The Pyramid (The Kurt Wallander Stories) - Softcover

Henning Mankell (1948-2015) became a worldwide phenomenon with his crime writing, gripping thrillers and atmospheric novels set in Africa. His prizewinning and critically acclaimed Inspector Wallander Mysteries continue to dominate bestseller lists all over the globe and his books have been translated into forty-five languages and made into numerous international film and television adaptations: most recently the BAFTA-award-winning BBC television series Wallander, starring Kenneth Branagh. Driven by a desire to change the world and to fight against racism and nationalism, Mankell devoted much of his time to working with charities in Africa, including SOS Children's Villages and PLAN International, where he was also director of the Teatro Avenida in Maputo. In 2008, the University of St Andrews conferred Henning Mankell with an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters in recognition of his major contribution to literature and to the practical exercise of conscience. www.henningmankell.com

Once again, Dick Hill uses his terrific understated style to bring the gloomy and self-doubting police detective Kurt Wallander to life. Hill's effective timing always matches the action (Wallander in danger!), the emotion (Wallander's depression about the state of Swedish society) and even the geography (rainy and bleak). In THE PYRAMID, Henning Mankell goes back in time with five stories that precede the series. We begin with Wallander's first case as a 21-year-old patrol officer investigating the stabbing of his neighbor on his own time while wooing girlfriend Mona (his ex-wife in all the Wallander novels). The stories end in the late 1980s as the veteran detective finds connections between a plane crash and the execution-style deaths of two elderly shopkeepers. As always, it's a treat to spend several hours with Mankell, Wallander, and Hill. A.B. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine