This detective series takes place in southern Sweden during approximately 25 years, spanning 1990 to 2005. Time and place are important to Mankell’s stories, since he uses Wallender’s reflections to share thoughts about Sweden, Europe, and the world during this time. This map will help place you in the world of Wallander, as you read the 10 novels and two novellas:

Ystad sits southeast of Copenhagen, on the Swedish coast. Some significant places in the stories include Skagen, which sits on the northernmost tip of Denmark, in the region of Jutland; Mossby Strand and Kaseberga, beaches local to Ystad; and the Gryt Archipelago, near Stockholm, the setting of much of the action of the last book. Don’t be put off by the Swedish names and places; rather immerse yourself in this fascinating place and culture. It is highly relatable, as we get to know Wallander and the societal and geopolitical issues he faces.

The books are to be read in the following order:

Faceless Killers

The Dogs of Riga

The White Lioness

The Man Who Smiled

Sidetracked

The Fifth Woman

One Step Behind

Firewall

Before the Frost

The Troubled Man

The two novellas are best read as follows: The Pyramid can be read before Before the Frost, and An Event in Autumn just before The Troubled Man. The Troubled Man must come last, as it closes the series.

Kurt Wallander is an inspector with the Ystad police department, on the southern coast of Sweden. He begins his career in the larger police department of Malmo, just across the strait from Copenhagen. It is a larger force, and he works his way up to detective there. When he meets and marries his wife Mona, she insists they must find a safer place to live and raise their daughter, Linda. Kurt and Mona choose Ystad, while safer, offers few opportunities for promotion, and will limit his career.

Kurt is as complicated a person as any of us, thoughtful, highly stressed in his position as detective, his life always at loose ends. He takes his work very seriously, becoming obsessively absorbed in the murder of the moment, such that he fails to 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 conflicted relationship with his father, a man of erratic temper who is outraged by Kurt’s career choice and never fails to dig him for it. When we meet Kurt, his marriage has recently failed, and Mona takes Linda with her, much to Kurt’s great despair. He is unmoored, living from case to case, trying to pick up his life in between. He vows repeatedly to change his ways, eat better, drink less, move out of the city into a home in the countryside near the water, get a dog, find someone to share this better life—maybe even leave detective work entirely. He fails to make any of these changes until nearly the end of the series, when poor health and age force these changes upon him.

Interestingly, Kurt is much more intuition-driven as a detective. He will write down repeatedly all the fact of a case, like a map or a story, looking for missing links or irrational elements. He will struggle to reach for a connection sensed but not logically presented, much like a predator or dog. Mankell often likens Kurt to a primitive hunter, which is when he is most effective at solving murders. Often, by the time he grasps what was just out of sight, he comes close to losing his own life, and has many close calls. We get the impression of a large man, not stout, but bearish, with strong urges and appetites, who constantly yearns to do better, be better, accomplish more, and live with more happiness and peace. He often questions what is a good life, and how he should achieve it. He is an interesting person to spend time with through these books.

Ystad is a good setting for the mysteries, placed near the major cities of Stockholm and Copenhagen, as well as ferry rides away from Germany, Poland, and the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Keep in mind that this is right around the time when the Berlin Wall fell, the Soviet Union dissolved, and these neighboring countries just achieved their independence, no longer living behind the Iron Curtain. Transnational crime such as hard drugs trafficking, human trafficking, and increasing levels of violent crime are reaching even rural settings like Ystad, at the same time as budget cuts and reduced manpower for the Ystad force. These circumstances create the stresses Kurt deals with in the course of his career; since he cares deeply about professional competence and the senseless human tragedies and sufferings he witnesses, he suffers deeply from depression and angst.

Kurt’s relationships with his coworkers and family are a key component to 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 attending the police academy and beginning 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 most on Linda, Before the Frost, we hear her thoughts on Kurt, his professional and personal behavior.

As a murder mystery series, these books have all the intrigue, excitement, and mental challenge you would expect. Kurt is a demanding detective, expecting the highest level of ability from himself and his coworkers. The mysteries are not predictable, but you learn all you need to follow Kurt as he collects facts and struggles to solve murders and prevent further loss of life. Kurt’s observations of human nature and motivation, as well as societal changes taking place in Sweden add greatly to the depth of these novels. I highly recommend you read this series, and follow Wallander’s life and career, and learn more about Sweden of the recent past. After reading the series, I also recommend essays found on the website, deadgoodbooks.co.uk. Just search for Kurt Wallander, and you will find essays I found helpful to explain the locales, and order of reading. Additional reflections found here are also worth reading.