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

Nice but a bit long and slow

Bought this book because of the famous Swedish series about the "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". This is also a Swedish mystery but that is where the comparisons end. Its a nice story but is a slow moving mystery that is a bit longer than it needs to be. The reader is awesome.

nice book

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

Well read

I loved the narrator, Rosalyn Landor- she kept me very focus and interested. The book starts out very well and it's very informative about historical information about the Chinese influence in the USA. I am glad that I purchased this book, but it's not on the top of my favorite audiobooks. HOwever if you enjoy a good mystery, I would say that you will not be disappointed.

Fascinating, exciting, intriging

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

The Man From Beiging

I rarely rate a book with 5 stars. This one is an exception. A history novel of USA, Sweden, and China to the present. Just proves again that greed,man's inhumanity to man,politics,family, and the law make a great novel.

The Man From Beijing is a keeper

I have listened to all of Henning Mankell's novels and enjoyed every one of them. Kurt Wallander is one of my favorite sleuths. With this novel from 2006, however, he has outdone himself. Departing from his normal formula, The Man From Beijing takes us back to the 1860's in Nevada and to today's (2006) China. What a wonderful listen this book was. The characters, as always, are fully developed and seem real to me. The journey Mankell takes us on is interesting and informative and very suspenseful. I loved it.

Not his best

Despite the detailed history of the families involved in this story, there were still big chunks missing that made it difficult to follow the story or care about the people. It could all be pieced together in the end, but characters frequently did things that made NO sense at all. The deep understanding of the people involved and the way the community shapes their lives comes out in the other books, and I just got none of that in this one.

I love Mankell's earlier books, but this is missing much of the charm.

How marxism makes a best seller

Ok, I didn't like the reader too much, I always have to laugh when a woman tries to lower her voice to sound like a man.

I recognized the marxist way of thinking, which made me smile and also a bit nostalgic. This used to be fashionable all over Europe in the 70's!
Part of that fashion was taking longevity for thoroughness and wisdom. Funny it's a best seller in the States now, as you can't get less American than this book. It is a treat though, next to all the books about the President's Best Friends Killing Terrorists.

Not as good as the Wallander series.

Mankell's female heroine

So Mankell can write stories other than Wallender. It is a good read with a wonderful female heroine. The plot at times is a little far-fetched and one must allow the suspension of disbelief but overall a worthwhile hearing.

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.