The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

Oh good, I'll schedule this as my next read!

I love the opening chapter. Spooky.

It's an unseasonably cold and rainy night here just perfect for mystery reading and this one has really caught my attention. I am about half way through and really enjoying it.

One thing that made me chuckle - they don't have cell phones! Of course the book is almost 20 years old but it still surprised me.

Donna,

I am always surprised while reading a book when one of the characters has to stop and look for a payphone. Or, heaven forfend, actually go to the LIBRARY to do research. We are certainly spoiled.

The author's name is misspelled up top. Isn't it Mankell?

Yes you are right it is MANKELL!!! Am looking for this one in my library today.

I'm about halfway through now and enjoying it. I like the main character. I just wish the translation wasn't so awkward in places.

I put this on hold, so hopefully I'll get it soon so I can join in on the conversation.

I was looking forward to joining in my first group book discussion but I can't get hold of a copy from my local library. Ho hum. Hopefully I'll be able to get the next group book.

I did watch the series that the BBC made called "Wallender" with Kenneth Branagh which I enjoyed a lot so I'm sure I'd like the books too.

Claire wrote: "I was looking forward to joining in my first group book discussion but I can't get hold of a copy from my local library. Ho hum. Hopefully I'll be able to get the next group book.

I did watch t..."
I am waiting for my copy of Faceless Killers to arrive. I managed to get a swap accepted for it, and now the postal strike will hold it up!! I did not watch the series on tv but the book really appeals to me.

I finished the book and liked it a lot. The path of the investigation was extremely detailed and realistic. I wish I could have seen the tv show, that sounds good -- and I LOVE Kenneth Branagh in anything.

I just started this, but plan to get some good reading in this weekend. It really draws you in.

Even though I have seen a lot of the Wallander series on TV I don’t think I saw this one. It really filled in a lot of back story on Kurt – his divorce, his drinking, his relationship with his father, and his relationship with his daughter.

***** Spoilers *****

I found the investigation to be quite complex and realistic in that it wasn’t wrapped up in just a few days but it was actually many months until the case was resolved. I also liked that Kurt admitted that the police made mistakes along the way, especially when they tried so hard to find the missing son who the police assumed would have the strongest motive and would not be a foreigner.

I have just finished this one.I think it lost a lot in the translation, and found it stiff, a little boring and not enough action for my taste. Don't think I would read another by this author.

I loved all the Kurt Wallender books. There is a complexity to Wallender that cannot be found in scripts, which by there very nature, must leave out a great deal of private rumination.

As the series goes on, some books are hit and miss. I found this book to be a very good book. Scandinavian mysteries are not for everyone, the atmosphere is darker, and there is a bit of pervading gloom.

I've really enjoyed all the Wallander books I've read so far, including this one. I even liked the parts where he was sexually harrassing the female prosecutor. (Strangely, even in those scenes you were rooting for him.) I hope Mankell will write more of them; his non-Wallander fiction seems to be more miss than hit.

How do people know if a book has lost something in translation, unless they're reading it in multiple languages?

Did anyone see the Kenneth Branagh (BBC) adaption/version of Faceless Killers last night on Masterpiece Mystery (PBS)?

The storyline had to be edited a good bit to fit the limited time but overall I think they did a good job capturing the essence of the story. I just wish Kenneth Branagh would tone it down a bit. He seems to be overacting in this series.

I Tivo'd it; plan to watch it tonight with my husband, who is a literary xenophobe (meaning, he dislikes foreign authors). If he likes the movie, he's promised to read one Wallander novel.

Donna said: "The storyline had to be edited a good bit to fit the limited time but overall I think they did a good job capturing the essence of the story. I just wish Kenneth Branagh would tone it down a bit. He seems to be overacting in this series. "

Totally agree. I thought everyone was overacting. And the musical score was too much - telling us exactly how to feel. And the tints on the camera lenses - wasn't there a lot of yellow and sepia tinting going on? It was just too much! I wonder if they had a different directing and production team than for the first time around (on Masterpiece Mystery). The first series seemed better done.

You know what it reminded me of - if you ever watched "NYPD Blue" the camera would always do shots of the detectives looking across the room at each other, kind of surreptitiously. There was a lot of that going on here too. It's overkill!

Still, I don't want to discourage people from watching it. I'll be watching all of them, if I can.

Donna wrote: "Did anyone see the Kenneth Branagh (BBC) adaption/version of Faceless Killers last night on Masterpiece Mystery (PBS)?

The storyline had to be edited a good bit to fit the limited time but overa..."
Saw it.
Didn't like it. Didn't like this weeks's much either.
They are taking bits and parts of story lines from other books and putting them in the new productions.
I also think the are spending too much time on atmosphere. OK - I get it Sweden can be bleak - get
back to the story already!
LG is right: lasts years were better.
Even though we are disappointed, we are still watching.

I watched my cache of Masterpiece Mystery yesterday and I thought it was pretty good. Seemed as stark as I remember Mankell's books as being. But it has been years since I read Faceless Killers, so I really only remembered the highlights anyhow. I could have done without the score as well. Not very subtle.

I've just read Faceless Killers and whilst I understand it's more realistic for the investigation to drag on for months I didn't feel it made for very good reading and (view spoiler)[ I found it very dissatisfying that we never find out what the noose/special knot was all about. (hide spoiler)].
Is it worth reading the second book? I'm quite interested in Wallender as a character, but I didn't really enjoy the plot of this one.