Shadow of the Leopard

A powerful, haunting story set in Mozambique by a world-renowned author.

Readers met Sofia previously in Secrets in the Fire, when, at the age of 9, she lost her legs in a land mine explosion in Mozambique.

Now Sofia is almost 20 and pregnant with her third child. Armando, the father of her children, travels to the city for work, coming home on weekends.

One Saturday Armando is very late, and as he stands in the shadows beyond the firelight, Sofia knows he is hiding something from her. She makes her way to town to find out what he is doing... and is devastated to discover that he is involved with another woman.

Sofia ends their relationship but suffers terribly in the face of Armando's rage. In a heart-rending conclusion Armando's life unravels, and Sofia must return to her village to raise her children without him.

Shadow of the Leopard is an unforgettable story of love and betrayal told with clear-eyed compassion and humane and strongly atmospheric insight.

Henning Mankell was born in 1948 and is one of Sweden's most popular authors. His Kurt Wallander detective series has sold millions of copies. He spends half of his time in Mozambique, where he knows the real Sofia who inspired this novel.