The Dogs of Riga (a Kurt Wallander Mystery) by Henning Mankell

The Dogs of Riga
(a Kurt Wallander Mystery)
by Henning Mankell

Finished: 7/31/10, PRC

This second book in the Kurt Wallander series is far from the achievement of the first, Faceless Killers. It’s awkward and perhaps hastily written. One gets the feeling, as the Eastern Bloc collapsed with the inability of the Soviet Union to maintain its supremacy, Mankell wanted to write a spy novel. Although similar in style, he should have left Wallander out of this tale, creating a new figure for the story. In fact, it makes me not want to continue to read the Wallander series and be satisfied with the BBC/PBS Mystery series instead. I hope I’m wrong because what Mankell did to flesh out the Wallander character was to get someone who avoids mystery books to enjoy one.

2 ½ stars out of 5
Written: 09/26/10, 5:50 PM