In the prelude to his retirement, Wallander is on the lookout for a home in the country and a dog to keep him company and his loneliness is evident.

His daughter, Linda, has completed her training and is working at Ystad station alongside Wallander and also sharing his flat, much to his chagrin as he reflects on the 'strange marriage' they are now engaged in, reflecting how much Linda reminds him of former wife, Mona. He wonders if it is more difficult to be a police officer or if he is just making excuses and ripe for retirement. Reflecting on over thirty years spent in the force which have see him progress from probationer to detective, he ruminates on the changes in crime, most notably the increased availability of drugs.

Opening at the beginning of October 2002, Wallander is grouchy and morose about everything from the seasonal weather to the overdue ending of his career. The story was originally distributed as a free incentive with other book sales to popularise reading in Holland and on the strength of this short and very sweet meeting with Kurt Wallander, I most definitely would have been back for more! Gloomy and despondent undoubtedly, but a man of depth with a remarkably dry humour. The print version of this novella covers just over one hundred and fifty pages and is set prior to Wallander's final outing, The Troubled Man. Having never read any of the Wallander novels nor seen the TV adaptions, I was unsure whether starting with a novella set in his final years before retirement would allow me to appreciate his character. An Event in Autumn was an unlikely starting point for an introduction to the legend that is Henning Mankell and his creation, Kurt Wallander, but enough to see why he has acquired the cult status he has gained.

Het graf by Henning Mankell