I first hear of the Wallander series of novels through watching the BBC adaptations. I began at the start and quickly arrived at Sidetracked, the fifth Wallander novel. Sidetracked happened to be one of the three books adapted for TV so when I began reading I was already familiar with what happens in the book. However, this did not spoil my enjoyment of the book.
Sidetracked goes back to the bread and butter of police procedurals, which is by no means a bad thing. Gone are the days of international mischief that have peppered previous novels. Wallander and his team of well-established characters are involved in two cases, which at first do not appear to be related and are committed in the vicinity of Skane - a series of murders involving scalping and the gruesome suicide of a young lady.
There is also a greater insight into Wallander's personal life. His relationships with members of his family begin to warm and his love interest - Baipa - gets a greater mention in this book, which is welcome.
Overall, an excellent Wallander outing. It's easy to see why this book is award-winning