The Man from Beijing
by Henning Mankell
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Book Summary Information
Author: Henning MankellTranslator: Laurie Thompson
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Format: Deckle Edge
Published: 2010-02-16
ISBN: 0307271862
Number of pages: 384
Publisher: Knopf
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780307271860
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of The Man from Beijing
Book Review: philosopher posing as mystery writer
Summary: 5 Stars
i discovered henning mankell and ian rankin, among others, as mystery authors as a consequence of being a fan of michael connelly and his character harry bosch and seeking other authors who have created their own flawed detective characters. i've finished the john rebus series more or less in chronological order and read "the pyramid" prequel and the first two wallender novels, "faceless killers" and "the dogs of riga".
i mention this because moving from connelly to reading rankin's works which in some ways had less personal character development but more emphasis on illustrating different issues concerning scotland and the UK prepared me to be more appreciative of how mankell is as much if not more so a philosopher using the mystery genre as his vehicle than a mystery writer per se. mankell has described his wallander series as "novels about the swedish anxiety", that is, observations about the tensions between democracy and the welfare state with wallender being mankell's mouthpiece. (i wish the liberals still wanting to turn the US into a version of sweden would read the wallender series with a regard for critical analysis.) had wallender merely published a series of essays, they would have probably gone unread and never been translated.
i should also point out that while i was born and raised in the US, my parents emigrated from the region of southern china that provided the bulk of the chinese workers that built the transcontinental railroad over a century ago. for those who hail from western cultures, it may be difficult to grasp how deeply ingrained the concepts of family, community & ancestor worship are in chinese culture. while the villain's desire for vengeance is certainly extreme, it's not such a suspension of disbelief for someone of my cultural background.
starting with the image of the wolf, mankell uses this book to make observations about colonization, past and present. while some may quibble over a few details concerning beijing, the extent of capitalization of third world africa performed by china is well documented, if not well publicized. i have no doubt that mankell has observed the influence firsthand as a resident of mozambique.
with all that preamble - i enjoyed the book, i liked that it prompted me to consider things i had not had much reason to consider before. for those who just want to read a thriller as a diversion, this may not be the book for you, despite the intriguing premise, upon which i will not elaborate for fear of spoiling it for others.
i look forward to mankell's next work, whose plot is allegedly going to involve a woman who moves from africa from sweden and somehow becomes the owner of a brothel.i look forward to any potential observations about prostitution and possibly slavery.
Summary of The Man from Beijing
The acclaimed author of the Kurt Wallander mysteries, writing at the height of his powers, now gives us an electrifying stand-alone global thriller.January 2006. In the Swedish hamlet of Hesjövallen, nineteen people have been massacred. The only clue is a red ribbon found at the scene.
Judge Birgitta Roslin has particular reason to be shocked: Her grandparents, the Andréns, are among the victims, and Birgitta soon learns that an Andrén family in Nevada has also been murdered. She then discovers the nineteenth-century diary of an Andrén ancestor?a gang master on the American transcontinental railway?that describes brutal treatment of Chinese slave workers. The police insist that only a lunatic could have committed the Hesjövallen murders, but Birgitta is determined to uncover what she now suspects is a more complicated truth.
The investigation leads to the highest echelons of power in present-day Beijing, and to Zimbabwe and Mozambique. But the narrative also takes us back 150 years into the depths of the slave trade between China and the United States?a history that will ensnare Birgitta as she draws ever closer to solving the Hesjövallen murders.
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