Sidetracked

A Kurt Wallander Mystery

By: Henning Mankell

Narrated by: Dick Hill

Length: 14 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Detective 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 obstacles: a department distracted by the threat of cutbacks and the frivolity of World Cup soccer, a tenuous relationship with a widow, and an unshakably haunting preoccupation with the girl who set herself on fire.

Fascinating and astute, Sidetracked is a compelling mystery enhanced by keen social awareness.

More mayhem? Listen to all of our Kurt Wallander mysteries.

©1999 by Steven T. Murray; 1995 by Henning Mankell (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"Connoisseurs of the police procedural will tear into this installment like the seven-course banquet it is." ( Kirkus Reviews)
"Full of emotion yet cleanly written, apparently straightforward yet fraught with intriguing revelations, Mankell's latest mystery is strongly recommended." ( Library Journal)
"Mankell's meticulously detailed descriptions of the inspector's investigation, and his often lyrical portrayal of Wallander's struggle to rearrange his thought processes in order to catch the criminal, are masterful." ( Publishers Weekly)

Excelent story!

A magnificently told story with the mastery of Mankell's skills. The performance is quite good as well.

The Wallander series continues to get better...

Any additional comments?

...and better. The interpersonal plot-line really takes center stage here as the detective tries to juggle his personal life with his work. As the murder plot thickens his personal life begins to lose the game. Great mystery with a few nice tricks to throw you off the scent. Mankell has yet to disappoint, great book.

Wonderful

Among the very best of the consistently strong and compelling Wallander books. Mankell was a very special writer.

I can see Mankell influence on Stieg Larsson

I can finally see why Stieg Larsson says he was influenced by Mankell. This one is dark, violent and sad. Det. Wallender is vaguely pursuing the suicide of a 17-year-old girl who set herself on fire when another case takes precedence involving a serial killer who scalps victims. An anger at social inequality permeates the book. Bechdel test: Barely passed. Grade: A-

Excellent narration by Dick Hill. I’m so glad he narrates the Wallender books. He captures well the angst of the characters.

A really great story!

If you could sum up Sidetracked in three words, what would they be?

Awesome mystery thriller.

What did you like best about this story?

All the unknowns. The mystery really hangs around and you don't know what's happening until the end.

What about Dick Hill’s performance did you like?

The wonderful pronunciations.

Dick Hill is Slow

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Yes. Get a different narrator.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Wallander. He is a complex, clever, and troubled man who is dogged in his pursuit of a solution.

Did Dick Hill do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Yes, he did. But he reads so slowly. I'm now listening to one of his other "reads", The Devil's Punchbowl, by Greg Isles. I put it on 2x speed and it's wonderful. He's much better at 2x. His characterizations are excellent at this speed. At 1x I kept saying, "Come on, come on!" Now it's perfect.

Could you see Sidetracked being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Wallander on Masterpiece Mystery. 'Nough said.

Any additional comments?

I'll be listening to Dick Hill at 2x from now on. More Wallander for me.

Disturbing and gripping tale, excellent narration

Dick Hill is an amazing narrator for this series, he really draws the listener in.

My first Henning Mankell novel

My impressions are mixed. It is a good story which is well told. While listening I was tempted several times to quit due to boredom. The plot simply moves too slowly. The issue was not the narration although Dick Hill was clearly not at his best. There is too much navel gazing by the author, too many words. I am torn between 3 stars and 4 stars. The last 90 minutes of the audiobook when the pace quickened caused me to rate the novel 4 stars. The finish is strong.

Gave It Four Stars BUT...

I'll not get another Kurt Wallander mystery… for a while, anyway. Everything about this book is competent. So competent that Henning Manekell and Dick Hill bring Wallander alive. And I don't like him much. As usual with northern Europe mysteries, there's a darkness poured over everything that's deeper and longer than a Swedish winter night. It seems to be a rule for these authors. That's not the problem. The thing is that making Wallander so human, he becomes a boring kind of human who I'd not even want to chat up at a cocktail party. I picture his skin, conversations, and feelings all in chilly shades of grey-blue. The story isn't boring, it's lead character though…

I gave the book four stars.. yet can't recommend it.

One of his better ones

This is one of the first in the series and I liked it much better than the later ones. This one was much more up beat and you didn't feel like he had to drag himself where ever he needed to go.