The Dogs of Riga: A Kurt Wallander Mystery (Kurt Wallander Series)

Henning Mankell's "The Dogs of Riga" was written in 1992, around the time of the dissolution of the U.S.S.R. While the novel was certainly topical at the time, it wasn't one of his best efforts. In atypical fashion, "The Dogs of Riga" does not feature intensive character development which is a Mankell hallmark. As a consequence of this it is difficult to empathize with the plight of his characters. Mankell in this book exchanges the usual dreary southern Swedish locale for a drearier environment in Latvia. Unfortunately police inspector Kurt Wallander seems out of sync when not in his familiar Ystaad location.

Wallander becomes involved in an unusual investigation when two well dressed corpses wash ashore in a lifeboat on the outskirts of town. Pathologic examination of the bodies as well as the boat point to both eminating from one of the Russian Baltic states. Wallander is soon joined in his investigation by Latvian police inspector Major Karlis Liepa. Working well together they discover that the dead men were members of the drug smuggling Latvian underworld. The investigation is relinquished to Latvian authorities and Major Liepa returns home. Wallander has officially wahed his hands of the affair when he shockingly learns that Major Liepa has been murdered.

Latvian authorities summon Wallander to aid them in solving the murder of Liepa. He arrives in Riga where the police department is commanded by two colonels Putnis and Murniers. He soon learns that the police department suffers from massive corruption and is affiliated with the criminal underworld. The ethical Liepa was killed to prevent his from blowing the whistle on the corruption. While investigating in Riga, Wallender becomes enamored with Liepa's widow Baiba.

The novel proceeds as Wallender continues to probe while the whole political structure in Latvia is undergoing a major upheaval as the Communist government is crumbling.

Novels whose protagonist is inspector Kurt Wallander from a small village of Sweden, contains for me as much sociology and politics as crimes. This books follows a chronological order, so we can see the aging of the personages and the pass of time in the police station of Ystad, South Sweden. That is fully believable, although it seems not likely that in a small village it could happen so many terrible, complicate and strange murders that let New York as a quiet hamlet. Sure, that gives to inspector Wallander the opportunity to demonstrate his high ability and intelligence as policeman, philosopher, etc. We, as readers must accept that literary license.
We see, I spite to have to face terrible criminals Wallander very rarely carries his ordnance handgun. He drives too much his old and re - repaired Peugeot, delegates very little the most routine tasks, earns a low salary, sleeps very bad and very little and he's constantly sick and tired after many journeys of almost 24 hours of hard work. He resists all that by drinking a big amount of coffee, doesn't disdain whisky, eats usually cheap tasteless hamburgers and pizzas, all very fast and very bad and so, he suffers some diarrheas, and he's overweigh and prone to diabetes. Summing up, Kurt Wallander isn't Mike Hammer: he's humane, so humane, that if truly necessary he's able to knock out with a powerful punch to an adversary. He's constantly consternated by the cases he has to solve. He's truly a pacific man and doesn't like his profession but he simply doesn't know another thing to do in life.
And there, it does very well: the reason is Wallander possess an extraordinary sharpened instinct for true or false things and words, a rare ability to relation spare words, declarations apparently unconnected, and a deep knowledge of human being and human situations. That is worth more tahn a revolver. These abilities I think aren't fully innate: you need to have experience of living, looking, and capacity to learning from it. In effect, personal and familiar problems of Swedish society are omnipresent. In this novel Wallander has to solve the murder of two Latvians in a small boat at derive. That goes him to find a love with a Latvian woman. In Spain we have much Swedish and Scandinavian people living here almost permanently with a good standard of life while Russians and Baltic people are economically in poor situation, but the novel reveals truly these Northern people seems very near in character and mood.

I tried to give this a chance, because it's set in Sweden, but after the 50-page test, I saw that it was just another boring police novel. (DNF)

This is the weakest of the six books I have read in the series. The translation into English is flat and the language drab. Usually, the element of mystery and suspense is stronger as is the character development of the detective Kurt Wallender and those surrounding his life. Here, the mystery lacks tension and at the end I hardly cared about the resolution. Also, there was little depth in the portrayal of Wallender or his personal circumstances. If you want to read two first rate Wallender mysteries, choose either One Step Behind or Sidetracked [they are quite similar in plot --and both are extraordinary mysteries].

The book is interesting partly because Mankell suggests that the roots of the present mafia lie in the blackmarket network of the old communist system, and partly because the text was written before the total collapse of the USSR.

It's a powerful book, the scene where the fascist police storm in and kill the opposition is frightening, realistic, and bloodthirsty. So is the difficulty of making contact with Baiba, since both are watched. And the ending: who are the good guys, and who are the bad ones?

But Mankell strains the the will to believe too often. Why should Wallender, with a fake Latvian pass, go so far south and then enter the country illegally on foot? Not very likely that Wallender would have survived the massacre and escaped the building, either. Nor can I believe that Wallender could have found his way through the police headquarters, into the archive, and out again so easily. In the end, Mankell gives away a bit too soon who the bad guys really are.

One thing is puzzeling. Wallender did not connect with Baiba in the end. So, in later novels, is it only in his imagination that Baiba is his distant girlfriend? Mankell, realistically enough, does not present us with a happy life for the Commissar!

This review is based on the German translation "Hunde von Riga".