The Man Who Smiled: A Kurt Wallander Mystery (4) (Vintage Crime Black Lizard)

After killing a man in the line of duty, Kurt Wallander resolves to quit the Ystad police. However, a bizarre case gets under his skin. A lawyer driving home at night stops to investigate an effigy sitting in a chair in the middle of the highway. The lawyer is hit over the head and dies. Within a week the lawyer’s son is also killed. These deeply puzzling mysteries compel Wallander to remain on the force. The prime suspect is a powerful corporate mogul with a gleaming smile that Wallander believes hides the evil glee of a killer. Joined by Ann-Britt Hoglund, Wallander begins to uncover the truth, but the same merciless individuals responsible for the murders are now closing in on him.

In this riveting Henning Mankell thriller, a disillusioned Inspector Kurt Wallander finds himself in a deep personal and professional crisis after killing a man in the line of duty. After almost a year of sick leave, he hits rock bottom and resolves to quit the police force for good. Against his better judgment Wallander stays on the force when unforeseen circumstances compel him to investigate the murder of a friend. While working closely with Ann-Britt Hoglund, the department’s first female detective, he stumbles on a horrific world where human body parts are traded like stock, and just as he comes close to uncovering the truth, the same shadowy threats responsible for the murders close in on Wallander himself.

The New York Times - Marilyn Stasio

When the bleak landscapes of Henning Mankell s Swedish police procedurals start to look like home, it s time to head for the hills. Either that, or confront the grim truths about modern society that give weight to this author s absorbing but disquieting existential mysteries.

"The Man Who Smiled begins with Wallander deep in a personal and professional crisis after killing a man in the line of duty; eventually, he vows to quit the Ystad police force for good. Just then, however, a friend who had asked Wallander to look into the death of his father winds up dead himself, shot three times. Ann-Britt H?glund, the department?s first female detective, proves to be his best ally as he tries to pierce the smiling fa?ade of his prime suspect, a powerful multinational business tycoon. But just as he comes close to uncovering the truth, the same shadowy threats responsible for the murders close in on Wallander himself" -- publisher website (December 2006) Staying alive becomes a precarious task for Inspector Kurt Wallander as he plays both hunter and hunted in a terrifying game of money and power. Crestfallen, dejected and spiralling into an alcohol fuelled depression after killing a man in the line of duty, Wallander has made up his mind to quit the force for good. When an old acquaintance, a solicitor, seeks his help to investigate the suspicious circumstances surrounding his father's death. Wallander doesn't want to know but when the solicitor turns up dead, shot three times, Wallander realise that he was wrong not to listen. Against his better judgement he returns to work to head what now may be a double murder case La quatrième de couverture indique : "Le brouillard est épais en cette nuit automnale. Le vieil avocat Gustaf Torstensson est au volant. Soudain, une étrange silhouette surgit au milieu de la route : c'est un mannequin de taille humaine, assis sur une chaise. Torstensson freine brutalement, sort de sa voiture. On ne le reverra jamais vivant. Son fils fait appel au commissaire Wallander. Celui-ci va découvrir un réseau criminel derrière lequel se profile un homme singulier, élégant et sûr de lui. Un homme qui sourit toujours." Staying Alive Becomes A Precarious Task For Inspector Kurt Wallander As He Plays Both Hunter And Hunted In A Terrifying Game Of Money And Power. Two Men Have Died And An Enigmatic Business Tycoon Who Hides Behind An Entourage Of Brusque Secretaries And Tight Security Seems To Be The Link Between The Two Deaths. Henning Mankell ; Translated From The Swedish By Laurie Thompson. Translated From The Swedish. Crestfallen, dejected and spiralling into an alcohol-fuelled depression after killing a man in the line of duty, Inspector Kurt Wallander has made up his mind to quit the force for good. But while Wallander is on the trail of the killer, somebody is on the trail of Wallander, and closing in fast.