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Summary: Meet Martin Beck
Review: The first in a series of ten detective novels intended to portray the decay of modern Scandinavian society though the lens of the police procedural. Written by a husband and wife team, (Sjowall and Wahloo), the books are excellently plotted and written, with an eye toward detail and realism.In this first book, the emphasis is more on introducing the characters and their methods, with very little political or social commentary. The protagonist is the hapless Martin Beck, a homicide detective with the Stockholm police force, trapped in a loveless marriage at home and stultified by inept bueracracy at the workplace. His escape from the tedium of existence is his quiet, unstated, love of police work, particularly his own methodical approach to homicide. This book introduces us to Beck, and follows his patient investigation into the rape, bludgeoning, and subsequent drowning of an American tourist named Roseanna. It is one of the best in the series; in fact, its probably one of the greatest crime novels ever written. Start with this book and read the rest of the series. You won't be disappointed.
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Summary: One of the great detective series of all time
Review: The Martin Beck books by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo are individually brilliant and collectively stunning. It's incredible that this series isn't available in its entirety -- so many people are being deprived of a great reading experience. One can only hope that some publisher will get wise and bring them all back into print. In the way that Tony Hillerman takes you into the Southwest or Laurie King evokes the world of Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes, Sjowall and Wahloo paint a stark, but not grim, picture of modern Sweden and a great portrait of Martin Beck, an imperfect but admirable human being.
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Summary: Roseanna is a masterpiece of police procedural fiction.
Review: The nude body of a young woman is dredged from the bottom of a Swedish canal, and Martin Beck, a homicide detective with the Stockholm Police Force, spends the rest of "Roseanna" doggedly looking for clues and trying to solve her murder. Authors Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo supposedly set out to write ten books featuring a homicide detective (Beck), and showing the ills of modern society in the process. Roseanna was the first of the ten books, one per year, that came out in the late sixties and early seventies. But what Sjowall and Wahloo may have succeeded in doing is something a little different - revealing a genius for characterization and story, so that by the tenth book ("The Terrorists", sadly out of print), one looks at Beck and the other recurring characters like old friends. But Roseanna is great reading, whether basking on the beach or in bed on a dark and stormy night. One roots for Martin Beck, a creation every bit as compelling as S! ! am Spade, Travis McGee or Phillip Marlowe, as he stubbornly pursues his seemingly impossible task. And one also has to thank Black Lizard for having the courage to re-issue these masterpieces of crime fiction. Enjoy!
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Summary: Definitely worth your time!
Review: This book is great! I was somewhat hesitant, being that it was written a while ago and takes place in Sweden (I'm not familiar with names, locales, etc.); however, it was absolutely great and now I'm hooked! It is entertaining, interesting, has great characters and not a ridiculous mystery, like some out there. I highly recommend it!
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Summary: A terse, tight mystery
Review: This is the first in a series of 10 mystery novels written three decades ago by husband-wife team Wahloo and Sjowall. The protagonist is Swedish detective Martin Beck, unhappy in his marriage but dedicated to his work--here, the investigation of the murder of an unknown woman discovered during the dredge-up of a canal. The writing style is spare, evoking the close, bleak atmosphere permeating the novel and Beck's daily life. Using few words, the authors bring the characters to life. The mystery plot is straightforward; its true value is in introducing and developing the characters and their environment.
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Summary: A fine start to an outstanding canon of work
Review: This is the first of the Martin Beck novels by Sj?well and Wahl??, and whilst not the best, it is a great introduction to the series. Beck is the classic flawed personality detective (think of Endeavour Morse, Kurt Wallander, Matt Scudder, Andy Dalziel or John Rebus) whose personal life is subsumed and eventually broken up by obsession about work - could Beck be the first example of this genre? It provides an interesting exposure to Swedish society (albeit twenty years ago). The translation is mostly acccurate, though this sometimes misses a key point (for example, the "adult" content of the prime suspect's favorite magazine is not evident to those unaware of Swedish publications). Thoroughily recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A fine start to an outstanding canon of work
Review: This is the first of the Martin Beck novels by Sjöwell and Wahlöö, and whilst not the best, it is a great introduction to the series. Beck is the classic flawed personality detective (think of Endeavour Morse, Kurt Wallander, Matt Scudder, Andy Dalziel or John Rebus) whose personal life is subsumed and eventually broken up by obsession about work - could Beck be the first example of this genre? It provides an interesting exposure to Swedish society (albeit twenty years ago). The translation is mostly acccurate, though this sometimes misses a key point (for example, the "adult" content of the prime suspect's favorite magazine is not evident to those unaware of Swedish publications). Thoroughily recommended.
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Summary: I stayed up all night
Review: This murder mystery/police novel is suprisingly captivating. I don't usually read this genre, so I can't compare to other, more familar, authors of crime stories, but I stayed up all night to finish it, I found myself wanting to get to the bottom of the murder as much as the relentless, detective Martin Beck.
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