The Return of the Dancing Master

By: Henning Mankell

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

When retired policeman Herbert Molin is found brutally slaughtered on his remote farm in the northern forests of Sweden, police find strange tracks in the snow, as if someone had been practicing the tango. Stefan Lindman, a young police officer recently diagnosed with mouth cancer, decides to investigate the murder of his former colleague, but is soon enmeshed in a mystifying case with no witnesses and no apparent motives. Terrified of the disease that could take his life, Lindman becomes more and more reckless as he unearths the chilling links between Molin's death and an underground neo-Nazi network that runs further and deeper than he could ever have imagined.©2003 Laurie Thompson (P)2000 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

One of best Henning Mankell

What did you love best about The Return of the Dancing Master?

Great story! After reading all of the Wallender series, this was quite a treat. Henning Mankell should write more stand-alone thrillers.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Very difficult to stop listening when reaching my destination.

For Mankell familiars

The plot is interesting and engrossing enough if you are dedicated and don’t mind the over explanation/repeated explanation style of the Author. The whole time I felt that the situation described was not already familiar with its interesting “hook” and sure enough, there is a film which uses the plot with added flourishes and a few German and British stars thrown into the mix. No wonder. It just might have been too repetitive to hold a cinema/TV audience as is.
And. I’d buy the Sean Barret read one in hindsight..but this one was free, hurrah.

A Mankell stand-alone novel

Some books require a thorough review; this one does not. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it. What more need anyone say?

Listen to Henning Mankell

If you could sum up The Return of the Dancing Master in three words, what would they be?

I have just discovered this author and love his work. This is not part of his Wallander series, but I think it has compelling characters nonetheless.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Lost in the story

The author of the story would change character throughout the story and I had to keep asking myself who is this now. About 2/3 the way through the book it took me less time to figure out who was “talking”. All of that time wasted trying to figure out who it was took all the enjoyment out of the book.