• The Return of the Dancing Master

  • By: Henning Mankell
  • Narrated by: Grover Gardner
  • Length: 13 hrs and 38 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (1,200 ratings)

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The Return of the Dancing Master  By  cover art

The Return of the Dancing Master

By: Henning Mankell
Narrated by: Grover Gardner
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Publisher's summary

When retired policeman Herbert Molin is found brutally slaughtered on his remote farm in the northern forests of Sweden, police find strange tracks in the snow, as if someone had been practicing the tango. Stefan Lindman, a young police officer recently diagnosed with mouth cancer, decides to investigate the murder of his former colleague, but is soon enmeshed in a mystifying case with no witnesses and no apparent motives. Terrified of the disease that could take his life, Lindman becomes more and more reckless as he unearths the chilling links between Molin's death and an underground neo-Nazi network that runs further and deeper than he could ever have imagined.
©2003 Laurie Thompson (P)2000 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

What listeners say about The Return of the Dancing Master

Average customer ratings
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  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Bad job of translation!

The person who translated this Mankell novel did him no favors. Poor word choices and an obsessive dedication to word-for-word translation rendered the dialogue wooden and the narrative ponderous. Certainly a good translator will capture the culture differences reflected in the original language and recreate the Swedish forthrightness, introspection, and coolness, but this translation left the reader nothing to work with and flattened an otherwise entertaining read.

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18 people found this helpful

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

Excellent story

This was an excellent story from start to finish. It was not just a mystery but it was a thought-provoking reflection of humanity.

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

Engrossing mystery with lots of twists and turns.

Atmospheric Swedish mystery. Great plot and characters. Keeps you guessing. Didn't want it to end.

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

Different to my usual choice but worth it

A great story. Will definitely look out for this author in future. Not my usual choice but, as it was included in my membership, I thought to give it a try. Well worth it. A new favourite author. Narrator excellent.

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

A story and a warning

Mankell creates characters that are humans, warts and all. And this is a very prescient story.

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

The best of Mankell

I have spent a lot of time with Henning Mankell and his characters and I think this is his best story. I have listened to this book a number of times and will again. If you enjoy Swedish stories, sit back and get ready for a complex piece of work..

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3 people found this helpful

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

Good story, wimpy main character

Writer needs to stick with Kurt. Impossible for me to sort thru new characters.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

How did he predict the US. Today!

I not only get lost in stories and characters, but wisdom, history and terrifying future

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

Superb character development

Wow! I couldn't believe how involved I got in the lives and stories of the main characters .. I really felt invested in the book and was not disappointed! This is an author I'll definitely read again!!!

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

Great story lacking a good narrator.

As always, Henning Mankell delivers a compelling story with flawed protagonists and twisted villains. The problem I had was with the narrator, Grover Gardner. While he has the kind of voice that you can hear and understand, he lacks sufficient skill in presenting different voices. There were conversations going on where I could not determine who was speaking because it all sounded the same. So while I would recommend Mr. Gardner for non fiction, I could not do so for anything where one has to follow conversations.

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