The Shadow Girls

Mr. Mankell, what did you WANT? Did you want to write something satirical about the growth in the crime book industry? (Because if you did, you kind of got close, and what you did write is pretty funny at times.) Did you want to write a moving portrait of the plight of Sweden's illegal immigrants?......more

What a wonderful book this is! Another classic Mankell which I hope will be read and loved by many more people. On several occasions I was laughing out loud while reading it during my holiday in Madeira, as well as on the plane - I got a few curious glances from people but I did not care! There was s......more

Not the usual Mankell fare and a story about Sweden’s hidden illegal immigrants. Jesper Humlin is a mediocre narcissistic poet. His life is centered around him. His long suffering girlfriend Andrea wants a baby and delivers him several ultimatums of baby or she is gone. His publisher wants him to wr......more

Mankell is often categorized as a crime writer, but this novel, although it contains some undocumented, and thus illegal, visitors in Sweden, is primarily about the human condition. Protagonist Jesper Humlin is writer of poetry, and poets communicate, right? Wrong. Humlin and every other character f......more