A small-town murder leads to international intrigue in this "first-class thriller" from the New York Times–bestselling master of Scandinavian crime (The New York Times Book Review). Inspector Kurt Wallander returns in the second of Henning Mankell''s award-winning, internationally-bestselling detective novels, this time to investigate the execution-style killing of a Swedish housewife. The local police focus on a determined stalker who''s suddenly nowhere to be found, but when they finally catch up with their prime suspect his alibi turns out to be airtight. Digging deeper, Wallander discovers that the woman''s death is more complex and dangerous than a crime of passion. His search for the truth takes him far from home and into the murky world of apartheid-era South Africa, where he uncovers a sinister assassination plot. Soon the small-town detective finds himself in a high-stakes tangle with the South African secret service and a ruthless ex-KGB agent. Combining heart-pounding suspense with probing social commentary, The White Lioness is an essential chapter in the addictive mystery series that inspired the hit TV show Wallander starring Kenneth Branagh. "It is not hard to see why the Wallander books have made such an impact" (The Times Literary Supplement).