The Fifth Woman - Henning Mankell
FOR many of us, our introduction to Swedish detective Kurt Wallander was last year s BBC 1 short series starring Kenneth Branagh, and a couple of Swedish adaptations on BBC 4. So the new publication of The Fifth Woman (�7.99, Vintage) is a chance to see w
FOR many of us, our introduction to Swedish detective Kurt Wallander was last year's BBC 1 short series starring Kenneth Branagh, and a couple of Swedish adaptations on BBC 4.
So the new publication of The Fifth Woman (�7.99, Vintage) is a chance to see what the books are like.
And the answer is compelling. At 583 pages, this is a chunky paperback which keeps the reader gripped from the first. Henning Mankell's police procedural is as detailed, methodical and thoughtful as its hero - a rather melancholic man who doesn't particularly enjoy police work and the horrific crimes he has to investigate but does it because he's good at it.
Where so many fictional detectives seem to revel in the gruesome, rarely stopping to think about the victims, just enjoying the chase and the puzzle, Wallender does care about the victims. The crimes haunt him.
He inevitably draws comparisons with Inspector Morse and comes out of the comparison well. It's easy to see why Mankell's 10 Wallender books have proved so popular, having been published in 33 countries and regularly topping the bestseller lists throughout Europe.
Novelist Michael Ondaatje, who won the Booker Prize for The English Patient, says: "For me, Henning Mankell is by far the best writer of police mysteries today. He is in the great tradition of those whose works transcend their chosen genre to become thrilling and moral literature."
Most Read
- 1 Dagenham man fined within hours of fly-tipping at bus stop
- 2 Dagenham man jailed for 12 years for punching to death Marius Lakavicius
- 3 Girl, 17, held on suspicion of terrorism offences after east London arrest
- 4 The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee flypast: Where, and when, the planes will fly over north and east London
- 5 Police appeal after intruder reportedly enters Barking home and threatens woman with knife
- 6 Major tube strike to follow Queen's Platinum Jubilee long weekend
- 7 Zouma brothers to face the courts amid animal abuse allegations
- 8 'Beautiful skin and incredible smile': What happened when the Queen visited a Dagenham school
- 9 70 firefighters tackle Dagenham house fire
- 10 Dagenham and West Ham accused in court after drugs raids
The Fifth Woman is the sixth in the Wallender series. Kurt is trying to come to terms with the sudden death of his father while investigating a series of particularly gruesome murders.
- LINDSAY JONES
