October 1914: the destroyer Svea emerges from the Stockholm archipelago bearing south-south-east. On board is Lars Tobiasson-Svartman, a naval engineer charged with making depth soundings to find a navigable channel for the Swedish navy. The engineer is fascinated by measurement, and his instinct for his profession is reflected in the comfortable domesticity he enjoys with his wife. Close to the waters where soundings are taken Tobiasson-Svartman alights on a barren skerry, presumed uninhabited, and is surprised to discover there a young woman. Despite her almost feral appearance, something about her strikes him. The mission is a success and the Svea returns to Gothenburg. Tobiasson-Svartman, however, remains haunted by this chance encounter; his equilibrium has been disturbed, and he feels compelled to return. In Depths Mankell confirms his status as a writer of great magnitude. By delving deep into the male psyche, he has produced a novel as tense and compelling as the Wallander series, but also powerful, moving and ultimately tragic