Customer Reviews

Pyramid and Other Kurt Wallander Mysteries

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Kurt Wallander fans have always wondered where this introverted, cranky and hypondriac detective has come from. "Wallander's First Case" is an exquisite illustration of "we do what we are". Kurt was born to be a detective, there was no other option for him. As a detective, he is exceptional although unexpected. This is the most interesting of the stories in this book. The other 3 stories chronicle Wallander through his life, giving us a lot of 'fill-in' data of his earlier life, including a time when his marriage was still successful and he had his children. The story of his other cases nicely supplement the well loved series of his amazing case history as a detective. It will satisfy the Wallander fan immensely. Reading "Wallander's First Case" gave me, a long time and dedicated Mankell fan, the missing Wallander anecdote that I never knew I was missing until I read it. It establishes Wallander on his journey of self discovery through his work; not through his relationships, something many of us can relate to. I thank the author for that. Mankell is a delight for the reader who is also a dedicated professional who shares many of the everyday frustrations as Wallander. Mankell's divergent novels including the Depths, Italian Shoes and Kennedy's Brain give us different incarnations of a Wallander archtype; the self isolating, middle aged, professionally successful man whose deep inner yearnings and sensitivities give us a vulnerable hero who longs for salvation but whose lack of self awareness keeps it from realizing. The male hero of all these novels strikes me as essentially the same man; and Mankell's more recent works (The Depths, Italian Shoes) move this character ever more to the fore. It is only in Italian Shoes that the reluctant hero achieves salvation because of the actions of his old lover, Harriet. Through her actions and revelations, he discovers the key to unlocking his frozen psyche and he is able to rejoin the human race and find redemtion. I cannot wait for Wallander to meet his 'Harriet'.

Excellent stories about the principal caracter, Kurt wallander, answering all the questions we had about his past.