He questions his own ability and we are left to wonder through much of the book whether he will be able to see this case through to a successful conclusion. It's almost jarring when the author reminds us on several occasions, that Wallander is not even fifty yet. He has major health issues he's not sleeping well he has hardly any energy, and for all the world, you would think he was a man approaching seventy. Throughout the book, Wallander suffers from what almost seems to be clinical depression. Although the novel takes place during an unusually warm summer, the overall tone of the book could not be more dreary. The story takes place against a society that's in transition, and a lot of people are wondering if things are spinning out of control. There's a great deal of soul-searching and second-guessing from practically everyone involved, Wallander most of all. It proceeds at a very stately pace, as a real investigation of this magnitude would. He realizes that the death of Svedberg must be connected to the murders of the three young people, but how? And the deeper he digs into the mystery, the more elusive a solution appears to be. Kurt Wallander now faces the most baffling case of his career. Shortly thereafter, Svedberg dies under mysterious circumstances and almost immediately thereafter, it becomes clear that the three young people have indeed been murdered. Rather, he takes vacation time and begins to quietly investigate the case on his own. For some unknown reason, though, Svedberg does not share his suspicions with Wallander or anyone else. The one official who does believe that something might be amiss, is Kurt Wallander's colleague, Svedberg. But the evidence, such as it is, suggests that the three are in fact alive and well, and the police do not take the mother's claims seriously. However, the mother of one of the victims refuses to believe this and insists that the police should be investigating the disappearance of the three. The killer buries the bodies and while they remain undiscovered, the victim's parents are led to believe that their children are off touring Europe. Three young people, dressed in costumes and celebrating Midsummer's Eve, are brutally murdered.

This is another dense, intricately plotted crime novel featuring Swedish detective Kurt Wallander.

One Step Behind by Henning Mankell