Sidetracked

Gripping suspense combines with probing social commentary in the new Kurt Wallander mystery. Inspector Kurt Wallander's long-anticipated vacation plans are interrupted by two horrific deaths: the self-immolation of an unidentified young woman and the brutal murder of the former minister of justice. As the police struggle to piece together the few clues they have, the killer strikes again. In a series that has taken Europe by storm, Sidetracked is already a bestseller in Sweden, where it won the 1997 award for Best Crime Novel of the Year. According to the Chicago Tribune, "If you remember with pleasure those wonderfully dour Swedish mysteries by Maj Sjwall and Per Wahl, you'll be glad to plunge into Mankell's Kurt Wallander mysteries." Mankell infuses the story with a searing look at the problems facing contemporary society, from the disintegration of the family and the exploitation of women to corruption and scandal at the highest levels of government. Rumpled but razor-sharp, Wallander remains a "solid character, utterly credible, and Mankell knows how to make the most of his virtues" (Publishers Weekly).