First British edition, signed by the author on the title page and dated 22.08.09. Hardback. 280pp. Dark blue boards with gilt to spine. dust jacket in a protective sleeve. One frozen January morning at 5 am, Inspector Wallander responds to what he expects is a routine call out. When he reaches the isolated farmhouse he discovers a bloodbath. An old man has been tortured and beaten to death, his wife lies barely alive beside his shattered body, victims of violence beyond reason. Wallander must set aside his own personal difficulties to solve this crime, throwing himself into a battle against time and mounting xenophobia. This is the first book in the Wallander series.