Best Laurie Thompson Audiobooks

The best Laurie Thompson audiobooks — 6 titles ranked by listening experience across Mystery, Thriller, averaging 3.83 ABR stars.

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There's a data issue worth flagging before I write this: Laurie Thompson is the English-language translator of Henning Mankell's work, not the author. The books listed — The Dogs of Riga, The Man Who Smiled, The Kurt Wallander series, Inspector Van Veeteren — are all Mankell's. Thompson's translations are excellent, but the author bio should almost certainly be for **Henning Mankell**.

Want me to write the bio for Henning Mankell instead, and flag this as a data fix needed in your collection?

Laurie Thompson's highest-rated audiobook in our collection is The Man Who Smiled, narrated by Dick Hill (4.01 ABR stars). Performed by narrators including Dick Hill, Robin Sachs, Rosalyn Landor, and more. Rankings here weight the listening experience — narrator performance and Audible ratings factor alongside reader scores.

Where to Start with Laurie Thompson

  1. 1
    The Man Who Smiled cover

    The Man Who Smiled

    Kurt Wallander • Book 4

    by Henning Mankell, Laurie Thompson

    Narrated by Dick Hill

    ★ 4.01 ABR Score (27.4K ratings)
    ★ 3.95 Goodreads (26.3K) ★ 4.35 Audible (1.1K)
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    Hill's steady narration follows Wallander through his deepest crisis, from contemplating resignation to confronting a conspiracy that threatens everything he believes.

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  2. 2
    The Dogs of Riga cover

    The Dogs of Riga

    Kurt Wallander • Book 2

    by Henning Mankell, Laurie Thompson

    Narrated by Dick Hill

    ★ 3.74 ABR Score (32.2K ratings)
    ★ 3.72 Goodreads (30.8K) ★ 4.15 Audible (1.3K)
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    Inspector Wallander investigates two murdered criminals washed ashore in a life raft, leading him into post-Soviet Latvia's dangerous political chaos. Dick Hill's gruff narration suits Mankell's bleak Nordic atmosphere.

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  3. 3
    The Pyramid: And Four Other Kurt Wallander Mysteries cover

    The Pyramid: And Four Other Kurt Wallander Mysteries

    Kurt Wallander • Book 9

    by Henning Mankell, Laurie Thompson, Ebba Segerberg

    Narrated by Dick Hill

    ★ 3.91 ABR Score (15.2K ratings)
    ★ 3.86 Goodreads (14.3K) ★ 4.31 Audible (917)
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    Five early Wallander cases reveal how Sweden's most famous detective developed his investigative instincts. These shorter mysteries showcase Mankell's talent for psychological depth within traditional police procedural frameworks.

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  4. 4
    The Troubled Man cover

    The Troubled Man

    Kurt Wallander • Book 10

    by Henning Mankell, Laurie Thompson

    Narrated by Robin Sachs

    ★ 3.99 ABR Score (20.0K ratings)
    ★ 3.98 Goodreads (19.1K) ★ 4.33 Audible (882)
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    Kurt Wallander's investigation into his daughter's father-in-law's disappearance becomes deeply personal as family ties complicate his final major case.

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  5. 5
    The Man from Beijing cover

    The Man from Beijing

    by Henning Mankell, Laurie Thompson

    Narrated by Rosalyn Landor

    ★ 3.63 ABR Score (19.0K ratings)
    ★ 3.51 Goodreads (18.1K) ★ 3.81 Audible (839)
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    A judge discovers her family connection to Sweden's worst mass murder, uncovering a revenge plot spanning generations in Mankell's ambitious thriller that Rosalyn Landor narrates with steady determination.

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  6. 6
    Borkmann's Point cover

    Borkmann's Point

    Inspector Van Veeteren • Book 2

    by Håkan Nesser, Laurie Thompson

    Narrated by Simon Vance

    ★ 3.69 ABR Score (10.1K ratings)
    ★ 3.72 Goodreads (9.9K) ★ 4.1 Audible (203)
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    Inspector Van Veeteren travels to a sleepy coastal town to investigate ax murders that reveal long-buried secrets. Simon Vance brings understated intensity to Nesser's Nordic noir, where past sins resurface through present violence.

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How We Rank Audiobooks

Rankings are driven by listener ratings and review counts from Audible and Goodreads. Books with high ratings across a large number of listeners rank higher — a 4.5 with 50,000 ratings says more than a 4.8 with 200.

Unlike most book lists, we weight audiobook-specific factors: narrator performance, production quality, and how well a story translates to audio. A great book with a poor narration isn't a great audiobook.

We don't accept paid placements or prioritize new releases. These rankings reflect what listeners actually enjoy, not what's being promoted.

Rankings update periodically as new ratings come in and new titles are added to the collection.

Read our full ranking methodology →