ONE STEP BEHIND

At the beginning of this engrossing, cerebral crime novel, narrator Dick Hill’s reading has a chilly, remote quality that seems in keeping with the Swedish environs where the book takes place. And surely that is part of Hill's clever approach in this work, in which series regular Inspector Kurt Wallander pursues a brutal killer who seems intent on wiping out young people for no greater sin than finding moments of joy. Hill's strategy becomes clear as the tensions rise, the emotions tighten, and the bodies accumulate, including one belonging to a close colleague. Hill's detachment eventually gives way with concussive impact, and he reveals himself as a master performer who has been unfolding a plan from the start. We have always been in expert hands. M.O. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 08]