The Man From Beijing

I enjoyed The Man From Beijing by Henning Mankel as I do most of his books. It begins with gruesome murders in a remote Swedish village. Judge Birgitta Roslin is connected to the village and starts her own investigation of the murders, though her ideas are not taken seriously by the police. She uncovers a connection to China and travels to Beijing to see what else she can learn. There are other murders along the way as the person responsible tries to cover his tracks. As a side issue the reader learns about Chinese history and the politics of China at the time (2006) and the conflict between different ideals and vision for China's future. This and other themes make this more than a simple murder to be solved. 4/5