
The Man from Beijing
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Narrated by:
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Rosalyn Landor
About this listen
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 Hesjvallen, 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 Andrns, are among the victims, and Birgitta soon learns that an Andrn family in Nevada has also been murdered. She then discovers the 19th-century diary of an Andrn ancestora gang master on the American transcontinental railwaythat describes brutal treatment of Chinese slave workers. The police insist that only a lunatic could have committed the Hesjvallen 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 Statesa history that will ensnare Birgitta as she draws ever closer to solving the Hesjvallen murders.
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a different spin
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really bad narration ruins this book
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Excellent female characters
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Very Good Listening
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complex story
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The possibility exists that this book is controversial. As an American, it is surreal almost how disparagingly the book presents capitalism, and how much positive things are said constantly about Mao of China and his communist revolution. I personally am a socialist, so I found it incredibly refreshing to hear about these things without the filter of coming from the mouth of capitalism--but I am almost positive that some people uncomfortable with socialism, communism, and China will find this book takes them outside of their comfort zone.
The story is both a mystery and a bit of a political thriller. You constantly have to deal with a main character who frustratingly never wants to share anything with anybody. But she makes up for it in other ways. From her never ending pursuit of the truth to her keen eye for the smallest detail, the main character is a treat to follow. The other characters are great too!
The story will bounce around here and there to different people's perspectives and even different countries. It can be difficult when you don't know the new characters, but you get used to it.
The narrator makes some great Swedish and Chinese accents! I never thought I would learn to love the Swedish accent, but I do now.
Insightful Look into a Crime in a Socialist World
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Mankell is a wonderful observer of detail and he does a fine job of revealing the inner turmoil in lives which seem humdrum on the surface. Unfortunately that is not enough to produce a satisfying book (of any of the three possible genres).
As a resident in Beijing for several years now, I appreciated the author's evocation of the city and it's often Byzantine mixtures of courtesy, political deviousness, and concealed influence. I would, however, hate for anyone to read this book and trust the impression of China which they carry away from it.
Finally, Mankell seems often to write characters which are inept, making obviously poor choices. In this case, I found it vexing that neither of the central, female character's was ever allowed to do anything effectual in her own defense. They were pawns moved around the board to achieve the author's ends.
Mankell's pawns
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Too Much!
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Worth a Read or Listen
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long and boring
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