Reading order

Wallander novels reading order

Henning Mankell

Faceless Killers1991
The Dogs of Riga1992
The White Lioness1993
The Man Who Smiled1994
Sidetracked1995
The Fifth Woman1996
One Step Behind1997
Firewall1998
The Pyramid1999
Before the Frost2002
An Event in Autumn2013
The Troubled Man2009

7.47.4 / 10
196 ratings
Score: 12 volumes
Volumes: 1991–2013
Published: about 95 h
Reading time: Completed
Status: Crime & mystery
Genre

Quick answer

Start withFaceless Killers1991 · Volume 1 of 12

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Publication order

12 volumes1991–2013Completed

Read in publication order from Faceless Killers (1991) — the cases are closed, but Wallander’s life runs in sequence.
The Pyramid is a collection of prequel stories (read any time), Before the Frost belongs to his daughter Linda, and The Troubled Man (2009) closes the series.

A plan for the whole series

12 volumes, 5,054 pages, about 95 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 4 months.

Per day: 45 min

53%

Share of volume 1’s readers who reach the last volume. Chance of reaching the last volume: medium

Stages

6 stages, with 5 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around March 22, 2027, 20 days later than in one go.

1
Stage 112 h16 daysby November 14, 2026
- 1. Faceless Killers1991 · 309 pages · 6 h
- 2. The Dogs of Riga1992 · 338 pages · 6 h
Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by November 18, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
2
Stage 29 h12 daysby November 29, 2026
- 3. The White Lioness1993 · 478 pages · 9 h
Short breakThe Emperor's Soul · Brandon Sanderson · 96 pp. · score 8.82 h, by December 3, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3
Stage 318 habout 3 weeksby December 26, 2026
- 4. The Man Who Smiled1994 · 542 pages · 10 h
- 5. Sidetracked1995 · 420 pages · 8 h
Short breakOn Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century · Timothy Snyder · 128 pp. · score 8.42 h, by December 30, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
4
Stage 418 habout 3 weeksby January 23, 2027
- 6. The Fifth Woman1996 · 544 pages · 10 h
- 7. One Step Behind1997 · 440 pages · 8 h
Short breakAnimal Farm · George Orwell · 128 pp. · score 8.32 h, by January 28, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
5
Stage 517 habout 3 weeksby February 19, 2027
- 8. Firewall1998 · 512 pages · 9 h
- 9. The Pyramid1999 · 392 pages · 7 h
Short breakTo Be Taught, If Fortunate · Becky Chambers · 153 pp. · score 8.33 h, by February 23, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
6
Stage 620 habout 4 weeksby March 22, 2027
The end of the series
March 22, 2027

In one goMarch 2, 2027about 4 months

In stages, with breaksMarch 22, 2027about 5 months · +11 h of other books

We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.

How this plan is calculated

The plan comes from the pages and ratings of each volume: we split the series into stages of about three weeks’ reading, size each break to the stage before it, and read the chance of finishing from how many readers rate the last volume compared with the first. How we work out the plan →

Every volume in order

Read: 0 of 12

Order checked by hand · Order and years: Wikidata (CC0). Spotted an error? Tell us. · Data updated October 29, 2026

Frequently asked questions

Which Wallander novels book is the best?

By reader score, The Dogs of Riga (7.4/10). The lowest-rated is Faceless Killers (7.3/10).

Which Wallander novels book is the longest?

“The Fifth Woman” is the longest at 544 pages; the shortest is “An Event in Autumn” with 176 pages.