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It took a lot of persuading from Linda for Wallander to agree to go on another date after the debacle he had had with Agata. It was three weeks before his colleagues at the station had stopped sniggering and teasing him about it. Even Chief Holgersson, who he had expected to take a dim view of his date with a suspect, had stifled a smile or two during her rather excruciating interrogation of him. He wasn't ready to trawl the newspaper for another potential train wreck of a date.

In the event, though, it was an acquaintance who had set him up on a blind date with a woman who was, apparently, the "perfect match" for him. Beautiful, intelligent, not too young but not too old either: she sounded too good to be true. Wallander was sceptical, but secretly curious about this woman. In his experience there was always a catch with a woman that perfect.

Date One, in which Wallander has a lucky escape.

Wallander arrived somewhat nervously at the restaurant.  They’d arranged to meet for 7:30 and he was a few minutes early.  He hoped they would be able to recognise each other.  If she was as attractive as her voice on the phone had suggested he would have no trouble picking her out, but he hoped she didn’t take one look at him and change her mind.

“Who wants an aging policeman anyway?” he thought.  It had mainly been his daughter Linda’s idea to answer the advert in the Personals section of the paper.  Given his own previous experience with such things he could be forgiven for feeling sceptical.