The Man Who Smiled

A Kurt Wallander Mystery

Henning Mankell

Translated by Laurie Thompson

At last, the long-awaited fourth mystery in the internationally bestselling Kurt Wallander series

“For me, Henning Mankell is by far the best writer of police mysteries today. He is in the great tradition of those whose works transcend their chosen genre to become thrilling and moral literature.” —Michael Ondaatje

The New York Times called Henning Mankell “that unusual thing: a European thriller writer whose work holds up as literature and who has broken out as an international phenomenon.” In The Man Who Smiled, all of Mankell’s talents as a master of the modern police procedural—which have earned him legions of fans worldwide—are showcased.

After killing a man in the line of duty, Inspector Kurt Wallander finds himself deep in a personal and professional crisis; during more than a year of sick leave, he turns to drink and vice to quiet his fears and anxieties. Once he pulls himself together, he vows to quit the Ystad police force for good—just before a friend who had asked Wallander to look into the death of his father winds up dead himself, shot three times.

Far from leaving police work behind, Wallander instead must investigate a formidable suspect: a powerful business tycoon at the helm of a multinational company engaged in extralegal activities in the gross pursuit of profit. Ann-Britt Höglund, the department’s first female detective, proves to be his best ally as he tries to pierce the smiling façade of his prime suspect. But just as he comes close to uncovering the truth, the same shadowy threats responsible for the murders close in on Wallander himself.

The Man Who Smiled is the fourth book in the Kurt Wallander mystery series.

Topics:

Literature

Praise

“Diabolic. . . . Chilling. . . . Mankell is a master at developing varied atmospheres, creating deeply probled, vulnerable—and hence believable—characters, as well as devising ingenious plots.”

—Los Angeles Times

“Absorbing. . . . In the masterly manner of P.D. James, Mankell projects his hero’s brooding thoughts onto nature itself.”

—The New York Times Book Review

“Wallander . . . is one of the most credible creations in contemporary crime fiction, and The Man Who Smiled is vintage Nordic storytelling.”

—The Guardian

“Mankell’s novels became the standard bearer for foreign crime in translation . . . the writer is a man of rare skills. . . . Plotting here is as impeccable as ever.”