First edition (Swedish)  | |
| Author | Henning Mankell |
|---|---|
| Original title | Mannen som log |
| Translator | Laurie Thompson |
| Country | Sweden |
| Language | Swedish |
| Series | Kurt Wallander #4 |
| Genre | Crime, Mystery novel |
| Publisher | Ordfront |
Publication date | 1994 |
Published in English | September 2005 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover, Paperback) |
| Pages | 336 pp (Eng. hardback trans.) |
| ISBN | 1-84343-098-3 (Eng. trans.) |
| OCLC | 60513794 |
| Preceded by | The White Lioness |
| Followed by | Sidetracked |
The Man Who Smiled (original: Mannen som log) is a novel by Swedish crime-writer Henning Mankell, and is the fourth in the Inspector Wallander series, although the English translations have not been published in chronological order.
Synopsis
After killing a man in the line of duty (in The White Lioness), Inspector Kurt Wallander finds himself spiralling into an alcohol-fuelled depression. He has just decided to leave the police when an old friend, Sten Torstensson, asks him to secretly investigate the recent death of his father in a car accident. At first Kurt dismisses his friend's suspicions as unlikely, but then Sten is found murdered in exactly the same manner as a Norwegian businessman shortly before. Against his previous judgement, Kurt returns to work to investigate what he is convinced is a case of double murder.
Adaptations
In 2003, The Man Who Smiled was adapted by Swedish public broadcaster Sveriges Television into a two-hour television movie, starring Rolf Lassgård as Wallander. The Man Who Smiled has also been adapted into a 90-minute television episode for the BBC's Wallander series starring Kenneth Branagh as Wallander. It was first broadcast on 10 January 2010.