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The Dogs of Riga (Kurt Wallender Mystery)
 
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The Dogs of Riga (Kurt Wallender Mystery) (Paperback)

by Henning Mankell (Author), Laurie Thompson (Translator)
3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 326 pages
  • Publisher: The Harvill Press (18 Oct 2001)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 186046839X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1860468391
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 768,110 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review

"Inspector Wallander has touches of Dexter's Inspector Morse about him, while remaining an original and highly likeable creation" Marcel Berlins, The Times; "It is not hard to see why the Wallander books have made a particular impact. They are tightly plotted, but even more importantly, as in most good crime fiction, the character of the detective and the atmosphere surrounding the action are what give that extra edge to the performance" Hugh Macpherson, Times Literary Supplement


Product Description

Another mesmerising and brilliant mystery from Sweden's renowned crime writer. It is February, 1991. Inspector Kurt Wallander and his team receive a call to the Ystad police station. A dinghy has washed ashore, carrying a hideous cargo: two men, dressed in expensive suits, shot dead. The dead men were Latvian criminals, and this time Wallander will unwittingly become involved in the affairs of the nation so close to Sweden, yet still emerging from behind the Iron Curtain. When another murder is committed, Wallander agrees to travel to Riga to help solve the crimes. There he finds himself plunged into a nightmare world of police surveillance, veiled threats, and lies. Alone, determined to discover the truth and pursued by the shadowy figures of the secret police, Wallander will test his bravery to the limits - and he will also find love.
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Customer Reviews

20 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.5 out of 5 stars (20 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars An Atmospheric Journey, 9 Jan 2003
By "scribeoflight" - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: The Dogs of Riga (Harvill Panther) (Paperback)
Of the two 'Kurt Wallander' novels I have read, 'The Dogs of Riga' is the weaker: 'Faceless Killers' has a more compelling plot, and a more interesting narrative. However, 'The Dogs of Riga' is still a very good book. The ending is slightly cluttered, with Mankell pushing credibility a little, but the novel as a whole is an excellent portrait of a determined Swedish Police detective who happens to be a little unlucky and a little unhealthy.

'The Dogs of Riga' is basically a Police Procedural detective novel and a no-details-ignored, everything-included study of a middle-aged man going through a variety of problems, whether they be medical, personal, or career-related. We may not aspire to be like Wallander in all respects, but the character earns the respect, admiration, and - at times - symphathy of the reader. Mankell weaves the most mundane details of Wallander's life and police investigations into a narrative which is always compelling. And he is astute not only with regard to character: there is a superb sense of geographical place, time, and politics in these novels. And this sense is nuanced, and not in any way simplistic. If anything, Mankell paints the world in too realistic a way: it is so plausible and real that reading about certain aspects of it can be depressing.

Recommended, although 'Faceless Killers' is the first novel, in terms of Wallander's chronology. After reading 'Faceless Killers' and 'The Dogs of Riga', read 'Sidetracked' and 'The Fifth Woman', in that order.

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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Growing Quality, 27 Jan 2005
By A. Weston "Adrian Weston" (Brighton, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Dogs of Riga (Harvill Panther) (Paperback)
I was surprised by a previous reviewer's comment that they found Dogs of Riga unengaging - I found it totally compelling. I do think that there are production glitches - sloppy editorial work on Vintage's part which seriously interfere with the readability of the book - but that aside Wallender is a very engaging, somewhat Rebus-esque hero. In this volume he finds himself sucked almost powerlessly into the decaying world of the collapsing Communist regime of Latvia. I enjoyed Faceless Killers, the previous volume, but I think Dogs of Riga is a dramatic step up in terms of sophistication. You can feel the author inhabiting Wallender's skin more fully with every page. Excellent stuff, I say!
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26 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Mankell is a modern master, 18 Nov 2001
By A Customer
The crime novels of Henning Mankell might be new to you (as they were to me before this year), but after you've read your first you might wonder: Where has he been all my life? These books by an internationally bestselling Swedish writer (who, unusually, lives in Mozambique, I think) are modern masterpieces of the genre.

The writing is addictive and throught-stirring, the main character, Inspector Wallander, is the flawed-heroic everyman that I think American Noir writers of the Thirties had well in mind. In this novel, THE DOGS OF RIGA, Wallander faces the increasingly growing problem of crime that crosses national boundaries. Some pretty horried corpses are washed up on his turf and the solution to the killings lies in the law-free-zone that is the post-communist East Europe. In this sense, Wallander is like a lone lawman in the old West, fighting for justice in a lawless society. This book is an epic, stunning achievement.

I would also recommend that readers new to Mankell and Insp. Wallander read SIDETRACKED, the author's novel which won the Best Crime Novel in his native country in 1997.

And while I'm on a roll(!), I'd also like to mention a couple of other fantastic reads - both by new authors to me - which I've enjoyed recently. The first is POWER OF ATTORNEY, by British barrister, Dexter Dias. This is quite simply the best legal thriller I've read in years. (His earlier novel FALSE WITNESS, which I've just finished, is also a must-read).

The other book I'd recommend (which combines both a legal and a snowy theme!) is THE ICE HARVEST by Scott Phillips. I think it's his first book, and is very impressive.

I hope you enjoy my suggestions as much as I did ...

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Read
One of Mankell's earliest books and, I think, one of his best. A must for anyone interested in Police thrillers.
Published 19 days ago by Mark Time

3.0 out of 5 stars Suspense and anguish in Latvia
The novel is unique among all Wallander stories. It takes us to Latvia, behind the iron curtain, where Wallander encounters people who think and behave differently than what he is... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Dona Rendell

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great mystery from Henning Mankel
Yet another fantastic Wallander mystery from this great Swedish author. I've read nearly all of them now and can't wait to start from the beginning again.
Published 3 months ago by Mrs. Rosa M. Crosbie

3.0 out of 5 stars A poor follow-up with a weak plot
I ordered the second in the Wallander series having been impressed with the first in the series - Faceless Killers. Read more
Published 6 months ago by J. Milton

4.0 out of 5 stars Dog of Riga
A fine Mankell gritty detective yarn set as always in the often bleak landscape of Southern Sweden but this time incoporating even bleaker post USSR Latvia. Read more
Published 6 months ago by B. Beavan

4.0 out of 5 stars The Norse Morse in fine form
I've had this book on my shelves for ages, purposely waiting for the TV series to come and go, so that I could assess how the character was portrayed, also knowing that if I... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Michael Watson

3.0 out of 5 stars In which a dogged Scandinavian detective goes 'Le Carre'
Rather different to the first Wallander novel, this one took me by surprise by venturing into Le Carre territory involving our dogged detective in an international conspiracy in... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Annabel Gaskell

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining story, but too many twists and turns
This time inspector Kurt Wallander has to solve the murder on two very well-dressed men, who float ashore the Swedish coast on a raft. The trail leads to Latvia. Read more
Published on 23 May 2007 by Linda Oskam

5.0 out of 5 stars Wallender is a must read
This is the second novel in the Kurt Wallender series of books translated from Swedish.

It developes the character of Wallender superbly from the first book (Faceless... Read more
Published on 28 April 2007 by Scully Bloke

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting insight into Latvia at the end of the 80's
When a life raft is washed up on the Swedish coast, carrying two frozen corpses, Kurt Wallander is called in to investigate. Read more
Published on 12 Oct 2006 by MaryAnne

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