The White Lioness by Henning Mankell (2006, Unabridged, Compact Disc)

Henning Mankell has written an exciting novel which is both a meticulous police procedural and a tense, believable political thriller. Written in 1994 and skillfully translated from the Swedish into punchy contemporary English, the book takes place on two fronts. In Ystad, Sweden, Chief Inspector Kurt Wallander and his team are puzzled by the murder of a devout, happily married, entirely unremarkable young housewife. The very atypical clues include the index finger of an unidentified Black man in his 30’s, a firearm virtually unknown outside of South Africa, and parts of a sophisticated Russian transmitter found in the rubble of an explosion which occurs near where the body is discovered. Simultaneously, in South Africa, a coterie of well-connected white radicals perfect and set into operation a near-foolproof plan to assassinate Nelson Mandela, foment a civil war, and ultimately preserve the apartheid system. The stories entwine, and the contrast between Sweden’s liberal, open society and the strictures of life in South Africa add depth to an already intriguing plot. Dick Hill is an award-winning narrator, and it’s easy to hear why. He keeps the pace moving briskly and finds voices for the characters that help define their personalities.