Kurt Wallander book No.7 sees Wallander and co. finding themselves always one step behind an appalling and apparently motiveless serial killer. Wallander himself is also struggling with his health and his future. Another great case, another great dollop of Scandi-noir. An easy Three Star, 7 out of 12.

2012 reviewcrime-fiction nordic-noir119 s James ThaneAuthor 9 books6,987

This is another dense, intricately plotted crime novel featuring Swedish detective Kurt Wallander. Three young people, dressed in costumes and celebrating Midsummer's Eve, are brutally murdered. The killer buries the bodies and while they remain undiscovered, the victim's parents are led to believe that their children are off touring Europe. However, the mother of one of the victims refuses to believe this and insists that the police should be investigating the disappearance of the three. But the evidence, such as it is, suggests that the three are in fact alive and well, and the police do not take the mother's claims seriously.

The one official who does believe that something might be amiss, is Kurt Wallander's colleague, Svedberg. For some unknown reason, though, Svedberg does not share his suspicions with Wallander or anyone else. Rather, he takes vacation time and begins to quietly investigate the case on his own. Shortly thereafter, Svedberg dies under mysterious circumstances and almost immediately thereafter, it becomes clear that the three young people have indeed been murdered.

Kurt Wallander now faces the most baffling case of his career. He realizes that the death of Svedberg must be connected to the murders of the three young people, but how? And the deeper he digs into the mystery, the more elusive a solution appears to be.

This is not a break-neck thriller. It proceeds at a very stately pace, as a real investigation of this magnitude would. There's a great deal of soul-searching and second-guessing from practically everyone involved, Wallander most of all. The story takes place against a society that's in transition, and a lot of people are wondering if things are spinning out of control. Although the novel takes place during an unusually warm summer, the overall tone of the book could not be more dreary.

Throughout the book, Wallander suffers from what almost seems to be clinical depression. He has major health issues; he's not sleeping well; he has hardly any energy, and for all the world, you would think he was a man approaching seventy. It's almost jarring when the author reminds us on several occasions, that Wallander is not even fifty yet. He questions his own ability and we are left to wonder through much of the book whether he will be able to see this case through to a successful conclusion.

This is probably not a book that will appeal to readers looking for a bright, uplifting story to take them away from the cares and woes of their daily existence. But for those who enjoy dark, gritty, believable police procedurals, One Step Behind will be just what the doctor ordered.kurt-wallander73 s BradAuthor 2 books1,797

There's something to be said for knowing the answer to a mystery while you're reading a mystery. I watched the first season of Wallander, of which One Step Behind was the last episode, before ever cracking a Wallander book, yet it didn't hurt my experience reading the book. Henning Mankell did that quite well on his own (but more on that later).

When the book opened, and Wallander's colleague, Svedberg, was found murdered in his flat, I was thrilled with knowing who the killer was and how the killer was related to his/her past and future victims. The myriad clues that Wallander, Höglund and Martinsson were missing were clear to me in a way they wouldn't have been if I was reading this without prior knowledge (though I am quite observant in a literary-Sherlock way); I had no investigative work to do, so I could just pick up the clues and move along.

What this allowed me to do, in turn, was pay more attention to the characters. I was able to settle into the rhythms of their work, their relationships and their problems, which pulled me deep into the story at a rapid rate. It started well. I was enjoying One Step Behind more than any other Wallander I've read, then my enjoyment began to fall apart in the most unexpected ways.

I should mention, here, that while I was reading this Wallander I was listening (for the second time) to Sjowall & Wahloo's The Man Who Went Up in Smoke. I've found the Martin Beck books to be superior to the Wallander books, so I shouldn't be surprised that One Step Behind couldn't match its forebear, but the area in which Mankell's creation suffered most in comparison was the attitude towards the killer. Sjowall & Wahloo were not believers in the pure madman, the evil killer for the sake of evil -- nor am I. So Mankell's decision to cast his One Step Behind killer with that mould, to let a dust mote debate float throughout the book about the nature of the killer, then end it with the killer being mad and evil, left me disappointed.

Not nearly so disappointed, however, as I was at Wallander's personal turn as Dirty Harry. He was every bad Hollywood cop cliché: he was the unorthodox but effective copper; he was the cop obsessed with catching his (wo)man, all else be damned; he was self-righteous and full of venom for everyone he judged; he took unnecessary risks, put others in danger, fought off meddling bureaucrats, broke laws, all in the name of justice. I had come to expect more from Kurt Wallander in Henning Mankell's books, and the early stages of One Step Behind had promised that I would get what I expected. But no. All I got was disappointment.

What started as potentially my most favourite Wallander book turned into my least. I think I will watch the BBC version again soon (I've not seen it in a long time), and see if Wallander is as Hollywood there as he is in Mankell's pages. I sure hope not. detective hopes-dashed--an-egg-on-cement police-procedural ...more22 s Bill Krieger575 28

Wow. This is a must read for all Wallander-philes. The plot is very good. Even better though, Wallander is a mess. He has health problems, his father died in the last book, he doesn't have a girlfriend, his ex-wife is getting remarried, and his confidence is completely shot. It's classic, wonderful Wallander. Ups and downs and dog tired through a difficult case, it's just a lot of fun to follow along.

One of my favorite scenes is when Wallander learns that one of his coworkers considers Wallander to be his best friend. This rocks Wallander's world because he has no personal interaction with the guy outside of work. Is everyone as isolated as I feel, Wallander wonders. And what do the people I feel close to really think of me? It's a classic episode of Wallander self-doubt and over-analysis.

I have loved all the Wallander books, and this one may be the best. (BOLD!) It's 4+ bill-stars, and it took some late plot miscues to keep this book from being 5 stars.

Not a goodread(.com). A GREAT read!
he he... yow, bill
14 s Bibliophile771 48

One Step Behind was my second Henning Mankell novel about Swedish policeman Kurt Wallander, and Sidetracked, the first Wallander novel I read, I wanted to it more than I did. One Step Behind concerns the investigation into the murder of a policeman, one of Wallander’s colleagues, who was himself involved in a secret investigation of a crime that no one else believed had been committed. How Wallander manages to catch the criminal despite constantly being “one step behind” forms the mystery here!

I do the atmosphere of the novels and Wallander’s musings about how the world is changing, but sometimes the gloom-and-doom about how violent/bad Swedish society is kind of makes me laugh (given how much less violent Sweden is than the United States!) Plus, the resolutions to both mysteries ended up being rather far-fetched (and I never the “inside the mind of the killer” stuff, because it has seemed a bit banal in both of the Mankell mysteries I read – someone Ruth Rendell makes her psychopaths incredibly creepy and yet weirdly sympathetic, and Mankell doesn’t seem to have the skill to do that.) Also, and I don’t know whether this is just the translation, but the writing seems very flat and stiff in One Step Behind (it seems to be written in the style of my son’s board books.) Still, I’m a completist, and Wallander is an interesting enough figure that I probably will go ahead and read the rest of these mysteries (kvetching the entire time!)
2009 fiction mystery-and-suspense ...more12 s Dave SchaafsmaAuthor 6 books31.8k

The Man Who Never Laughs Hunted by The Cops Who Never Laugh

Book #7 of Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallander series is a book of secrets. I think in many ways this is not such a memorable book, no amazing plot hooks, really, a 3 star book in terms of the story--a serial killer book, ehhh, high body count, ho hum, the guy kills because he doesn't it that others are happy, huh, okay--but it is very well paced and plotted and ultimately compelling, in part because we very much this sad vulnerable world Mankell has created. It's just very good storytelling about characters by this time we are very familiar with and . Real people, good people we have come to care about, trying to do the right thing in a world that seems slowly to be going out of control.

So, secrets: Wallander secretly continues to mourn his father's death, secretly mourns the fact that his ex is getting remarried, mourns the fact that his Latvian girlfriend has finally dumped him and that he now has Diabetes and is really in worse shape than anyone knows. He's good, but deeply flawed as detective, too, more determined than adept; he forgets to take a notepad to interviews, he fails to take his phone and even his gun to The Showdown with The Killer. But he's us, a regular guy, not Sherlock.

The Killer himself has plenty of secrets; he has disguises, even as some of his young victims also wear costumes for their (apparently too) happy, celebratory masques. Early on he kills (spoiler alert, sorry) Wallander's valued colleague Svedberg, who has a whole series of his own secrets (spoiler alert!) no one else on the force knew about: he had a long term relationship with the killer--yup, he was gay, and no one that he worked with knew it!--the guy whom he had begun to (secretly) investigate for the possible murder of three young revelers.

So, it's a grim view of the world, and humans, generally: Parents don't know their children, ad nvice versa, cops don't know their colleagues--one we find out is suicidal, one is getting a divorce, and no one knew anything about these things! Everyone has secrets they don't reveal to each other, we wear masks and costumes to hide these things. And the world is getting more violent, more racist, just getting worse, even in little provincial town Ystad. Sweden has the rep of having that happy, sexy Nordic vibe! But underneath, they harbor secrets about just how happy they really are.

One interesting departure here is that this particular entry to the series never ventures out of Sweden, and focuses on the health condition of Wallander and the state of the country rather than a particular global social problem as he always has done. It's basically a police procedural, but it really gets under your skin, it's a good one, finally. I it that we see things occasionally from the perspective of the killer, so we know who the intended #9 victim is intended to be before anyone conducting the investigation. I it that one of the very final scenes features the injured Wallander talking to a young boy about why he is a cop.

"Do you ever regret having become a policeman?"
"Yes, every day."
"Then why do you keep doing it?"
"I guess because I know I am good at it. I don't know what else I would do."

Oh, the high body count (that includes several happy people including even newlyweds taking wedding pics!) kind of irritates me in these serial killer stories, and I don't it that we always have to resolve the crimes in typically dramatic thriller fashion, but I it that Wallander is driven, even at the expense of his health and personal life, to do good in the face of a morally crumbling society.mystery-detective-thriller nordic-noir12 s Bach Tran Quang215 371

3,5/4 sao. Th?t ra tr? 0.5 ?i?m vì thanh tra Wallander o?t ?o m?i m?t lê l?t thi?u ng? kéo t? trang này qua trang khác ch? th?t s? ?ây là m?t cu?n sách l?nh lùng và ?en t?i c?a Henning Mankell. T?c là v? án h?t s?c h?p d?n, tình ti?t ?an xen và gay c?n nh? vi?c ng??i ??c ???c tham gia vào quá trình ?i?u tra m?t cách th?c th? v?i m?i th? bày ??y lên trên m?t chi?c bàn l?n ?? ch?p n?i v?i nhau.

Có nh?ng ?o?n vi?t v? xã h?i B?c Âu nói riêng, và xã h?i loài ng??i nói chung h?t s?c ??c bi?t. M?t cái nhìn th?u su?t và l?nh lùng v? nh?ng con ng??i tr??t ngã kh?i xã h?i, m?t ?i cái tôi riêng khi ?i vào m?t t?p th? chung. ?ây là cu?n sách x?ng ?áng ?? t?t c? ng??i ??c nh?y vào trinh thám ?en c?a B?c Âu. M?t tác gi? ???c s?c, ch?c tay.

C? mà, ông thanh tra à, l?y chúa, ông ng? ?i h? tôi v?i.10 s Alejandra ArévaloAuthor 2 books1,573

Me gustó el libro pero siento que va a envejecer mal. Dicho eso: ay le sufrí mucho con las muertes de acá. 9 s Lars Guthrie546 176

When I read the works of one author, and more emphatically when I read a series by one author, I feel that I almost go further than just the reciprocal relationship between text and reader outlined by Louise Rosenblatt in her transactional theory of literature. With Mankell (and also recently with the twelve volume 'Dance to the Music of Time' by Anthony Powell), it's as if I am in a dialogue with the author. I know that's impossible; the books have already been written. But my reaction to the fifth and sixth books in the Kurt Wallander series was positive on the character development of that detective and his colleagues and negative on the implausible villains in those books. In 'One Step Behind,' number seven in the series, I found the serial killer credible and real, which made action scenes that much more engrossing and the suspense that much more chilling and nerve-wracking. The murder of one of Wallender's colleagues and the skeletons in that person's closet added spice to the usual mix. Thanks, Henning. My interest was flagging (only slightly because Wallander is so interesting). Now you're back in the game!8 s Juan Nalerio555 124

Una de las grandes novelas de Mankell.

Vemos al inspector Wallander abatido como nunca, con sobrepeso, diabético, sin haber resuelto los problemas con sus seres queridos.
A esa situación se le suma un caso policial de lo más entretenido.
Una lectura en segundo plano nos muestra los sentimientos de fracaso y exclusión de la sociedad sueca.

Que más pedir para una novela?
8 s Viencienta353 101

Otro Wallander que se va... y qué bueno es, una buena trama con un asesino imposible, que encima ataca al grupo, ninguna pista, ni restro ni nada y encima el pobre Kurt está malito, a todos los niveles. Le pasa de todo.
Encantada con el autor y la serie, no puede ser de otra forma.7 s Donald GallingerAuthor 1 book14

Henning Mankel has proved himself to be a wonderful crime novelist. His books create a wonderful sense of atmosphere along with razor sharp plotting. The great pleasure in reading Mankell is the social commentary on Sweden's changing society. His fiction is at least as much about evolving mores in Swedish culture as it is about the classic "who done its."7 s Nguyên Trang560 612

M?i l?n ??c 1 cu?n hình s? xong l?i th? là s? không ti?p t?c ??c n?a vì hoàn toàn không có tính ngh? thu?t và r?t là u ám nh?ng mà cái tính ?a tò mò c? b? mê m?y cái truy?n trinh thám hình s? kh? kinh kh?ng =))) Review thì truy?n c?ng ???c, ??c gi?i trí ok m?i t?i nhi?u m?y cái v? c?m giác này c?m giác n? quá. Dài n?a. L? ch? t?m 300 trang là ???c. Tóm l?i là ??c gi?t th?i gian v?i th?a mãn tính tò mò thôi ch? không ???c gì l?i còn ?âm s? ra ngoài ban ?êm. 6 s Mark342 74

One Step Behind is the seventh book in the Kurt Wallander series and I can honestly say these books keep getting better and better. This is a 5 star read for me... interesting as I look back on the and ratings I have given over the first six books. I started with 3 stars, worked up to 4, then 4.5 and now 5.

This book is quite dark and grisly and has a superbly crafted plot ultimately centring around one man’s intense hatred to see happiness. It’s an intriguing tale and author, Henning Mankell builds the suspense slowly as the storyline unfolds.

What I truly love about these books is the central character, Wallander. Mankell has delivered a totally believable, totally human protagonist. He makes the mundane, interesting and validates these human elements that actually give me space to embrace my own humanness. The fleeting thoughts that we are privileged to glimpse, the insecurities about health, wellbeing, and the wonderings about people and things somehow give the reader permission to be an ordinary human and actually still be quite extraordinary.
7 s Ezgi253 16

Bir süredir okuma düzenim bozuldu. Ama Mankell her ?eyi kenara itip okuyaca??m bir yazar oldu?u için bu hacimli kitap bir anda bitti. Art?k gelenekselle?ti, Wallander serisinde her yoruma serinin en iyi kitab? diyerek ba?l?yorum. Seri bozulmad?. Bir Ad?m Geriden okurken en çok zevk ald???m kitaplardan biri. Polisiye örgüsü kusursuz. Bir roman olarak da kusursuz.

Bir Ad?m Geriden, bana Shakespearean gelen cinayet sahneleriyle ba?l?yor. Yaz Dönümü’nü kutlayan genç k?zlar?n haz?rlad??? kostümlü piknik kutlamas? uzun süre akl?mdan ç?kmayacak. Bu sahnenin tekrarlan??? da bir o kadar sars?c?yd?. Romanda kusursuza yak?n cinayetler ortaya ç?k?yor. Polis departman? çaresiz, Kurt Wallendarsa iyice umutsuzlu?a kap?lm?? halde. Wallander toplumun dertlerini derinden duyumsayan bir dedektif. Ama ilk kez bir cinayet daha ç?karsa ba? edemem diyecek kadar umutsuz. Kitapta olaylar dü?ümlenip kalacak herhalde dedi?im kadar karma??kla??yor. Mankell yine makul bir ?ekilde her ?eyi sonuçland?rd?. Kitap tüm heyecan?yla ak?p giderken Mankell toplumla olan derdini de anlat?yor. Mutlulu?a verilen iyi ve kötü tepkiler üzerine dü?ündürüyor. Hastal?kl? zihinlere y?kt???m?z suçlar?n derinine iniyor. Adalet sisteminin krizlerinin tüm yans?malar?n? toplumda gördü?ümüzü hat?rlat?yor hatta fark?na varmam?z? sa?l?yor. ?çi bo?alt?lm??, i?lemeyen sistemlerde ?iddetin t?rmanmas? bo?una de?il. Kitaplar üzerine çok fazla konu?abilirim, kafa ?i?irmek istemiyorum. Ama polisiyede çok ba?ka bir yeri var Wallander’?n. crime5 s John1,307 106

This is an odd one. Three young people have been found murdered. The weird thing is they had been killed earlier and then dug up again. Svedberg is early on also murdered and also Wallander finds out he was gay. They were friends for 20 years and colleagues but he never knew. Mmmm not such a great reader of people!

Essentially and this is a big spoiler, his ex lover got jealous of Wallander who Svedberg secretly loved. A meticulous, tidy and sensitive man loved Kurt unbeknownst to him. The lover kills the three young people because he suspects Svedberg is in a relationship with one of them which he is not. Then another ex lover of Svedberg becomes a victim.

The finale is good but slightly unbelievable. What got me was the incompetence of the police. I also watched the Swedish tv version and it was excellent.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full reviewdetective mankell6 s Writerlibrarian1,534 5

The tension and the depth of the plot from each book become more and more interesting. In this we find Wallander looking for the killer of a fellow detective who was looking for three missing students. Simple yet terribly complicated and dark. Wallander's private life is the back bones of the series. We see him struggling with health problems, his emotional ups and downs. The plot keeps you reading but Wallander's personal turmoils makes you turn the pages faster.february-pile mystery read20065 s Rodrigo1,260 667

BUENISIMO, ni te enteras que tiene tantas paginas. Muy recomendable. 10/10
Fue mi primer Mankell.favourites misterio-y-suspense paper ...more6 s Kirsten 349 132

A bit depressive. Too focused on Wallander’s eating and sleeping and lack of female company. Otherwise quite brilliant
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