The Man from Beijing by Henning Mankell

The sky seemed close; the stars shone brightly that night. I can see the surface, she thought. There is a connection, thin threads intertwining with one another. But what lay behind it all? What was the motive for killing nineteen people in the north of Sweden, and also putting an end to a family in the Nevada desert? Probably no more than the usual: revenge, greed, jealousy. But what injustice could require such drastic revenge? Who could gain financially by murdering a number of pensioners in a northern hamlet who were already well on their way to death? Who could possibly be jealous of them?

-The Man from Beijing

Whew. I started The Man from Beijing quite awhile ago and, under normal circumstances, I would have finished awhile ago as well. However, I broke my leg two weeks ago, and in the early days of my recovery, I found the novel didn't suit my mood at all. I almost put it down entirely, as I was in the middle of a grim and seemingly interminable flashback section. But I persevered, and here we are.

In The Man from Beijing, Henning Mankell grabs the reader with an intriguing (if grisly) premise: 19 savage murders, killing almost the entire population of a little Swedish village in one fell swoop. We're drawn into the police investigation, but our true protagonist emerges a bit later. Her name is Birgitta Roslin, and she's a judge with no professional connection to the case. She discovers, though, that she has a personal one, and before she knows it, Birgitta has developed her own independent line of inquiry.

The police are dismissive, but Birgitta keeps investigating, ensnaring herself in a situation that is far more dangerous that she could have imagined. The story she eventually pieces together spans four continents and relies on events that transpired more than 150 years ago. Despite this, I wouldn't call The Man from Beijing overly complicated, though Mankell does get bogged down in history at some points. Nevertheless, by the end of the novel he kicks things into high gear in a manner that should leave fans of suspense happy.

Overall, I didn't find The Man from Beijing quite as absorbing as I would have hoped. I found Birgitta to be a likable protagonist, and I appreciated that she was an amateur detective, which is fairly unusual in mysteries nowadays. I was less interested, though, when Mankell veered away from her story and delved into geopolitical concerns. My disinterest might have also stemmed from my mood, of course, as I really wanted something much lighter in tone* (Sookie Stackhouse, where art thou?). Still, I think international thrillers just aren't my cup of tea. I'd be much more excited to read another of Mankell's Wallander stories as opposed to another stand-alone novel.

Up next: Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan

*I've been simultaneously rereading Naked by David Sedaris, which was really the type of book I needed. I find that Sedaris is pretty much indispensable during any trying times.