Reaper Report

Henning Mankell has died, and he will be sorely missed by all intelligent mystery readers. Is it just TG, or did Mankell begin to look more and more like Johnny Cash in the last few years? Just asking. His long-running Inspector Kurt Wallander mysteries are wonderfully written with complex characters and complex plots. They have been made into several series, both in Sweden and by the BBC, where Kenneth Branagh stars as Wallander. Many of Thriller Guy’s friends like the Swedish version better, but TG, being a big Branagh fan, likes the BBC series the best.  

Here’s rather poignant column by Mankell, the last he wrote before his death.

  

TG is going to be out of town for a few weeks, and he suggests that you check out his friend Allen Appel's memoir about growing up inWest Virginia in the 1950s. Lotsa sex and laughs. And while you’re at it, why not scoot over to Amazon and pick up some Appel novels? Even if you’ve read the entire Alex Balfour series there’s other gems that are just as good, so give them a try.

Thanks. See you in a couple of weeks.