The Man from Beijing

By: Henning Mankell, Laurie Thompson - translator

Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor

Length: 15 hrs and 25 mins

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

No Stieg Larson

This was a very disappointing book. I was hoping that Mankell would be another Stieg Larson and that this book would be like The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo. No luck. This book dragged and dragged and dragged. It started out well but after the initial opening, the writing was too focused on meaningless action that did not move the plot forward. 30% of the action could have been eliminated. Plus, the plot was ridiculous at times. When would a detective not be interested in many of the clues that were found by the protagonist. The most interesting part of the book was the discussion about the political status of China.

Horrible

Slow..... tedious ....and nothing new. A crazy guy wants to take over the world. Don't waste your credits or time. Deserves less than 1 star but that is the minimum allowed.

dull and repetitive

My least favorite of Henning Mankell. Unbelievable story. Characters are cartoon like, No suspense. Very disappointing

Ho Hum

.I kept waiting for it to get better. Just when there should have been a climatic crescendo nothing more than a ho hum yawn occurred. The story premise is intriguing but never really got my attention. I'm looking forward to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Good beginning, but tapers down to mush...

It's as if the author had a great idea for a story beginning, then couldn't figure out how to continue. The African conspiracy is absurd, the police and prosecutor dismissing the evidence the judge brings to their attention defies credulity, the ancient Chinese sayings are weak, and the nostalgia for Chairman Mao gets real old. Was my first Mankell read, and didn't encourage me to read any more.

Interesting

Fast moving and complex.

His worst effort

Avoid this and read something else by Mankell. This book is a loose collection of stories that meanders and bores. Save your time and money read something else.

Boring, poorly told, and poorly read story

Would you try another book from Henning Mankell and/or Rosalyn Landor?

No

What do you think your next listen will be?

A non-fiction book, because I like to mix it up

How could the performance have been better?

The woman felt the need to impersonate men's voices, which sounded terrible

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Anger at having paid for the book, but more so anger that I waited for some great twist or surprise and was let down the whole way

Any additional comments?

The cover flap of this book pretty much tells the whole story - hope you weren't expecting any sort of suspense or mystery! Even if you don't read the cover, the book has a very predictable plot. While the characters don't know what is going on, the reader does. This makes for a terribly boring, contrived plot, as you simply wait for things to unfold. I thought the storytelling was poor, the reading poor, and the story itself was totally uninteresting.

(For reference, I read this at the recommendation of a friend)

The Man from Beijing

I am not enjoying this book at all. I am having to make myself listen.

I have liked the other five books of his I have listened to so far.

disappointing

I have really liked all of Henning Mankell's other books. But this one was disappointing: long and meandering parts and the main characters were distant and hard to like. No where near as good as his Kurt Wallander series. I would recommend skipping this one if you are a Henning Mankell fan.