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The Man from Beijing  By  cover art

The Man from Beijing

By: Henning Mankell, Laurie Thompson - translator
Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
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Publisher's summary

The acclaimed author of the Kurt Wallander mysteries, writing at the height of his powers, now gives us an electrifying stand-alone global thriller.

January 2006. In the Swedish hamlet of Hesjvallen, nineteen people have been massacred. The only clue is a red ribbon found at the scene.

Judge Birgitta Roslin has particular reason to be shocked: Her grandparents, the Andrns, are among the victims, and Birgitta soon learns that an Andrn family in Nevada has also been murdered. She then discovers the 19th-century diary of an Andrn ancestora gang master on the American transcontinental railwaythat describes brutal treatment of Chinese slave workers. The police insist that only a lunatic could have committed the Hesjvallen murders, but Birgitta is determined to uncover what she now suspects is a more complicated truth.

The investigation leads to the highest echelons of power in present-day Beijing, and to Zimbabwe and Mozambique. But the narrative also takes us back 150 years into the depths of the slave trade between China and the United Statesa history that will ensnare Birgitta as she draws ever closer to solving the Hesjvallen murders.

©2010 Henning Mankell (P)2010 Random House

What listeners say about The Man from Beijing

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    275
  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
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Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
    48
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Story
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  • 3 Stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

A great mystery

As always Mr. Mankell writes the best mysteries. I did not go with my usual five stars as I did not care for Ms Landor narration.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    out of 5 stars

Interesting

Fast moving and complex.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Worth a Read or Listen

Okay -- it does slow down in parts and it does tend to the pedantic. However, I will definitely read or listen to this author again. I learned a lot and though the mystery isn't that much of a mystery, how it is unraveled is worth the read. Give it a go!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating, exciting, intriging

Very exciting, so many different lives that all come together at the end. Enjoyable.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

nice book

I just couldn't stop listening; hhe plot is good although it slows down at some point. The narrator is ok.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Win some lose some

I too found this a gripping listen as well as a welcome change of direction from Mankell. The narration for me though spoiled it. Rosalyn Landor has the voice of a icily rigid school mistress & her reading diminished the impact of this audio book for me - altogether too much elocution & not enough emotion.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    out of 5 stars

more than boring

more than boring

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting & deliberate

An interesting listen. Fine narration. Story unfolds slowly. Patience is required to enjoy. Clever use of history and backstory.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Travel time and distance

I enjoyed the very long journey and adventure used throughout this murder mystery. Well researched by the author. While every detail is not tied up nicely with a bow, we are provided with a satisfactory ending.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent female characters

I love how the female character is always the most predominant, in each couple described the companion was left as an unaccomplished, unfulfilled being, whilst the women were (for lack of a better phrase) kicking ass, that was a refreshing read when you’re accustomed to always have a predominant male ruling the storyline.

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