The Dogs of Riga by Henning Mankell

The Dogs of Riga by Henning Mankell

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I understand that there's so little crime in Sweden that a mystery writer has to look to redder fields, but the whole Latvian plot is so incredibly unbelievable! Why on Earth would Wallander agree to help a bunch of people who repeatedly refuse to tell him what's going on? How could he ever trust them?

I'll stick to Brannagh's Wallander, thanks.

To be fair to Mankell, this is early Wallander and I like newer stories much better.

Mad River by John Sandford

Mad River by John Sandford

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A little different from the usual Sandford: this is no mystery - we know whodunnit from page one.

And I was disappointed that Virgil was not once referred to as "That fuckin' Flowers", which is the way he is usually introduced.

Still, Sandford's characters are, as always, well drawn and funny, and there's nothing quite like spending a few short hours ripping through another episode in the lives of Virgil, Davenport and their colleagues.