One Step Behind by
Henning Mankell
pbk out April 03
(Harvill)
at £5.99
In a short space of time, Henning Mankell has become one of the leading lights in
contemporary crime fiction. When 'Sidetracked' won the CWA Macallan Gold
Dagger for best novel in 2001, it catapulted the Swedish author to fame in this
country. Yet his was hardly an overnight success. Indeed, it is fascinating to note that
'Sidetracked' was first published in his native country as long ago as 1995 and it did
not appear here until five years later. Harvill are to be congratulated on their
enterprise in spotting, not for the first time, the talent of a foreign author little-known
in the UK. Now four of the nine titles in the Kurt Wallander series have been brought
out together, it is interesting to see how the character develops – one of the most
rewarding features of any long-running crime fiction series. Wallander is one of the
most dogged of cops, although it has to be said that he is also one of the gloomiest. In
this he strongly resembles Martin Beck, who featured in the series written by
Mankell's compatriots, Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo. The earlier books have clearly
influenced Mankell's approach, but he is a shade less didactic as a writer than his
predecessors, and that is all to the good. Of these four titles, 'Sidetracked' is probably
the most successful, even though the identity of the culprit, and his motivation, is
revealed rather too early for my taste. Mankell excels at conveying the persistence
required for effective detection, and also at set pieces. The murder of a former
government minister by an axe-wielding assailant in a horrifying get-up, and the death
by burning of a young girl, in a field of rape, are memorably and chillingly described.
There are equally evocative tableaux in the other books, notably the bizarre multiple-
murder at the start of 'One Step Behind', when a mystery man shoots dead three
people who are acting out a weird masque in a nature reserve on Midsummer's Eve.
Mankell's plots do not always live up to the promise of his opening scenes, and the
gloom tends to be as oppressive as a Scandinavian winter. Nevertheless, these are
sinewy police novels which undoubtedly stand out from the ruck.
(
Martin Edwards
- author of the highly acclaimed Harry Devlin Mysteries)
