The Return of the Dancing Master

By: Henning Mankell

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 13 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

When retired policeman Herbert Molin is found brutally slaughtered on his remote farm in the northern forests of Sweden, police find strange tracks in the snow, as if someone had been practicing the tango. Stefan Lindman, a young police officer recently diagnosed with mouth cancer, decides to investigate the murder of his former colleague, but is soon enmeshed in a mystifying case with no witnesses and no apparent motives. Terrified of the disease that could take his life, Lindman becomes more and more reckless as he unearths the chilling links between Molin's death and an underground neo-Nazi network that runs further and deeper than he could ever have imagined.

©2003 Laurie Thompson (P)2000 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

For Mankell familiars

The plot is interesting and engrossing enough if you are dedicated and don’t mind the over explanation/repeated explanation style of the Author. The whole time I felt that the situation described was not already familiar with its interesting “hook” and sure enough, there is a film which uses the plot with added flourishes and a few German and British stars thrown into the mix. No wonder. It just might have been too repetitive to hold a cinema/TV audience as is.
And. I’d buy the Sean Barret read one in hindsight..but this one was free, hurrah.

One of best Henning Mankell

What did you love best about The Return of the Dancing Master?

Great story! After reading all of the Wallender series, this was quite a treat. Henning Mankell should write more stand-alone thrillers.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Very difficult to stop listening when reaching my destination.

Murder of a Nazi

Herbert Molin, a recluse living in the small town in the forest in Sweden, is gruesomely murdered. The police are in the early days of investigation when his neighbor is also murdered. Mollon had been tortured before death, while Anderson is shot execution-style. But two murders in such a remote location have to be related. A visiting policeman, Stefan, on sick leave as he tries to come to grips with his diagnosis of tongue cancer, helps local police and forms a friendship with the investigator in charge, Joseppi.

Stefan, not officially on duty, follows questionable practices such as breaking into people's houses, to find clues, which he then passes on to Joseppi. The two men brainstorm and talk through the investigation as it gets closer and closer to an underground Nazi organization. The book indicts Nazism in both its historical and present incarnations, as links between its practice and the deaths surface. Introspective Stephan also deals with how Nazism has played a role in his family and upbringing.

After an initially very tense scene, this book develops slowly. The reserved manner in which the characters interact with one another creates a space between the reader and the characters. Even scenes which have to do with passion are told rather dispassionately. For this reason, the book didn't draw me back as strongly as some. However, the very intricate plot is interesting, and I wanted to know how it ended and what the crucial connections were. Mankell did a good job of holding the last pieces of the puzzle until the end.

Very Alex Delaware

Would you listen to The Return of the Dancing Master again? Why?

no, not that interesting

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Have Gardner speak with British accent/all the lingo was UK, bloke, boot , bonnet, sort it out. or speak with an accent from the country of origin

What three words best describe Grover Gardner’s voice?

very Alex Delaware

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

nope

Any additional comments?

nope

Narrator

Sorry the narrator drove me nuts and spoiled the book for me. Had to stop listening

Factual fiction done well

And like they say the beat goes on. Few do it as well as Henning. There is an odd coincidence with though connected to his real life passing. It makes one wonder about our fears leading us to them.

A Mankell stand-alone novel

Some books require a thorough review; this one does not. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it. What more need anyone say?

Listen to Henning Mankell

If you could sum up The Return of the Dancing Master in three words, what would they be?

I have just discovered this author and love his work. This is not part of his Wallander series, but I think it has compelling characters nonetheless.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Lost in the story

The author of the story would change character throughout the story and I had to keep asking myself who is this now. About 2/3 the way through the book it took me less time to figure out who was “talking”. All of that time wasted trying to figure out who it was took all the enjoyment out of the book.

Good, but Author Has Better

This is a very good read of a good, but not great book. The story is gripping although the main character gets a bit whiny. While his self-pity and self-adsorption were key components of the character, Mankell could have been a little more subtle. After a few hours you just want to slap him. The reader does a good job of bringing the story to life and the story (whininess notwithstanding) keeps your interest. The book defintiely plays to Scandanavian paranoias that seem a bit less shocking in translation. I liked the book without loving it. The author has done better.