come in totally unrelated to the case? Maybe Detective Elliott Stabler could pick up the phone, and you would hear him say, “I don’t care if you were in the living room first, let your sister sit on the couch, and you better have your homework done when I get home!“ I would love to see a close up of Detective Olivia Benson trying desperately to think of an excuse to get out of hosting a Pampered Chef party for a cousin she only sees once a year.

It never happens, of course - every conversation, every call, and every camera angle somehow leads seamlessly into solving a perplexing mystery, often halfway through the show. The character actor with the most lines is usually the perpetrator. And if Det. Benson has a cousin, I don’t know about it.

“Faceless Killers: A Kurt Wallender Mystery” is the opposite in story telling. Wallender and his fellow detectives spend hundreds of hours following up on promising leads that prove suspects completely innocent. Wallender’s sister comes to visit him for a new days, and he doesn’t talk to her about the case. She doesn’t inadvertently mention some bit of history that turns Wallender in the right direction. Cringe-worthy social situations happen. Wallender gets knocked around a bit, and he’s clumsy enough to almost kill himself on a stakeout. Wallender’s also pretty depressed, but he does have good reason to be.

This book seems more true to what a real detective’s job is like. It’s not a typical American mystery novel, but that’s a good thing. I enjoyed Henning Mankell’s book

The narration was annoying,. Dick Hill’s pronunciation of Swedish words was fine, but I grew up with a lot of Swedish people,. If Hill was trying to narrate in English with a Swedish accent, he missed it by about 3400 miles and hit New York City instead.

Kurt Wallender - I like you...

I really enjoyed this story. It was relatable and didn't seem far fetched. The main character Kurt has some depth and although some of his behaviour is questionable (when it comes to the ladies), it doesn't come out of nowhere - he has reasons for his actions that are also relatable.
I will give the next in this series a try for sure.
Thx Audible!

Very average

Was recommended by Audible after reading Stieg Larsson as part of a ‘other Scandinavian authors you might like’. Didn’t enjoy this or “Yours Until Death” - both slow with dreary characters.

The Estate is now part of the World-System

A good crime story is one which starting from the crime the reader can have a view from the totality of the society. That is to say that the crime is representative of the historical problems facing the society in which it has taken place.
This first novel in the Wallander story surely does that. It neither offers moralistic nor utopic solutions, just the problems that men is faced in today's world, through the experience of a small Sweden town cop.