Oslo is sweltering in the summer heat when a young woman is murdered in her flat. One finger has been cut off and a tiny red diamond in the shape of a pentagram—a five-pointed star—is found under her eyelid.

Detective Harry Hole is assigned the case with Tom Waaler, a colleague he neither likes nor trusts. He believes Tom is behind a gang of arms smugglers—and the murder of his partner. But Harry, an off-the-rails alcoholic, is barely holding on to his job and has little choice but to play nice.

Five days later, another woman is reported missing. When her severed finger is found adorned with a star-shaped red diamond ring, Harry fears a serial killer is on the loose. Determined to find the killer and expose the crooked Tom Waaler, Harry discovers the two investigations melding in unexpected ways.

But pursuing the truth comes at a price, and soon Harry finds himself on the run and forced to make difficult decisions about a future he may not live to see.

Faceless Killers introduces readers to the world of Inspector Kurt Wallander, a dedicated detective in the Ystad police force. On a cold night in a remote Swedish farmhouse, a senselessly violent crime takes place: an elderly farmer is bludgeoned to death, and his wife is left to die with a noose around her neck.

As if this didn’t present enough problems for Inspector Wallander, the dying woman’s last word is foreign, leaving the police with the one tangible clue they have. This clue becomes the match that could inflame Sweden’s already smoldering anti-immigrant sentiments.

Unlike the situation with his ex-wife, his estranged daughter, or the beautiful but married young prosecutor who has piqued his interest, in this case, Wallander finds a problem he can handle. He quickly becomes obsessed with solving the crime before the already tense situation explodes.

Wallander soon comes to realize that it will require all his reserves of energy and dedication to solve this case, a challenge that will test him to his limits.