The aim of this paper is to examine how theatre functions as a central metaphor in Henning Mankell´s inspector Wallander novels. I propose to demonstrate how the characters of criminals take on the roles of directors, actors and ultimately viewers as they carefully plan, prepare and execute their crimes. In this sense, crime (as conceived and described in the novels) is no longer merely an act of violence directed at another human being, but takes on the role of a means of communication. Finally, I shall examine elements of spectacle in the ritual entailed in the descriptions of the crimes themselves and try to explain whether and, if so how, these are integrated in the underlying metaphor of theatre.