Inspector Kurt Wallander’s long-anticipated vacation plans are interrupted by two horrific deaths: the self-immolation of an unidentified young woman and the brutal murder of the former minister of justice. As the police struggle to piece together the few clues they have, the killer strikes again and again. What connection is there between a retired minister of justice, a successful art dealer, and a common petty thief? Why does the killer scalp his victims? And could there be some connection between the young woman's death and the murders?

Sidetracked, winner of the Best Crime Novel of the Year in Sweden, is part of the gripping Kurt Wallander Mystery Series that has taken Europe by storm. Mankell, called “the King of Crime” by The Economist, infuses the story with a searing look at the problems facing contemporary society, from the disintegration of the family and the exploitation of women to corruption and scandal at the highest levels of government. Rumpled but razor-sharp, Wallander remains a “solid character, utterly credible, and Mankell knows how to make the most of his virtues” (Publishers Weekly).