Jan 10, 2013

Top 5 best books by Henning Mankell

Henning Mankell is a very popular Swedish writer known around the world. His books have been translated into over 40 languages. On my blog I will only concentrate on his novels where Kurt Wallander is the main character although Mankell is not only a crime novels author.

Kurt Wallander is a fictional police inspector living and working in Ystad. This character has brought Mankell his fame and made ​​him one of the best-selling writers in the world. This is another example that a interesting, memorable character is already a half of success in writting a bestseller novel :).

I like to read the Mankell's books, because they always have a well-constructed plot, carefully and curiously described. Sometimes the pace of the action is pretty slow, but after reading a few thrillers in a row, where the action is practically on every page, this is a nice change.

Therefore, I recommend to read Mankell's novels were we can expect long conversations, descriptions of tedious witnesses' questioning and Kurt checking all leads, because the story always illustrates what changes are taking place in modern Swedish society as the whole world changes, what problems people are facing nowadays etc.

So if you are looking for a good crime story, with a intresting and
troubled policeman in the lead role, the novels of Kurt Wallander will be perfect for you!

Since Kurt as the main character appeared in only nine novels, I decided to choose five titles that I think are absolutely worth reading.

So below is a list of books which in my opinion are the best novels written by Henning Mankell with Kurt Wallander.

1. Faceless Killers (see description)
2. One Step Behind (see description)
3. Sidetracked (see description)
4. The Pyramid - short stories about Wallanders' early years in the police (see description)
5. The Fifth Woman (see description)

Of course, when you read those books, get the rest :).

1 comment:

  1. i'm an english instructor in florida, specializing in teaching international baccalaureate (IB) students. to make a long story short, IB's new "prescribed reading list" is prompting me to make changes to my curriculum, and i would like to use a henning mankell novel. can you suggest the best kurt wallander book for 12th-graders (ages 16-18)? my research so far suggests "faceless killers" or "sidetracked," but i'd appreciate your learned opinion.
    i can be reached at kenneth.swart@palmbeachschools.org
    thanks for your help!

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