Lyn's Reviews > Faceless Killers

Dark, brooding and earthy – like a good Swedish crime mystery should be.

Writer Henning Mankell first published Faceless Killers in 1991 and an English edition, translated by Steven T. Murray, was published in 1997. Besides being a good book, this is notable as Mankell’s introduction of his famous detective Kurt Wallander.

Set in the small city of Ystad, in the southern most tip of Sweden, and farther removed from larger cities like Malmo or Stockholm, Mankell has given this mystery a sort of small town charm, distinguished from the tense and energetic crime novels in urban settings. No ulcer ridden, overworked police chief barking orders here, or lengthy descriptions of cityscapes; the author has created an ominous, heady atmosphere of fear and simmering outrage after a murder of an elderly couple in a bucolic farming village.

In Wallander, Mankell has crafted a complicated and darkly charismatic protagonist. With his drinking, poor eating habits, surly manner and clumsy way with close relationships he is almost an anti-hero.

Well told and with a close eye for detail, Faceless Killers also deals with such issues as racism, national identity, immigration policy and individual rights. Known for his social activism, Mankell uses the crime novel as a vehicle to reveal and discuss inequalities and societal problems.

Good book.