The White Lioness: Henning Mankell

 

The White Lioness is the third book in the acclaimed Kurt Wallander series. Henning Mankell is a Swedish author. The book is set mostly in Sweden but there are also sections of the book set in South Africa. It was originally published in Swedish in January 1993; it was translated into English by Laurie Thompson in 1998. This book was written in the years prior to the official end of Apartheid in 1994.

The story begins with the execution-style murder of a Swedish housewife. The police investigation reveals that the victim was being stalked by an admirer, but he has an airtight alibi. As the investigation continues, the police eventually discover the first stage of an assassination plot to kill a high official in South Africa. The man who is running the operation to train an assassin in Sweden is a ruthless ex-KGB agent, who will stop at nothing to have a successful end to his assignment.

My Thoughts:

The focus on Apartheid leads to a very complex story that sometimes loses its focus. But the inclusion of that subject was one of the reasons I liked the book. I was interested to learn about Apartheid at the time this book was written. I had read historical mysteries set in South Africa in the 1950s and in the 1970s, but this story shows the attitudes and efforts to move forward in abolishing Apartheid in South Africa in the early 1990s.

Kurt Wallander is a police inspector in Ystad following up on just one part of the investigation. As the case continues, he gets pulled into it deeper and deeper. At one point he goes off the rails, taking things into his own hands without letting others on the team know what he is doing.

I like that elements of Wallander's home life and family relationships are included. He is divorced. His father is elderly and lives alone; Wallander and he have always had a difficult relationship. Now his father is planning on getting married and Wallander disapproves. His daughter, who is working in Stockholm, gets drawn into the action, and although I don't care for mysteries where family members are put in danger, this subplot does provide some of the best scenes.

This is not an easy story to read, not only because of the complex plot but also because there is so much ruthless violence. Nevertheless I gave it 5 stars and I understand more and more why the novels in the Wallander books have been so well received.