ystad is located southeast of copenhagen, on the swedish coast. Some significant locations in the stories include Skagen, which is located in the far north of Denmark, in the Jutland region; mossby strand and kaseberga, beaches near ystad; and the Gryt Archipelago, near Stockholm, the scene of much of the action in the last book. don’t be put off by Swedish names and places; rather immerse yourself in this fascinating place and culture. It’s very relatable, as we get to know Wallander and the social and geopolitical issues he faces.
Books should be read in the following order:
You are reading: Wallander books in order
faceless assassins
the dogs of riga
the white lioness
the man who smiled
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deviated
the fifth woman
a step back
firewall
before the frost
the man with problems
The two novels are best read this way: the pyramid can be read before the frost and an event in the fall just before the man in trouble. the troubled man must be the last, as he closes the series.
kurt wallander is an inspector at the ystad police department on the south coast of sweden. he starts his career in the largest police department in malmo, across the strait from copenhagen. he’s a bigger force, and he works his way up to detective there. When he meets and marries his wife, Mona, she insists that they find a safer place to live and raise his daughter, Linda. Kurt and Mona choose Ystad, although it is safer, it offers few opportunities for promotion and will limit their career.
kurt is a person as complicated as any of us, reflective, very stressed in his position as a detective, his life always with loose ends. he takes his job very seriously and becomes obsessively absorbed in the killing of the moment, such that he doesn’t take proper care of himself, relationships with family and friends suffer, and, over the course of the books, his life suffers as a result. . His mother dies when he is a child, and he has a contentious relationship with his father, a man with an erratic temperament who is outraged by Kurt’s career choice and never stops liking him. When we meet Kurt, her marriage has recently failed, and Mona takes Linda with her, much to Kurt’s despair. he is untethered, living from case to case, trying to get his life back in between. he repeatedly promises to change his ways, eat better, drink less, move from the city to a house in the country near the water, get a dog, find someone to share this better life with, maybe even give up detective work for complete. he fails to make any of these changes until near the end of the series, when ill health and age force him to make these changes.
Interestingly, Kurt is much more intuitive as a detective. will repeatedly write the entire fact of a case, like a map or a story, looking for missing links or irrational elements. he will strive for a perceived but not logically presented connection, like a predator or a dog. Mankell often compares Kurt to a primitive hunter, which is when he is most effective at solving murders. often by the time he grasps what was out of sight, he is about to lose his own life and has many close calls. he gives us the impression of a heavyset man, not heavyset, but bearish, with strong drives and appetites, who constantly yearns to do better, to be better, to achieve more, and to live with more happiness and peace. he often wonders what a good life is and how he should achieve it. he is an interesting person to spend time with throughout these books.
ystad is a good setting for mysteries, located close to the major cities of stockholm and copenhagen, as well as ferry travel from germany, poland, and the baltic states of lithuania, latvia, and estonia. Keep in mind that this is right around the time that the Berlin Wall fell, the Soviet Union dissolved, and these neighboring countries achieved their independence, no longer living behind the Iron Curtain. transnational crime such as hard drug smuggling, human trafficking and rising levels of violent crime are reaching even rural settings like ystad, at the same time ystad force budgets are being cut and manpower reduced . These circumstances create the tensions that Kurt deals with over the course of his career; Since he cares deeply about professional competition and the senseless human tragedies and suffering he witnesses, he suffers deeply from depression and anguish.
Kurt’s relationships with his coworkers and family are a key component of the stories, especially with his daughter, Linda. We see her grow from a confused college student, struggling to find herself and her life’s work, to attend the police academy and start her own career in law enforcement. We learn of her previous suicide attempts, as well as see her relationships with Mona and Kurt change over time. In the novel that focuses the most on Linda, Before the Frost, we hear her thoughts on Kurt, her professional and personal behavior.
As a murder mystery series, these books have all the intrigue, excitement, and mental challenge you’d expect. Kurt is a demanding detective, who expects the highest level of skill from himself and from his co-workers. The mysteries aren’t predictable, but you learn everything you need to follow Kurt as he collects data and fights to solve murders and prevent further loss of life. Kurt’s observations on human nature and motivation, as well as the social changes taking place in Sweden, add greatly to the depth of these novels. I recommend that you read this series, follow Wallander’s life and career, and learn more about Sweden in the recent past. after reading the series i also recommend the essays found on the website, deadgoodbooks.co.uk. Just look up Kurt Wallander and you’ll find essays I found helpful in explaining places and reading order. additional reflections found here are also worth reading.
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