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The Man From Beijing cover art

The Man From Beijing

By: Henning Mankell
Narrated by: Anna Bentinck
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Summary

One cold January day the police are called to a sleepy little hamlet in the north of Sweden where they discover a savagely murdered man lying in the snow. As they begin their investigation they notice that the village seems eerily quiet and deserted. Going from house to house, looking for witnesses, they uncover a crime unprecedented in Swedish history. When Judge Birgitta Roslin reads about the massacre, she realises that she has a family connection to one of the couples involved and decides to investigate. A nineteenth-century diary and a red silk ribbon found in the forest nearby are the only clues. What Birgitta eventually uncovers leads her into an international web of corruption and a story of vengeance that stretches back over a hundred years, linking China and the USA of the 1860s with modern-day Beijing, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, and coming to a shocking climax in London’s Chinatown. The Man from Beijing is both a gripping and perceptive political thriller and a compelling detective story.

It shows Henning Mankell at the height of his powers, handling a broad historical canvas and pressing international issues with his exceptional gifts for insight and chilling suspense.

©2011 Henning Mankell (P)2011 Random House Audiobooks

What listeners say about The Man From Beijing

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Think twice

I usually love Henning Mankell, but this might be one book too many.

In fairness, I got the idea from the blurb and his previous work that this would be a detective story. If that's why you're thinking of buying it, then think twice, because only a very short part of the book deals with the murders.

Hours and hours of it are dedicated to Chinese peasants starving in China and being forced to work on the US railways in the 19th century, then even more hours are spent on Chinese politics - past and present.

The view presented of Zimbabwe is so biased that it makes me wonder whether the portrayal of China (about which I know very little) is accurate either. Mugabe is presented as a benign, misunderstood civilised schoolmaster (!) and, irritatingly, read with a Jamaican accent. [Note to narrator - not all black people speak the same way. Just saying...]

I haven't finished it yet, and live in hopes that things will pick up, but just be aware that it's slow-going, and not a police-procedural or detective story.

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Sweden called: they'd like their story back.

From the start, this felt like it was going to be a great story: Mysterious murders, remote locations, and no apparent reason for it all. Then, somewhere around Chapter 10, one of the main characters catches a plane to China, and, it seems, the author forgets he has a story to tell. Hour after hour I waited for the story to pick up back in Sweden, but instead it's like someone made a mistake in the binding and stapled in a history of 19th century China and a political sketch of Zimbabwe that's so biased it becomes funny. I'm sure there was a thread to pick up relating to the murders back in Sweden, but the story unravels and fades into the distance long before we get to it. In the end, I didn't care.

A very disappointing book. I, like the author I feel, lost interest somewhere in China.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointment, confident he has written better

I came to Henning Mankell from Stieg Larsson and Jo Nesbo hoping to find a similar quality of plot and writing. Well if he is this is not the book that demonstrates it.

I just wasn't convinced by the plot and felt disappointed. I listened until the end simply to get to the end. It was something of a political diatribe, dull, dull....why did I bother? This did not live up to the 4 star billing.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Very disappointing.

Having listened to most of the Wallander series, I was expecting a book equally gripping. Ummm . . . I should have read the other reviews first! Starts really well, enticing the listener in with the promise of excitement and intrigue, but goes downhill all the way, to the point that I was only listening in the hope that it would get back on track. It didn't. Long, long, long chapters relating to Chinese politics without a whisper of excitement. Not even a satisfactory ending to wind it all up with. I was actually relieved when the book finished. Very disappointing.



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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

History was fascinating.

Reader was excellent and story skilful and believable. I learnt so much about Chinese and American history whilst engaging with the main characters. Truly amazing story telling.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Exceptional. Mankell at his very best.

Top quality narration of a first class, intrigue. The story leading careful step by careful step, surprising us by sudden twists and turns in the path, but still the path is beneath our feet, tracing the years of revenge.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story ruined by narrator

what a shame that ISIS decided to use such a 1 dimensional actor the characterization of the players in the story it's difficult to keep listening to it

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant book

Such a great story , gripping right to the end .The best I have listened to so far,and I have read and listened to many good trillers.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story

Loved it. Something very different. Gripping and leaves you wanting to know what is next.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

One of the best stories I have listened to . Good performance did not detract.

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