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Kurt Wallander #7

螆谓伪 尾萎渭伪 蟺委蟽蠅

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危蟿伪 渭苇蟽伪 蟿慰蠀 魏伪位慰魏伪喂蟻喂慰蠉, 蟿蟻蔚喂蟼 谓蔚伪蟻苇蟼 魏慰蟺苇位蔚蟼 谓蟿蠀渭苇谓蔚蟼 渭蔚 蟻慰蠉蠂伪 蔚蟺慰蠂萎蟼 尾蟻委蟽魏慰谓蟿伪喂 未慰位慰蠁慰谓畏渭苇谓蔚蟼 蟽' 苇谓伪 伪蟺慰渭慰谓蠅渭苇谓慰 位喂尾维未喂 蟽蟿畏 蟽慰蠀畏未喂魏萎 蔚蟺伪蟻蠂委伪 危魏蠈谓蔚. 螌蟿伪谓 未慰位慰蠁慰谓蔚委蟿伪喂 魏伪喂 苇谓伪蟼 伪蟺蠈 蟿慰蠀蟼 蟺喂慰 蟽蟿蔚谓慰蠉蟼 魏伪喂 苇渭蟺喂蟽蟿慰蠀蟼 蟽蠀谓蔚蟻纬维蟿蔚蟼 蟿慰蠀 蔚蟺喂胃蔚蠅蟻畏蟿萎 螝慰蠀蟻蟿 螔伪位维谓蟿蔚蟻 蟺维谓蠅 蟽蟿慰谓 慰蟺慰委慰 蟽蟿畏蟻喂味蠈蟿伪谓 纬喂伪 谓伪 位蠉蟽蔚喂 蟿慰 苇纬魏位畏渭伪, 慰 螔伪位维谓蟿蔚蟻 蠀蟺慰蠄喂维味蔚蟿伪喂 蠈蟿喂 慰喂 未蠉慰 蠁蠈谓慰喂 蟽蠀谓未苇慰谓蟿伪喂 渭蔚 魏维蟺慰喂慰 蟿蟻蠈蟺慰. 螒位位维 未蔚谓 尉苇蟻蔚喂 伪蟺蠈 蟺慰蠉 谓伪 伪蟻蠂委蟽蔚喂 谓伪 尉蔚蟿蠀位委纬蔚喂 蟿慰 魏慰蠀尾维蟻喂, 伪蠁慰蠉 蟿慰 渭蠈谓慰 蟽蟿慰喂蠂蔚委慰 蟺慰蠀 苇蠂蔚喂 蟽蟿伪 蠂苇蟻喂伪 蟿慰蠀 蔚委谓伪喂 畏 蠁蠅蟿慰纬蟻伪蠁委伪 渭喂伪蟼 纬蠀谓伪委魏伪蟼 蟿畏谓 慰蟺慰委伪 魏伪谓蔚委蟼 未蔚 蠁伪委谓蔚蟿伪喂 谓伪 纬谓蠅蟻委味蔚喂 蟽蟿畏 危慰蠀畏未委伪. 螤伪位蔚蠉慰谓蟿伪蟼 谓伪 尉蔚蟺蔚蟻维蟽蔚喂 蟿慰 胃维谓伪蟿慰 蟿慰蠀 蟺伪蟿苇蟻伪 蟿慰蠀 魏伪喂 谓伪 伪谓蟿喂渭蔚蟿蠅蟺委蟽蔚喂 蟿伪 未喂魏维 蟿慰蠀 蟺蟻慰尾位萎渭伪蟿伪 蠀纬蔚委伪蟼, 慰 螔伪位维谓蟿蔚蟻 伪魏慰位慰蠀胃蔚委 伪蟺蔚纬谓蠅蟽渭苇谓伪 蟿伪 委蠂谓畏 蟿慰蠀 未慰位慰蠁蠈谓慰蠀 蟽蔚 渭喂伪 蟺蟻慰蟽蟺维胃蔚喂伪 谓伪 蟿慰谓 蟺喂维蟽蔚喂 蟺蟻慰蟿慰蠉 尉伪谓伪蠂蟿蠀蟺萎蟽蔚喂. 螌,蟿喂 魏喂 伪谓 魏维谓蔚喂, 蠈渭蠅蟼, 蠁伪委谓蔚蟿伪喂 蠈蟿喂 蔚委谓伪喂 蟺维谓蟿伪 苇谓伪 尾萎渭伪 蟺委蟽蠅... 螣 围苇谓喂谓纬魏 螠伪谓魏苇位 蔚蟺喂尾蔚尾伪喂蠋谓蔚喂 纬喂伪 维位位畏 渭喂伪 蠁慰蟻维 蠈蟿喂 魏伪蟿苇蠂蔚喂 蟿畏谓 魏慰蟻蠀蠁萎 蟽蟿慰 蔚委未慰蟼 蟿慰蠀 伪蟽蟿蠀谓慰渭喂魏慰蠉 渭蠀胃喂蟽蟿慰蟻萎渭伪蟿慰蟼.

479 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

624 people are currently reading
6631 people want to read

About the author

Henning Mankell

260books3,717followers
Henning Mankell was an internationally known Swedish crime writer, children's author and playwright. He was best known for his literary character Kurt Wallander.

Mankell split his time between Sweden and Mozambique. He was married to Eva Bergman, Swedish director and daughter of Ingmar Bergman.

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5 stars
7,685 (35%)
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9,863 (45%)
3 stars
3,620 (16%)
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1 star
220 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 979 reviews
Profile Image for Baba.
3,952 reviews1,406 followers
January 23, 2023
Kurt Wallander book No.7 sees Wallander and co. finding themselves always one step behind an appalling and apparently motiveless serial killer. Wallander himself is also struggling with his health and his future. Another great case, another great dollop of Scandi-noir. An easy Three Star, 7 out of 12.

2012 review
Profile Image for James Thane.
Author听9 books7,049 followers
August 6, 2018
This is another dense, intricately plotted crime novel featuring Swedish detective Kurt Wallander. Three young people, dressed in costumes and celebrating Midsummer's Eve, are brutally murdered. The killer buries the bodies and while they remain undiscovered, the victim's parents are led to believe that their children are off touring Europe. However, the mother of one of the victims refuses to believe this and insists that the police should be investigating the disappearance of the three. But the evidence, such as it is, suggests that the three are in fact alive and well, and the police do not take the mother's claims seriously.

The one official who does believe that something might be amiss, is Kurt Wallander's colleague, Svedberg. For some unknown reason, though, Svedberg does not share his suspicions with Wallander or anyone else. Rather, he takes vacation time and begins to quietly investigate the case on his own. Shortly thereafter, Svedberg dies under mysterious circumstances and almost immediately thereafter, it becomes clear that the three young people have indeed been murdered.

Kurt Wallander now faces the most baffling case of his career. He realizes that the death of Svedberg must be connected to the murders of the three young people, but how? And the deeper he digs into the mystery, the more elusive a solution appears to be.

This is not a break-neck thriller. It proceeds at a very stately pace, as a real investigation of this magnitude would. There's a great deal of soul-searching and second-guessing from practically everyone involved, Wallander most of all. The story takes place against a society that's in transition, and a lot of people are wondering if things are spinning out of control. Although the novel takes place during an unusually warm summer, the overall tone of the book could not be more dreary.

Throughout the book, Wallander suffers from what almost seems to be clinical depression. He has major health issues; he's not sleeping well; he has hardly any energy, and for all the world, you would think he was a man approaching seventy. It's almost jarring when the author reminds us on several occasions, that Wallander is not even fifty yet. He questions his own ability and we are left to wonder through much of the book whether he will be able to see this case through to a successful conclusion.

This is probably not a book that will appeal to readers looking for a bright, uplifting story to take them away from the cares and woes of their daily existence. But for those who enjoy dark, gritty, believable police procedurals, One Step Behind will be just what the doctor ordered.
Profile Image for Brad.
Author听3 books1,863 followers
December 26, 2012
There's something to be said for knowing the answer to a mystery while you're reading a mystery. I watched the first season of Wallander, of which was the last episode, before ever cracking a Wallander book, yet it didn't hurt my experience reading the book. Henning Mankell did that quite well on his own (but more on that later).

When the book opened, and Wallander's colleague, Svedberg, was found murdered in his flat, I was thrilled with knowing who the killer was and how the killer was related to his/her past and future victims. The myriad clues that Wallander, H枚glund and Martinsson were missing were clear to me in a way they wouldn't have been if I was reading this without prior knowledge (though I am quite observant in a literary-Sherlock way); I had no investigative work to do, so I could just pick up the clues and move along.

What this allowed me to do, in turn, was pay more attention to the characters. I was able to settle into the rhythms of their work, their relationships and their problems, which pulled me deep into the story at a rapid rate. It started well. I was enjoying more than any other Wallander I've read, then my enjoyment began to fall apart in the most unexpected ways.

I should mention, here, that while I was reading this Wallander I was listening (for the second time) to Sjowall & Wahloo's . I've found the Martin Beck books to be superior to the Wallander books, so I shouldn't be surprised that couldn't match its forebear, but the area in which Mankell's creation suffered most in comparison was the attitude towards the killer. Sjowall & Wahloo were not believers in the pure madman, the evil killer for the sake of evil -- nor am I. So Mankell's decision to cast his killer with that mould, to let a dust mote debate float throughout the book about the nature of the killer, then end it with the killer being mad and evil, left me disappointed.

Not nearly so disappointed, however, as I was at Wallander's personal turn as Dirty Harry. He was every bad Hollywood cop clich茅: he was the unorthodox but effective copper; he was the cop obsessed with catching his (wo)man, all else be damned; he was self-righteous and full of venom for everyone he judged; he took unnecessary risks, put others in danger, fought off meddling bureaucrats, broke laws, all in the name of justice. I had come to expect more from Kurt Wallander in 's books, and the early stages of had promised that I would get what I expected. But no. All I got was disappointment.

What started as potentially my most favourite Wallander book turned into my least. I think I will watch the BBC version again soon (I've not seen it in a long time), and see if Wallander is as Hollywood there as he is in Mankell's pages. I sure hope not.
Profile Image for Bill Krieger.
619 reviews29 followers
March 20, 2013
Wow. This is a must read for all Wallander-philes. The plot is very good. Even better though, Wallander is a mess. He has health problems, his father died in the last book, he doesn't have a girlfriend, his ex-wife is getting remarried, and his confidence is completely shot. It's classic, wonderful Wallander. Ups and downs and dog tired through a difficult case, it's just a lot of fun to follow along.

One of my favorite scenes is when Wallander learns that one of his coworkers considers Wallander to be his best friend. This rocks Wallander's world because he has no personal interaction with the guy outside of work. Is everyone as isolated as I feel, Wallander wonders. And what do the people I feel close to really think of me? It's a classic episode of Wallander self-doubt and over-analysis.

I have loved all the Wallander books, and this one may be the best. (BOLD!) It's 4+ bill-stars, and it took some late plot miscues to keep this book from being 5 stars.

Not a goodread(.com). A GREAT read!
he he... yow, bill
Profile Image for Dave Schaafsma.
Author听6 books32k followers
December 5, 2020
The Man Who Never Laughs Hunted by The Cops Who Never Laugh

Book #7 of Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallander series is a book of secrets. I think in many ways this is not such a memorable book, no amazing plot hooks, really, a 3 star book in terms of the story--a serial killer book, ehhh, high body count, ho hum, the guy kills because he doesn't like it that others are happy, huh, okay--but it is very well paced and plotted and ultimately compelling, in part because we very much like this sad vulnerable world Mankell has created. It's just very good storytelling about characters by this time we are very familiar with and like. Real people, good people we have come to care about, trying to do the right thing in a world that seems slowly to be going out of control.

So, secrets: Wallander secretly continues to mourn his father's death, secretly mourns the fact that his ex is getting remarried, mourns the fact that his Latvian girlfriend has finally dumped him and that he now has Diabetes and is really in worse shape than anyone knows. He's good, but deeply flawed as detective, too, more determined than adept; he forgets to take a notepad to interviews, he fails to take his phone and even his gun to The Showdown with The Killer. But he's like us, a regular guy, not Sherlock.

The Killer himself has plenty of secrets; he has disguises, even as some of his young victims also wear costumes for their (apparently too) happy, celebratory masques. Early on he kills (spoiler alert, sorry) Wallander's valued colleague Svedberg, who has a whole series of his own secrets (spoiler alert!) no one else on the force knew about: he had a long term relationship with the killer--yup, he was gay, and no one that he worked with knew it!--the guy whom he had begun to (secretly) investigate for the possible murder of three young revelers.

So, it's a grim view of the world, and humans, generally: Parents don't know their children, ad nvice versa, cops don't know their colleagues--one we find out is suicidal, one is getting a divorce, and no one knew anything about these things! Everyone has secrets they don't reveal to each other, we wear masks and costumes to hide these things. And the world is getting more violent, more racist, just getting worse, even in little provincial town Ystad. Sweden has the rep of having that happy, sexy Nordic vibe! But underneath, they harbor secrets about just how happy they really are.

One interesting departure here is that this particular entry to the series never ventures out of Sweden, and focuses on the health condition of Wallander and the state of the country rather than a particular global social problem as he always has done. It's basically a police procedural, but it really gets under your skin, it's a good one, finally. I like it that we see things occasionally from the perspective of the killer, so we know who the intended #9 victim is intended to be before anyone conducting the investigation. I like it that one of the very final scenes features the injured Wallander talking to a young boy about why he is a cop.

"Do you ever regret having become a policeman?"
"Yes, every day."
"Then why do you keep doing it?"
"I guess because I know I am good at it. I don't know what else I would do."

Oh, the high body count (that includes several happy people including even newlyweds taking wedding pics!) kind of irritates me in these serial killer stories, and I don't like it that we always have to resolve the crimes in typically dramatic thriller fashion, but I like it that Wallander is driven, even at the expense of his health and personal life, to do good in the face of a morally crumbling society.
Profile Image for Lars Guthrie.
546 reviews188 followers
October 7, 2009
When I read the works of one author, and more emphatically when I read a series by one author, I feel that I almost go further than just the reciprocal relationship between text and reader outlined by Louise Rosenblatt in her transactional theory of literature. With Mankell (and also recently with the twelve volume 'Dance to the Music of Time' by Anthony Powell), it's as if I am in a dialogue with the author. I know that's impossible; the books have already been written. But my reaction to the fifth and sixth books in the Kurt Wallander series was positive on the character development of that detective and his colleagues and negative on the implausible villains in those books. In 'One Step Behind,' number seven in the series, I found the serial killer credible and real, which made action scenes that much more engrossing and the suspense that much more chilling and nerve-wracking. The murder of one of Wallender's colleagues and the skeletons in that person's closet added spice to the usual mix. Thanks, Henning. My interest was flagging (only slightly because Wallander is so interesting). Now you're back in the game!
Profile Image for Bibliophile.
780 reviews51 followers
February 7, 2009
One Step Behind was my second Henning Mankell novel about Swedish policeman Kurt Wallander, and like Sidetracked, the first Wallander novel I read, I wanted to like it more than I did. One Step Behind concerns the investigation into the murder of a policeman, one of Wallander鈥檚 colleagues, who was himself involved in a secret investigation of a crime that no one else believed had been committed. How Wallander manages to catch the criminal despite constantly being 鈥渙ne step behind鈥� forms the mystery here!

I do like the atmosphere of the novels and Wallander鈥檚 musings about how the world is changing, but sometimes the gloom-and-doom about how violent/bad Swedish society is kind of makes me laugh (given how much less violent Sweden is than the United States!) Plus, the resolutions to both mysteries ended up being rather far-fetched (and I never like the 鈥渋nside the mind of the killer鈥� stuff, because it has seemed a bit banal in both of the Mankell mysteries I read 鈥� someone like Ruth Rendell makes her psychopaths incredibly creepy and yet weirdly sympathetic, and Mankell doesn鈥檛 seem to have the skill to do that.) Also, and I don鈥檛 know whether this is just the translation, but the writing seems very flat and stiff in One Step Behind (it seems to be written in the style of my son鈥檚 board books.) Still, I鈥檓 a completist, and Wallander is an interesting enough figure that I probably will go ahead and read the rest of these mysteries (kvetching the entire time!)
Profile Image for Juan Nalerio.
665 reviews145 followers
January 4, 2019
Una de las grandes novelas de Mankell.

Vemos al inspector Wallander abatido como nunca, con sobrepeso, diab茅tico, sin haber resuelto los problemas con sus seres queridos.
A esa situaci贸n se le suma un caso policial de lo m谩s entretenido.
Una lectura en segundo plano nos muestra los sentimientos de fracaso y exclusi贸n de la sociedad sueca.

Que m谩s pedir para una novela?
Profile Image for Mr B.
233 reviews389 followers
February 23, 2018
3,5/4 sao. Th岷璽 ra tr峄� 0.5 膽i峄僲 v矛 thanh tra Wallander o岷穞 岷筼 m峄廼 m峄噒 l锚 l岷縯 thi岷縰 ng峄� k茅o t峄� trang n脿y qua trang kh谩c ch峄� th岷璽 s峄� 膽芒y l脿 m峄檛 cu峄憂 s谩ch l岷h l霉ng v脿 膽en t峄慽 c峄 Henning Mankell. T峄ヽ l脿 v峄� 谩n h岷縯 s峄ヽ h岷 d岷玭, t矛nh ti岷縯 膽an xen v脿 gay c岷 nh瓢 vi峄嘽 ng瓢峄漣 膽峄峜 膽瓢峄 tham gia v脿o qu谩 tr矛nh 膽i峄乽 tra m峄檛 c谩ch th峄眂 th峄� v峄沬 m峄峣 th峄� b脿y 膽岷 l锚n tr锚n m峄檛 chi岷縞 b脿n l峄沶 膽峄� ch岷痯 n峄慽 v峄沬 nhau.

C贸 nh峄痭g 膽o岷 vi岷縯 v峄� x茫 h峄檌 B岷痗 脗u n贸i ri锚ng, v脿 x茫 h峄檌 lo脿i ng瓢峄漣 n贸i chung h岷縯 s峄ヽ 膽岷穋 bi峄噒. M峄檛 c谩i nh矛n th岷 su峄憈 v脿 l岷h l霉ng v峄� nh峄痭g con ng瓢峄漣 tr瓢峄 ng茫 kh峄廼 x茫 h峄檌, m岷 膽i c谩i t么i ri锚ng khi 膽i v脿o m峄檛 t岷璸 th峄� chung. 膼芒y l脿 cu峄憂 s谩ch x峄﹏g 膽谩ng 膽峄� t岷 c岷� ng瓢峄漣 膽峄峜 nh岷 v脿o trinh th谩m 膽en c峄 B岷痗 脗u. M峄檛 t谩c gi岷� 膽岷穋 s岷痗, ch岷痗 tay.

C啤 m脿, 么ng thanh tra 脿, l岷 ch煤a, 么ng ng峄� 膽i h峄� t么i v峄沬.
Profile Image for Alejandra Ar茅valo.
Author听2 books1,768 followers
June 22, 2022
Me gust贸 el libro pero siento que va a envejecer mal. Dicho eso: ay le sufr铆 mucho con las muertes de ac谩.
Profile Image for Viencienta.
362 reviews120 followers
October 19, 2023
Otro Wallander que se va... y qu茅 bueno es, una buena trama con un asesino imposible, que encima ataca al grupo, ninguna pista, ni restro ni nada y encima el pobre Kurt est谩 malito, a todos los niveles. Le pasa de todo.
Encantada con el autor y la serie, no puede ser de otra forma.
Profile Image for Donald Gallinger.
Author听1 book15 followers
April 16, 2008
Henning Mankel has proved himself to be a wonderful crime novelist. His books create a wonderful sense of atmosphere along with razor sharp plotting. The great pleasure in reading Mankell is the social commentary on Sweden's changing society. His fiction is at least as much about evolving mores in Swedish culture as it is about the classic "who done its."
Profile Image for Mark.
410 reviews94 followers
June 5, 2020
One Step Behind is the seventh book in the Kurt Wallander series and I can honestly say these books keep getting better and better. This is a 5 star read for me... interesting as I look back on the reviews and ratings I have given over the first six books. I started with 3 stars, worked up to 4, then 4.5 and now 5.

This book is quite dark and grisly and has a superbly crafted plot ultimately centring around one man鈥檚 intense hatred to see happiness. It鈥檚 an intriguing tale and author, Henning Mankell builds the suspense slowly as the storyline unfolds.

What I truly love about these books is the central character, Wallander. Mankell has delivered a totally believable, totally human protagonist. He makes the mundane, interesting and validates these human elements that actually give me space to embrace my own humanness. The fleeting thoughts that we are privileged to glimpse, the insecurities about health, wellbeing, and the wonderings about people and things somehow give the reader permission to be an ordinary human and actually still be quite extraordinary.
Profile Image for Writerlibrarian.
1,543 reviews5 followers
July 25, 2008
The tension and the depth of the plot from each book become more and more interesting. In this we find Wallander looking for the killer of a fellow detective who was looking for three missing students. Simple yet terribly complicated and dark. Wallander's private life is the back bones of the series. We see him struggling with health problems, his emotional ups and downs. The plot keeps you reading but Wallander's personal turmoils makes you turn the pages faster.
Profile Image for Nguy锚n Trang.
589 reviews682 followers
February 25, 2022
M峄梚 l岷 膽峄峜 1 cu峄憂 h矛nh s峄� xong l岷 th峄� l脿 s岷� kh么ng ti岷縫 t峄 膽峄峜 n峄痑 v矛 ho脿n to脿n kh么ng c贸 t铆nh ngh峄� thu岷璽 v脿 r岷 l脿 u 谩m nh瓢ng m脿 c谩i t铆nh 瓢a t貌 m貌 c峄� b峄� m锚 m岷 c谩i truy峄噉 trinh th谩m h矛nh s峄� kh峄� kinh kh峄g =))) Review th矛 truy峄噉 c农ng 膽瓢峄, 膽峄峜 gi岷 tr铆 ok m峄梚 t峄檌 nhi峄乽 m岷 c谩i v峄� c岷 gi谩c n脿y c岷 gi谩c n峄� qu谩. D脿i n峄痑. L岷� ch峄� t岷 300 trang l脿 膽瓢峄. T贸m l岷 l脿 膽峄峜 gi岷縯 th峄漣 gian v峄沬 th峄廰 m茫n t铆nh t貌 m貌 th么i ch峄� kh么ng 膽瓢峄 g矛 l岷 c貌n 膽芒m s峄� ra ngo脿i ban 膽锚m.
Profile Image for Ezgi.
321 reviews25 followers
March 11, 2024
Bir s眉redir okuma d眉zenim bozuldu. Ama Mankell her 艧eyi kenara itip okuyaca臒谋m bir yazar oldu臒u i莽in bu hacimli kitap bir anda bitti. Art谋k gelenekselle艧ti, Wallander serisinde her yoruma serinin en iyi kitab谋 diyerek ba艧l谋yorum. Seri bozulmad谋. Bir Ad谋m Geriden okurken en 莽ok zevk ald谋臒谋m kitaplardan biri. Polisiye 枚rg眉s眉 kusursuz. Bir roman olarak da kusursuz.

Bir Ad谋m Geriden, bana Shakespearean gelen cinayet sahneleriyle ba艧l谋yor. Yaz D枚n眉m眉鈥檔眉 kutlayan gen莽 k谋zlar谋n haz谋rlad谋臒谋 kost眉ml眉 piknik kutlamas谋 uzun s眉re akl谋mdan 莽谋kmayacak. Bu sahnenin tekrarlan谋艧谋 da bir o kadar sars谋c谋yd谋. Romanda kusursuza yak谋n cinayetler ortaya 莽谋k谋yor. Polis departman谋 莽aresiz, Kurt Wallendarsa iyice umutsuzlu臒a kap谋lm谋艧 halde. Wallander toplumun dertlerini derinden duyumsayan bir dedektif. Ama ilk kez bir cinayet daha 莽谋karsa ba艧 edemem diyecek kadar umutsuz. Kitapta olaylar d眉臒眉mlenip kalacak herhalde dedi臒im kadar karma艧谋kla艧谋yor. Mankell yine makul bir 艧ekilde her 艧eyi sonu莽land谋rd谋. Kitap t眉m heyecan谋yla ak谋p giderken Mankell toplumla olan derdini de anlat谋yor. Mutlulu臒a verilen iyi ve k枚t眉 tepkiler 眉zerine d眉艧眉nd眉r眉yor. Hastal谋kl谋 zihinlere y谋kt谋臒谋m谋z su莽lar谋n derinine iniyor. Adalet sisteminin krizlerinin t眉m yans谋malar谋n谋 toplumda g枚rd眉臒眉m眉z眉 hat谋rlat谋yor hatta fark谋na varmam谋z谋 sa臒l谋yor. 陌莽i bo艧alt谋lm谋艧, i艧lemeyen sistemlerde 艧iddetin t谋rmanmas谋 bo艧una de臒il. Kitaplar 眉zerine 莽ok fazla konu艧abilirim, kafa 艧i艧irmek istemiyorum. Ama polisiyede 莽ok ba艧ka bir yeri var Wallander鈥櫮眓.
Profile Image for John.
1,536 reviews118 followers
August 18, 2021
This is an odd one. Three young people have been found murdered. The weird thing is they had been killed earlier and then dug up again. Svedberg is early on also murdered and also Wallander finds out he was gay. They were friends for 20 years and colleagues but he never knew. Mmmm not such a great reader of people!

Essentially and this is a big spoiler, his ex lover got jealous of Wallander who Svedberg secretly loved. A meticulous, tidy and sensitive man loved Kurt unbeknownst to him. The lover kills the three young people because he suspects Svedberg is in a relationship with one of them which he is not. Then another ex lover of Svedberg becomes a victim.

The finale is good but slightly unbelievable. What got me was the incompetence of the police. I also watched the Swedish tv version and it was excellent.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Haroon.
38 reviews25 followers
August 8, 2017
my first foray into the world of Wallander. Mankell takes the writer into the heart of the man whilst at the same time keeping the reader on the edge of the seat as the mystery unfolds. Mankell presents the human side of the detective - living alone, onset of chronic illness, failed marriage, connection with his daughter, his career, colleagues and an unwavering sense of searching for justice in the hope that he will find and redeem himself in the process..
5,936 reviews78 followers
April 2, 2025
Someone kills some cosplayers, and Kurt Wallander is on the case.

This feels like one of those novels written in WWII, as completely and utterly in the past.
Profile Image for Bob.
99 reviews5 followers
May 20, 2009
Kurt Wallander - He works tirelessly, eats badly and drinks the nights away in a lonely, neglected flat. Still, he tackles some pretty incredible cases --

Here are the titles in the series (with a few extras) -

Faceless Killers
Dogs Of Riga
White Lioness
The Man Who Smiled
Sidetracked
The Fifth Woman
One Step Behind
Firewall
Return Of The Dancing Master (a Stefan Lindman mystery)
Before The Frost (actually a 鈥淟inda Wallander鈥� mystery)

An old man has been tortured and beaten to death, his wife lies barely alive beside his shattered body, victims of violence beyond reason. . . a teenage girl douses herself in gasoline and set herself aflame. The next day Sweden's former Minister of Justice has been axed to death and scalped in a murder that has the obvious markings of a demented serial killer鈥� four nuns and an unidentified fifth woman are found with their throats slit in an Algerian convent, while in Sweden, a birdwatcher is skewered to death in a pit of carefully sharpened bamboo poles鈥� a Swedish housewife is murdered execution-style in a string of events that uncovers a plot to assassinate Nelson Mandela involving the South African secret service and a ruthless ex-KGB agent鈥� an old acquaintance of Wallander鈥檚, a solicitor, who is tied to an enigmatic business tycoon hiding behind an entourage of brusque secretaries and tight security, turns up dead, shot three times after his father dies in a traffic accident (or was it an accident?). . . In woodland outside Ystad, the police make an horrific discovery: a severed head, and hands locked together in an attitude of prayer. A Bible lies at the victim's side, the pages marked with handwritten corrections. A string of macabre incidents, including attacks on domestic animals, has been taking place, a group of religious extremists who are bent on punishing the world's sinners. 鈥� On Midsummer's Eve, three friends gather in a secluded meadow in Sweden. In the beautifully clear twilight, they don costumes and begin a secret role-play. But an uninvited guest soon brings their performance to a gruesome conclusion. His approach is careful; his aim is perfect. Three bullets, three corpses鈥� An unknown killer is on the loose, and their only lead is a photograph of a strange woman no one in Sweden seems to know鈥 life raft washes ashore in Skane, Sweden, carrying two dean men in expensive suits, shot gangland-style. It is discovered that the men were Eastern European criminals鈥� A man stops at an ATM during his evening walk and inexplicably falls dead to the ground. Two teenage girls brutally murder a taxi driver They are quickly apprehended, shocking local policemen with their complete lack of remorse. One girl escapes police custody and disappears without a trace. A few days later a blackout cuts power to a large swath of the country When a serviceman arrives at the malfunctioning power substation, he makes a grisly discovery鈥� a shadowy group of anarchic terrorists, hidden by the anonymity of cyberspace. . . and we haven't even gotten to Kurt Wallander's personal issues!
Profile Image for Isabella.
Author听5 books68 followers
September 20, 2024
鈥淣ormal people have nightmares in their sleep. We have our nightmares when we鈥檙e awake.鈥�

follows a brusque detective, asking the question: who or what can we put our faith into? After all, knowing about someone and knowing someone are completely different entities.

balances so much - action, intimacy, grit, suspense, desperation, agony - and his story unfurls slowly and complexly. Ends are kept loose, tensions are high, but we welcome the mundane. We still hold onto the moments of calm. This is a model for what crime writing should be.

Others in this Series:
1.) - 鈽呪槄鈽呪槄
2.) - 鈽呪槄鈽呪槄
3.) - 鈽呪槄鈽呪槄鈽�/Review
Profile Image for Patrick Sherriff.
Author听87 books100 followers
July 29, 2019
Great to spend time with Wallander in small-town Sweden. My full review is here:
Profile Image for Kirsten .
442 reviews156 followers
September 13, 2023
A bit depressive. Too focused on Wallander鈥檚 eating and sleeping and lack of female company. Otherwise quite brilliant馃槃
Profile Image for Whit Stiles.
80 reviews1 follower
July 30, 2017
One Step Behind is a bit of an abnormality in the Wallander series, though not to its detriment. The plot does not concern issues of the third world, or the economics of the post-Soviet era. The central murder is particularly gruesome (to the extent that the corresponding Masterpiece Mystery series does not recreate the crime scene as it was discovered). Wallander's typical family issues are a footnote, and the detective inspector, himself, is particularly physical in his pursuit of the killer.

Instead, this installment of the series looks inward at Ystad and the investigative team, almost as if the necessary personal care deprived by their chosen profession comes to a head. Nearly the entire staff of the Ystad police central to these stories are in some stage of personal crisis, and now they are confronted with the death of one of their own. Faced with this loss and the seemingly connected and rather macabre murder of three teenagers, the weight of responsibility is at an all-time high. And with the absolute minimum of evidence, the investigation seems to be dead before it begins, much like the spirits of Wallander and his team.

Kurt Wallander remains one of my favorite characters in literature, and a welcome iconoclast in the pantheon of serialized detectives. He is more persistent than clever, more obliged than brave. He is forgetful and clumsy. He is an anti-hero, not for his lack of moral character, but for his inherent emotional and physical delicacy; his greatest villain is his own sense of self-neglect. Where many authors of serialized characters seem to idolize their heroes, Mankell seems more to sympathize with Wallander, perhaps even pity him. His existence is a testimony to Mankell's own regard for human suffering, and Wallander endures as an unusually human portrait of middle-aged masculinity. The older I get (I've been reading these books for the better part of 15 years), the more I understand him, and the more I find myself in him.

Which brings me back to One Step Behind. I've seen other reviewers criticize the more physical, perhaps even cliched, Wallander that exists in the final pages of this book. But I don't think that's a fair criticism. In this, the seventh novel of the series, I believe we see Wallander's personal dissatisfaction鈥攚ith his health, with the nature of police work, and with Swedish culture at large鈥攂oil to a typing point. His "action" is characteristically clumsy and irresponsible and serves to paint a portrait of a man at the end of his road鈥攁t least as far as he can see.

If there is a large criticism due to this book, it is the translation, perhaps the poorest in the series up to this point. When you read any book in a translated language, the translator will inherently impart their own sense of style and narrative. And while this still reads like Mankell, the exposition and language felt particularly redundant and sloppy. It's not an obstacle to enjoying the book, just something more noticeable than in previous installments (at least to my memory).

In the chronological narrative of Kurt Wallander, two novels remain. One Step Behind begs the question, what will remain of the man? Mankell is clear that the choice is Wallander's. And as fan of character, that concerns me.
Profile Image for Dolceluna 鈾�.
1,223 reviews118 followers
February 15, 2020
Quando un libro non ti piace, lo trascini con noia riservandogli il tuo ultimo tempo libero, imponendoti di arrivare alla fine magari per il solo desiderio di non lasciarlo incompiuto. Ma se un libro ti piace, e ti piace veramente, lo coccoli, lo cerchi al primo minuto libero che hai, ti ritrovi a leggerlo a tarda notte con le palpebre cascanti realizzando che la cosa non ti pesa affatto, lo pensi quando lo chiudi, e lo ricordi, lo ricordi sempre. Ecco, questo 猫 un libro che mi 猫 piaciuto immediatamente, totalmente, dalla prima all'ultima pagina: mi si 猫 infilato sotto alla pelle, con tutta la sua angoscia, e non se n'猫 andato pi霉 via. Sopra le mie aspettative tra l'altro, perch猫 tutto avrei immaginato tranne che questo Mankell mi avrebbe fatta impazzire cos矛!
Cosa manca a "Delitto di mezza estate?" Risposta semplice: non manca nulla! C'猫 una paurosa storia thiller in primo piano, che si apre con tre giovani ritrovati assassinati all'interno di una riserva naturale in un bosco della Scania, prosegue con l'assassinio di un collega del protagonista, (fatto fuori perch猫 sapeva qualcosa che non avrebbe dovuto sapere) e di altri personaggi e si conclude con...meglio non dirlo. Ma quel filo di sottile tensione, di angoscia papabile, di agguato dietro l'angolo 猫 sempre presente. C'猫 un'ottima caratterizzazione dei personaggi, a partire dal commissario Kurt Wallander, un duro infaticabile, sague freddo, memoria infallibile, coraggio inesauribile, e senza tralasciare l'assaassino, un lucido pazzo il quale colpir脿 le persone che gli sembrano felici e appagate dalla vita...perch猫? C'猫 il tentavo di porre l'accento e di puntare il dito contro una societ脿, quella svedese, deprimente e insoddisfatta, una societ脿 dove sempre pi霉 persone hanno la sensazione di sentirsi inutili, dove la violenza sta diventando gratuita e inevitabile, dove la corruzione pare penetrare in maniera spicciola in ogni ambiente. C'猫 quell'atmosfera, tra il bianco e il grigio, di pioggia triste e di malinconia malcelata, o al contrario di un'apparente tranquillit脿 sotto il sole d'agosto, dove nulla sembra accadere e in realt脿 accadono molte cose. Cose pericolose. Con quella onnipresente viscida sensazione che a Wallander sfugga sempre qualcosa, qualche frase ascoltata e considerata poco importante, qualche dettaglio essenziale ma fuggito alla mente. C'猫 una buon dosaggio fra parti dialogate e parti narrate, fra passaggi di riflessione e passaggi di azione, c'猫 uno stile fluido che rende la lettura scivolosa e piacevole (ad eccezione del "lei" tradotto sempre col "tu" per mantersi fedele all'orginale, dato che in Svezia tutti si danno del tu...forse avrei adottato una scelta traduttiva diversa ma questo aspetto non 猫 da ostacolo alla lettura, ci si abitua presto).
Nemmeno il fatto che l'assassino non sia uno dei personaggi noti (come di solito piace a me) ha reso meno il mio amore per questo libro. E il finale 猫 stato una vertiginosa corsa all'ultima riga, esaltante, appagante, bellissima!
Insomma, thiller d'ottima portata e angoscia a portata di mano. Lettura gustosissima!
Profile Image for Reinhold.
521 reviews33 followers
December 14, 2008
础耻脽别谤驳别飞枚丑苍濒颈肠丑

Mankell ist mit diesem Buch ein ganz gro脽er Wurf gelungen. Einerseits steht Kurt Wallander, der irgendwie liebenswerte und gleichzeitig unertr盲gliche aber immer 100% einsatzbereite Polizist. Fast ist man versucht zu sagen, wie 眉blich steckt Wallander in seiner Midlife Crisis. Und wie 眉blich steht er einem Verbrechen gegen眉ber, das eigentlich 眉ber Wallanders Grenzen hinausgeht.

Wer Mankells Wallanderreihe kennt, wei脽 dass dieses Strickmuster zwar immer wiederkehrt, dass die B眉cher dennoch unterschiedlicher kaum sein k枚nnten. In diesem Buch wird die Ystader Polizei von einem Geisteskranken auf eine harte Probe gestellt. Minuti枚s plant dieser kaltbl眉tige Morde die abscheulicher kaum sein k枚nnten. Wie findet man einen Menschen, der offenbar darauf abzielt Menschen in deren gr枚脽ter Freude den Garaus zu machen? Und was wusste Wallanders Kollege Svedberg, der ebenfalls Opfer dieses T盲ters wurde. Was hatte dieser herausgefunden, das ihn das Leben kostete? Dies sind die zentralen Fragen die es zu kl盲ren gilt.

Unschwer kann man sich ausmalen, dass es eine unglaublich gute Story ist. Ebenso schafft der Autor es in diesem Werk sprachlich absolut zu 眉berzeugen. Die Darstellung des Antagonisten ist sehr gut gelungen. Es gibt rein gar nichts an diesem Werk auszusetzen, au脽er vielleicht, dass man das Buch nicht aus der Hand legen kann. Seien Sie gewarnt, wer damit beginnt, h枚rt nicht auf, ehe er den Umschlagdeckel zuschl盲gt weil das Buch fertig gelesen ist.

Mankells bester Wallander-Roman.
Profile Image for Jay French.
2,151 reviews85 followers
February 1, 2016
This isn鈥檛 the same Wallander that I鈥檝e come to expect in this series. Sure, he is still depressed and depressing. But this one takes place in the summer, and when the weather鈥檚 good, you don鈥檛 have the moodiness bad weather causes piling on to the issues faced by the detective. To make up for the good weather, Mankell kills off a peer of Wallander鈥檚, and gives Wallander some bigger health problems to deal with. In this one, bloodwork finds an issue that nags at Wallander every few pages throughout the book, involving plenty of urinating. But worse in this episode is fatigue. You could call this one 鈥渢he coffee episode鈥�. There is probably more coffee consumed in this book than the previous six put together. And why? To fight fatigue. Lack of sleep is the compelling theme in this book. Fatigue is described on average every few paragraphs. It gets to be overwhelming. It bogs down the story 鈥� it鈥檇 be half the length if the coffee worked. The story itself was fun, though there really weren鈥檛 many flashes of brilliance on our detective鈥檚 part. Perhaps Mankell decided that Wallander needed to gut out a case on caffeine-addled autopilot, chasing after lots of leads down dead ends. It was a typical Wallander, but I didn鈥檛 find it as entertaining as normal.
Profile Image for Alma (retirement at last).
676 reviews
December 22, 2020
I just love the way Henning Mankell wrote. The storyline jumps from one death to another but always keeps the readers interest.
This is book 7 of the Wallander series and it does help if you start at the beginning as the reader begins to understand the characters better which enables them to concentrate on the events taking place.
The books are all very similar but I just like Wallander as a person especially as you realise, from his thoughts, that he is not a well man but chooses to ignore this fact as long as possible until it is almost too late. He has real anxiety problems and often shows a lack of confidence in his own abilities which leads him to be grumpy and sometimes quite angry with his team who rely on his judgement.
I became a little frustrated with Wallander when he forgot important information or left relevant equipment at home or at the office or in his car, but I suppose this was part of his illness coming to the fore.
I will definitely be reading the the following books in the series and will be a little sad when I have finished them and don鈥檛 have one to turn to occasionally.
Profile Image for Mark Robison.
1,172 reviews89 followers
September 18, 2022
Of the first seven books starring Swedish police detective Kurt Wallender, this one especially captures what makes the character so memorable. The plot is that he鈥檚 chasing a serial killer who targets happy people. Through it all, Wallender is short-tempered, self-pitying, jealous and forgetful but he鈥檚 also good-hearted, generous, romantic at heart and hard working. In short, he鈥檚 human through and through, a fact that鈥檚 made especially clear when he trips and falls during the big finale. And I love how he doesn鈥檛 solve the crimes so much as comes to the right conclusions by listening, truly listening, to everyone around him. Anyway, I don鈥檛 know if many Americans will like these books because they are not at all 鈥渢hrillers.鈥� But if you like Swedish noir, this is quintessential. Bechdel test: fail. Grade: A
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