cam_pderby's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
At last a thriller/polar where the main character isn’t a middle aged male divorcee with an addiction issues and an unfulfilling job as an investigator :))
grazanne's review against another edition
4.0
Jump off the page thriller which lost it's way 1/2 way through but came back together at the end.
smemmott's review against another edition
2.0
The beginning is compelling, but the rest of it does not pay off. The main character makes ridiculously bad decisions but never suffers any real consequences, and the killer's motivation felt unbelievable. I had just enough interest to finish the book while skimming some sections. Also, the writing felt stilted in a way I don't remember from other books by Mankell (or maybe I'm more critical now.)
judyward's review against another edition
3.0
In a small village in northern Sweden where all of the villagers are elderly and related, 19 murdered and horribly mutilated bodies are found. There is only one clue--a red ribbon. Before this mystery is unraveled, the reader is given a history lesson on the lives of Chinese immigrants--both willing and unwilling--slaving to build the first transcontinental railroad over a hundred years ago, treated to a trip to Beijing where the economy is growing so quickly that graft and corruption is growing right along with it, and taken for a quick visit to Africa where Chinese influence is growing. An international thrill ride.
kmg365's review against another edition
2.0
I was expecting something to do with China, since Beijing is mentioned in the title. I didn’t plan on spending 150 years there. Nor on the side trip to Africa. I read Mankell because I enjoy the Scandinavian settings and atmosphere, and this one lacked that. I thought Birgitta Roslin was not very judge-like, nor did the police officers she dealt with (in Sweden) treat her with the deference I assumed a judge would receive. I was looking forward to this book because it’s a stand alone title, but now I’m anxious to get back to Wallander.
A disappointment, because the baffling murders described at the beginning, and the female detective in charge of the investigation held such promise.
A disappointment, because the baffling murders described at the beginning, and the female detective in charge of the investigation held such promise.
pattieod's review against another edition
4.0
Although I found interesting the long digression about the direction China may be taking in the world, it was a VERY long digression, and didn't really mesh with what had been an otherwise riveting mystery.
claramm03's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
brynebo's review against another edition
2.0
I had two major problems with this book. One, I did not connect with the main character (nor any other character for that matter). Two, it had a hefty measure of both history and politics, neither of which interest me much more than watching paint dry. As Mankell's Wallander series is a highly touted favorite of a good family friend, I shall try again, but I do hope to find an affable protagonist and some pizzazz in the plot.
avalydia's review against another edition
3.0
Okay, look, obviously in the real world you don't always get to tie up all the loose ends... but this isn't the real world, it's a fictional story, so that's not a good enough reason for us never finding out the significance of the red ribbon or why the first suspect agreed to take the fall.
(Unless it was buried in the text somewhere and I just never picked up on it? If so, someone please tell me.)
Otherwise, an entertaining story, although I found the culprit's motives shaky at best, and downright far-fetched at worst.
Edit: Forgot to mention a couple of off-putting political issues. First, the whole "China's planning to relocate all their peasants to African countries" thing was just bizarre. And then the main character started taking the whole "yellow peril" thing a bit too literally, remarking that she felt uneasy whenever she saw any Chinese person. (Too lazy to look up the exact quote, but yeah, that happened.) It just seemed... weird. I don't know.
(Unless it was buried in the text somewhere and I just never picked up on it? If so, someone please tell me.)
Otherwise, an entertaining story, although I found the culprit's motives shaky at best, and downright far-fetched at worst.
Edit: Forgot to mention a couple of off-putting political issues. First, the whole "China's planning to relocate all their peasants to African countries" thing was just bizarre. And then the main character started taking the whole "yellow peril" thing a bit too literally, remarking that she felt uneasy whenever she saw any Chinese person. (Too lazy to look up the exact quote, but yeah, that happened.) It just seemed... weird. I don't know.
heather_g's review
2.0
it started with a bloody & intense massacre. the middle was a dull political narrative. ending was anticlimactic.