A disillusioned Inspector Kurt Wallander is thrown back into the fray as both hunter and hunted in this fourth adventure from Sweden's master of crime and mystery.

Crestfallen, dejected, and spiraling into an alcohol-fuelled depression after killing a man in the line of duty, Inspector Wallander had made up his mind to quit the police force for good. But when an old acquaintance, a solicitor, seeks Wallander's help and later turns up dead, Wallander realizes that he was wrong not to listen. Warily, he returns to work to head the case. A rookie female detective has joined the force in his absence, and he adopts the role of mentor to her as they fight to unravel the mystery.