This is my second book by Mankell and the first I’ve read in his Kurt Wallander series, a detective chief inspector in Ystad, Sweden. At the outset, Wallander is coming off a year’s leave of absence following his killing of a bad guy. Even though the killing was justified and no charges were brought against Wallander, he was deeply troubled by having taken another man’s life. In fact, he has just reached the decision to take a disability retirement when an old acquaintance, a lawyer, asks him to investigate the murder of his father. Wallander is not moved to do so, until the lawyer ends up murdered, as well, only a few days after their meeting. The lawyer’s father, also a lawyer, had only one client, the man from Farnholm Castle, a remarkably successful international business tycoon who is well known for his philanthropic activities. He is also “The Man Who Smiled,” aka Alfred Harderberg. He’s a mysterious character who travels almost constantly from one of his business enterprises to the next, so it is hard to even gain an audience with the guy. Wallander figures out that Harderberg had to be behind the deaths, but the problem is figuring out the whys and hows, and then how to prove it. Mankell throws in some good subplots, like the integration of a woman detective into the Ystad police force, a first there, and a move that is resisted by all except Wallander who sees the budding talent in Ann-Britt Hoglund. Mostly, what this book has going for it is a great character study of Wallander, a very compelling figure, and I plan to read more Mankell books. Next up, “The Dogs of Riga.”
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