The Man from Beijing

FromtheinternationallyacclaimedauthoroftheKurtWallandermysteriescomesanextraordinarystand-alonenovel--bothamysteryandasweepingdrama--thattracesthelegacyofthenineteenth-centuryslavetradebetweenChinaandAmerica.January2006.InthesmallSwedishhamletofHesjovallen,ahorrificsceneisdiscovered:nineteenpeoplehavebeentorturedandmassacredantheonlyclueisaredsilkribbonfoundatthescene.JudgeBirgittaRoslinhasaparticularreasontobeshockedbythecrime:hermother'sadoptiveparents,theAndrens,areamongthevictims.Investigatingfurther,shelearnsthatanAndrenfamilylivinginNevadahasalsobeenmurdered.TravellingtoHesjovallen,shefindsadiary,keptbyagangmasterontherailwaybuiltacrossAmericainthe1860s,fullofvividdescriptionsofthebrutalitywithwhichtheChineseandotherslaveworkersweretreated.ShediscoversthattheredsilkribbonfoundatthecrimescenecamefromalocalChineserestaurant,andshelearnsthataChineseman,astrangertothetown,wasstayingatalocalboardinghouseatthetimeoftheatrocity.Thepoliceinsistthatonlyalunaticcouldhavecommittedsuchahorrificcrime,butBirgittasuspectsthatthereismuchmoretoit,andsheisdeterminedtouncoverthetruth.HersearchtakesherfromSwedentoBeijingandback,butMankell'snarrativealsotakesus150yearsintothepast:toChinaandAmericawhenthehatredthatfuelledthemassacrewasborn,ahatredtransformedandcomplicatedovertimeandthatwillcatchuptoBirgittaasshedrawseverclosertodiscoveringwhoisbehindtheHesjovallenmurders.