Reading order · 10 books · 1991 to 2009 · Set in Ystad
Kurt Wallander Books in Order
Inspector Kurt Wallander of the police in Ystad, in southern Sweden, is lonely, overweight, diabetic and fond of opera, and his cases reflect a country changing and losing its innocence. His daughter Linda joins the police and takes the lead in Before the Frost.
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Series facts
- Books
- 10
- Published
- 1991 to 2009
- First book
- Faceless Killers
- Latest
- The Troubled Man (2009)
- Setting
- Set in Ystad
The reading order
Every Kurt Wallander book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
10 books · Set in Ystad
- 1Faceless Killers1991With Kurt WallanderAn elderly farming couple are brutally attacked at their isolated farmhouse in Skåne.Buy on Amazon
- 2The Dogs of Riga1992With Kurt WallanderA life raft washes up on the Swedish coast with two dead men aboard, and the case takes Wallander to Latvia, just as the Soviet Union is falling.Buy on Amazon
- 3The White Lioness1993With Kurt WallanderAn estate agent disappears in the Swedish countryside, and Wallander uncovers a plot to assassinate Nelson Mandela.Buy on Amazon
- 4The Man Who Smiled1994With Kurt WallanderA lawyer Wallander knew dies in a car crash, and when the lawyer’s son is shot, Wallander returns from leave to investigate.Buy on Amazon
- 5Sidetracked1995With Kurt WallanderA teenage girl dies in a field in front of Wallander, and a killer begins murdering prominent men across southern Sweden.Buy on Amazon
- 6The Fifth Woman1996With Kurt WallanderAn elderly car dealer and birdwatcher is found murdered in a deadly trap in a ditch, and soon another man is found dead.Buy on Amazon
- 7One Step Behind1997With Kurt WallanderThree young people go missing after a midsummer party, and one of Wallander’s colleagues is found shot.Buy on Amazon
- 8Firewall1998With Kurt WallanderTwo teenage girls attack a taxi driver, and a man dies at a cash machine, and the cases lead Wallander into a computer conspiracy.Buy on Amazon
- 9Before the Frost2002With Linda WallanderLinda Wallander, about to join the Ystad police like her father, finds that her childhood friend has disappeared, as swans are set alight in the countryside.Buy on Amazon
- 10The Troubled Man2009With Kurt WallanderAs Wallander nears retirement, the father of his daughter’s partner, a retired naval officer, disappears on a walk.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read in order, starting with Faceless Killers.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Kurt Wallander | Linda Wallander | Martinsson | Povel Wallander | Svedberg | Baiba Liepa | Ann-Britt Höglund | Rydberg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Faceless Killers | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 2 The Dogs of Riga | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 3 The White Lioness | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 4 The Man Who Smiled | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | |
| 5 Sidetracked | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | |
| 6 The Fifth Woman | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | |
| 7 One Step Behind | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | MMajor | ||
| 8 Firewall | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | |||
| 9 Before the Frost | MMajor | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ||||
| 10 The Troubled Man | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor |
Characters in the Kurt Wallander books
8 characters from Henning Mankell’s chart, with the number of Kurt Wallander books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Kurt WallanderDetective Inspector in Ystad | 10 | Faceless Killers 1991 |
| Linda WallanderKurt’s daughter, a new police officer | 10 | Faceless Killers 1991 |
| MartinssonDetective and Wallander’s colleague | 10 | Faceless Killers 1991 |
| Povel WallanderKurt’s father, a painter | 8 | Faceless Killers 1991 |
| SvedbergDetective | 7 | Faceless Killers 1991 |
| Baiba LiepaLatvian widow Wallander loves | 6 | The Dogs of Riga 1992 |
| Ann-Britt HöglundDetective | 6 | The Man Who Smiled 1994 |
| RydbergWallander’s mentor | 2 | Faceless Killers 1991 |