The Return of the Dancing Master

Praise

“Henning Mankell is by far the best writer of police mysteries today. He is in the great tradition of those whose work transcend their chosen genre to become thrilling and moral literature.” —Michael Ondaatje

“As full and rich as any American police procedural of the last 20 years. . . . You’ll shiver with the cold of a Scandinavian winter.” —The Plain Dealer

“Compelling…there’s no one better at the genre. . . . His characters are his greatest invention.” —San Francisco Chronicle

"It’s time to admit that the cutting edge of mystery writing has shifted overseas. . . . The Return of the Dancing Master gives homicide a moody elegance." —Time

“Violence strikes with quick and shocking ferocity in The Return of the Dancing Master. . . . With its expansive time frame and meticulous procedural details, the story has a density that demands–and rewards–intellectual movement.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Mankell weaves a mournful spell through all his mysteries by adopting a calm, dispassionate tone that artfully underlines an abiding humanism for psychic as well as physical suffering. . . . [Its] ice-cold logic . . . sends a shiver down the spine. . . . Features the same masterful sense of atmosphere . . . that Mankell brings to all his writing.” —The Boston Globe

"Spellbinding. . . . Mankell fascinates." —Los Angeles Times

"The pressure mounts, with unpredictable dead-ends and beguiling about-turns. The uncertainty makes the reader alert to every nuance, suspicious of everyone. . . . Mankell [is] the Nordic king of European thriller writers." —The Observer (London)

"Gruesome enough to satisfy any gore-loving mystery reader. . . . [Mankell] has emerged as the natural heir to the great Swedish crime novelists Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo." —The New York Times

"Absorbing, chilling and dripping with evil atmosphere." —The Times

"[Mankell] is an expert at writing about logical action and reactions. . . . Nothing can spoil the enjoyment of this superbly crafted mystery." —Orlando Sentinel

“Irrestible. . . . [Mankell] is a master at constructing gripping, intricately plotted police procedurals with a strong dose of social commentary. . . . The appeal . . . [is] the sheer brutal imaginativeness of the crimes.” —Business Week

"Delightfully morbid. . . . Steering between literature and suspense, [Mankell’s] measured prose recalls those gloomy precisionists Peter Handke and Patricia Highsmith." —The Guardian

"The new cast are introduced with customary brilliance, and the political edge suggests a fine new direction from this immense talent." —Scotland on Sunday