When a life raft containing two murdered men washes up on the coast near Ystad Wallander and the team are soon investigating. An old receipt on one of the men suggests they are probably Latvian; contact with the police there confirms that they were involved with the Russian Mafia. Kurt is soon joined by chain-smoking Latvian policeman Major Karlis Liepa. There isn't much to be done there though as the crime almost certainly took place in Latvia. It looks like it is all over when Karlis returns to Riga but the next day he is murdered and the local police wonder if it could have anything to do with what happened in Sweden. Kurt and a Latvian speaking colleague fly to Riga and learn that Karlis had been undertaking a private investigation into corruption within the police force that hadn't changed much since the Soviet days. They find themselves being watched and are asked what they know about Karlis' investigation. Kurt also meets the dead man's widow and she asks him to help her find the file her husband has compiled. Kurt says that there is nothing he can do but is ultimately persuaded to return to Riga unofficially after flying back to Sweden. Once back he doesn't have any protection and it isn't long before it looks as if he has made a fatal mistake. Away from the case Kurt is failing at romance once again.
This was a decent enough story with plenty of thrilling moments however it was also somewhat unlikely; would a Swedish police officer really try to undertake a private investigation in a foreign country where he didn't even speak the language? We also have to believe that when the bullets start to fly this large man is barely scratched while all of those with him die! On the plus side it nicely captures the sense of paranoia in post-Soviet Latvia where trust was in short supply. The cast do a fine job; once again Rolf Lassgård impresses as Wallander and guest star Benny Poulsen was good as Major Liepa. Overall I'd say that despite being a bit far-fetched this was an entertaining Wallander story.
These comments are based on watching in Swedish with English subtitles.
This was a decent enough story with plenty of thrilling moments however it was also somewhat unlikely; would a Swedish police officer really try to undertake a private investigation in a foreign country where he didn't even speak the language? We also have to believe that when the bullets start to fly this large man is barely scratched while all of those with him die! On the plus side it nicely captures the sense of paranoia in post-Soviet Latvia where trust was in short supply. The cast do a fine job; once again Rolf Lassgård impresses as Wallander and guest star Benny Poulsen was good as Major Liepa. Overall I'd say that despite being a bit far-fetched this was an entertaining Wallander story.
These comments are based on watching in Swedish with English subtitles.