The Man From Beijing
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More About the Author
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Review
`Mankell's cool intelligence and taut plotting shine as ever'
--Waterstone's Books Quarterly
'Scandinavian crime writing has seldom shouldered the burdens of world history with such upfront ambition' -- Independent
'Mr Mankell is a master portraitist of Sweden's underside.' -- Economist
"A generally gripping thriller" --The Observer
`A genuinely gripping crime novel' --The Sunday Times
Mankell's great strength as a crime writer is evident --TLS, February 2010
"The master of the Swedish crime thriller... a master modern storyteller"
--Daily Express
--Waterstone's Books Quarterly
'Scandinavian crime writing has seldom shouldered the burdens of world history with such upfront ambition' -- Independent
'Mr Mankell is a master portraitist of Sweden's underside.' -- Economist
"A generally gripping thriller" --The Observer
`A genuinely gripping crime novel' --The Sunday Times
Mankell's great strength as a crime writer is evident --TLS, February 2010
"The master of the Swedish crime thriller... a master modern storyteller"
--Daily Express
Book Description
A brutal revenge story that is both a gripping police procedural and a chilling political thriller
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book starts out really well and then loses the plot! As soon as the Chinese chapters appear it is as if written by a different author. The plot is ridiculous and just doesn't make sense and the idea of Mugabe being a good man - well come on where has this author been living for the last 20 years.
The conclusion leaves so many untied ends that you begin to think I could have written a better book than this.
So no I really did not enjoy this book I found it extremely hard going.
The conclusion leaves so many untied ends that you begin to think I could have written a better book than this.
So no I really did not enjoy this book I found it extremely hard going.
13 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Henning Mankell is a favourite author of mine. In particular I do like the Wallander series but he does write other very good books as well! That said, I was disappointed by "The Man from Beijing". Of course it is well written (and translated) but there were too many loose ends for my liking. As a work of fiction the reader is required to suspend some element of belief but how much depends on the genre - for example, science fiction cannot work if reality is not suspended to a large extent. Henning's latest offering (in part) deals with police procedure and the judiciary. Thus, the plot needs to be more grounded and realistic.
So, do I recommend the book? Absolutely. Mankell fans will need no persuasion to read this offering. It is those who are new to the author I worry about. If they are disappointed by this novel, they may never get round to reading his other books - which would be a great shame. However, if they do like this one, they can look forward to his other (better) novels.
So, do I recommend the book? Absolutely. Mankell fans will need no persuasion to read this offering. It is those who are new to the author I worry about. If they are disappointed by this novel, they may never get round to reading his other books - which would be a great shame. However, if they do like this one, they can look forward to his other (better) novels.
31 of 39 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I was impressed by this book, though it took me a while to get into. There are numerous shifts of character, place and time, from 21st century Sweden, where the (first) crime takes place, to 19th century China, USA in the 1860s, modern China and even Africa.
At the start it looks as though this is going to be a "normal" detective story (I hadn't read any Mankell before so wasn't quite sure what to expect). Vivi Sundberg will investigate the crime. Oh, here comes a maverick judge - Birgitta Roslin - who has a connection with the victims and wants to get involved - so they'll bounce off each other but eventually get to the bottom of it. As soon as I thought I'd got it nailed down, though, and sat back to enjoy, it began to skid around. Sundberg more or less disappears. We hear almost nothing about the investigation. (How can Mankell waste that character? I want to hear more about her!)
The story is like quicksilver - we leap back to the 1860s, and see what's behind the crime, then fast forward to modern China then divert to Africa. Because, fundamentally, this is more than just a crime story, it's something quite different. Mankell shows us China in three centuries - first dominated by the West in the 19th, then waking up in the 20th, then - that's where it gets interesting. In the 21st, will it turn into a coloniser, and use its new found wealth to take revenge for the past? Will it find another way? The book neatly illustrates that choice. At times it reads like an essay on the future of China (which means, a point repeatedly made, the future of us all). But it remains gripping - I think that few writers would succeed in keeping the book interesting, keeping the story going, at the same, but Mankell does.
As I said, it's a lot more than a crime story, though it is that, and it has all of the tension and suspense you could ask for, especially the ending which - in keeping with the globe hopping nature of the rest of the book - takes place in London.
I'll definitely read more Mankell after this.
At the start it looks as though this is going to be a "normal" detective story (I hadn't read any Mankell before so wasn't quite sure what to expect). Vivi Sundberg will investigate the crime. Oh, here comes a maverick judge - Birgitta Roslin - who has a connection with the victims and wants to get involved - so they'll bounce off each other but eventually get to the bottom of it. As soon as I thought I'd got it nailed down, though, and sat back to enjoy, it began to skid around. Sundberg more or less disappears. We hear almost nothing about the investigation. (How can Mankell waste that character? I want to hear more about her!)
The story is like quicksilver - we leap back to the 1860s, and see what's behind the crime, then fast forward to modern China then divert to Africa. Because, fundamentally, this is more than just a crime story, it's something quite different. Mankell shows us China in three centuries - first dominated by the West in the 19th, then waking up in the 20th, then - that's where it gets interesting. In the 21st, will it turn into a coloniser, and use its new found wealth to take revenge for the past? Will it find another way? The book neatly illustrates that choice. At times it reads like an essay on the future of China (which means, a point repeatedly made, the future of us all). But it remains gripping - I think that few writers would succeed in keeping the book interesting, keeping the story going, at the same, but Mankell does.
As I said, it's a lot more than a crime story, though it is that, and it has all of the tension and suspense you could ask for, especially the ending which - in keeping with the globe hopping nature of the rest of the book - takes place in London.
I'll definitely read more Mankell after this.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A transcontinental epic
Not everyone appreciates a tale that spans generations and continents. Not everyone appreciates a tale of political and commercial intrigue wrapped in a tale of psychotic revenge. Read more
Published 2 months ago by I. A. Wright
Three Books in One
Started OK with the serial killer theme in Sweden. The digression into Chinese and American history and then into modem day Chinese and African politics just didn't fit. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Patricia M. Straughan
The Man from Beijing
I greatly enjoyed this book. It was not a surprise since Mankell is one of my favourite authors. I am very pleased with the Kindle system.The Man From Beijing
Published 2 months ago by Garcia Rodolfo Carlos
It's no Wallander
I've read all of Mankell's crime novels and finished with The Man From Beijing.
I was surprised and a little worried about the mediocre reviews and ratings given to this book. Read more
I was surprised and a little worried about the mediocre reviews and ratings given to this book. Read more
Published 4 months ago by beat_by_beat
Extraordinarily bad
This is just dreadful. Mankell has proved with his fine Wallander books to be a skilled author, so goodness knows what possessed him to churn out this absolute dogs dinner of a... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Inky
Mankell couldn't decide what kind of book he wanted to write
Putting my cards on the table, I am a huge fan of Mankell when he writes about Wallander; not quite so much of a fan when he writes other novels though I have found some of them... Read more
Published 4 months ago by C. Ivins
This is just garbage
I cannot belive that I read the whole of this book as it was pure rubbish. It seemed to me that the author got fed up with it himself so just concluded without giving any thought... Read more
Published 5 months ago by B. Kelly
So disappointing
Like some other reviewers I picked this book by chance - I think it was part of a 3-for-2 offer somewhere. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Myfanwy
My first Mankell book...
This is my first book from this author, picked up at random in the supermarket and interest in Scandinavian fiction brought about by the excellent Killing currently on TV. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Lisle
Was it just me, did I miss something?
I really enjoyed the first part of this book. A mass murder in a sleepy Swedish village, and the promise of a well thought-out plot as to why it had occurred would eventually... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Murtz
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