Having seen Kenneth Branagh play Wallender on TV, I was intrigued to see for myself the original source. I'm not disappointed. The character of Wallender is nicely developed as an 'every-man' -a middle-aged man trying to do a difficult job that wrecks relationships, (I'm an ex-cop, and know that this aspect of the job is all too common) while trying to cope with the changes in society that seem always to be for the worst. As for the 'coincidences and luck' that lead to the eventual capture of the killers - that's how it is in reality. Someone remembers something that they thought was trivial, and it leads to a conviction. Cops spend an awful lot of time going up blind alleys, chasing false leads. It's worth remembering that criminals don't want to be caught, and often succeed in evading the law. So, for other reviewers to criticise the luck element in the story is naive. Well worth a read, but don't expect James Ellroy or Kathy Reichs.
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