The Martin Beck series - Roseanna (Martin Beck 1)
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Review
‘They changed the genre. Whoever is writing crime fiction after these novels is inspired by them in one way or another.’ Henning Mankell
‘If you haven’t read Sjöwall/Wahlöö, start now.’ Sunday Telegraph
‘Pick up one book…and you become unhinged. You want to block out a week of your life, lie to your boss, and stay in bed, gorging on one after another.’ Observer
‘The writing is elegant and surprisingly humorous – if you haven’t come across Beck before, you’re in for a treat.’ Guardian
London Review of Books
'skilfully plotted...'
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They found the corpse on the eighth of July just after three o'clock in the afternoon. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
They found the corpse on the eighth of July just after three o'clock in the afternoon. Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
71 of 72 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
facts are what we need." Crane Wilbur
Facts are few and far between for Detective Inspector Martin Beck in "Roseanna". A girl's body is found by a dredger in a lock near Sweden's Lake Vattern. The body is naked and there are no clues as to her identity and the reasons for her death. Martin Beck is called up from Stockholm to assist the local authorities in their investigation. Through a process of time-consuming grunt work and dogged determination Beck and his colleagues try first to find the pieces to this jigsaw puzzle of a mystery. They first have to identify the dead girl. Next they have to identify the crime scene (one of a number of passenger ferries). Finally the have to identify a possible suspect out of more than eighty potential killers.
The pace of the book tracks the pace of the investigation. In the first few months of the case little progress is made. However, this affords the readers the opportunity to get a glimpse of Beck and his colleague's character and personalities as they go about the daily grind of their police work. The pace quickens and the excitement mounts as the jigsaw puzzle pieces begin to fall into place.
Roseanna was the first in a series of ten Martin Beck mysteries written by the Swedish, husband and wife team of Per Wahloo and Maj Sjowall. The plot and structure of the four Beck mysteries I've read to date do not deviate from the standard format found in any well-written police procedural. However, what sets the Beck mysteries apart is their location and character development. Naturally enough, each book is a small window into Swedish life and culture in the 1960s and 1970s when the books were written. Further, as the series develops the character of Beck and his colleagues evolve and the reader slowly obtains a real feel for Beck and his fellow police officers.
Roseanna was not the best of the Beck books I've read but it was good enough that I stayed up a bit later than I should in order to finish it. Even thought this may not be the best of the bunch I do suggest that any reader new to the series start with Roseanna in order to appreciate the evolution of Beck and his family and fellow officers.
If you like police procedurals with a bit of an exotic flair you should enjoy the Martin Beck stories. They rank alongside Boris Akunin's Erast Fandorin series set in Russia and Georges Simenon's Maigret stories set in France as enjoyable, well-written stories set on distant shores. Recommended. L. Fleisig
Facts are few and far between for Detective Inspector Martin Beck in "Roseanna". A girl's body is found by a dredger in a lock near Sweden's Lake Vattern. The body is naked and there are no clues as to her identity and the reasons for her death. Martin Beck is called up from Stockholm to assist the local authorities in their investigation. Through a process of time-consuming grunt work and dogged determination Beck and his colleagues try first to find the pieces to this jigsaw puzzle of a mystery. They first have to identify the dead girl. Next they have to identify the crime scene (one of a number of passenger ferries). Finally the have to identify a possible suspect out of more than eighty potential killers.
The pace of the book tracks the pace of the investigation. In the first few months of the case little progress is made. However, this affords the readers the opportunity to get a glimpse of Beck and his colleague's character and personalities as they go about the daily grind of their police work. The pace quickens and the excitement mounts as the jigsaw puzzle pieces begin to fall into place.
Roseanna was the first in a series of ten Martin Beck mysteries written by the Swedish, husband and wife team of Per Wahloo and Maj Sjowall. The plot and structure of the four Beck mysteries I've read to date do not deviate from the standard format found in any well-written police procedural. However, what sets the Beck mysteries apart is their location and character development. Naturally enough, each book is a small window into Swedish life and culture in the 1960s and 1970s when the books were written. Further, as the series develops the character of Beck and his colleagues evolve and the reader slowly obtains a real feel for Beck and his fellow police officers.
Roseanna was not the best of the Beck books I've read but it was good enough that I stayed up a bit later than I should in order to finish it. Even thought this may not be the best of the bunch I do suggest that any reader new to the series start with Roseanna in order to appreciate the evolution of Beck and his family and fellow officers.
If you like police procedurals with a bit of an exotic flair you should enjoy the Martin Beck stories. They rank alongside Boris Akunin's Erast Fandorin series set in Russia and Georges Simenon's Maigret stories set in France as enjoyable, well-written stories set on distant shores. Recommended. L. Fleisig
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A forceful and brilliant start to this classic series of 'police procedurals'. This is highly enjoyable storytelling, with the procedural aspect very much to the fore. Fans of Henning Mankell's Inspector Wallender series should check this out - it's the inspirational Ur text. If anything, the story of the husband-and-wife team of Swedish Marxists who wrote the series is even more fascinating, and there's plenty of material on them at the back of the book. For me, this was THE find of 2006.
The series should be read in order. Next up is: The Man Who Went up in Smoke.
The series should be read in order. Next up is: The Man Who Went up in Smoke.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Roseanna is the first in the series of the 'Martin Beck' series and was published in 1968. The series has provided inspiration for writers such as Graham Greene and Henning Mankell.
When the body of a young woman is dredged up from Lake Vattern in Sweden, Detective Inspector Martin Beck is called in to find the killer. The girl could have been raped or strangled by any of about 80 possible suspects, and so the painstaking process begins.
Initailly I had a few dificulties with the stlye of the writing and the absolute precision, like for example, people entering rooms at three minutes to five or car journeys that take five minutes 40 seconds. However, I did get used to it and came to quite enjoy the report-like accuracy with which the novel is written.
The real frustrations of police investigation was apparent and the book included details of weeks where nothing much happened, which was actually quite refreshing and gave the novel a feeling of authenticity.
Police procedure might have moved on drastically since the sixties, what with computers, email and the like, but strangely 'Roseanna' doesn't seem to have dated that badly.
Don't expect flowery language or much description. The only detail in the book is that which is absolutley necessary! Saying that, there were some very nice touches...a detective that shows something of his frailty was unusual and well written.
When the body of a young woman is dredged up from Lake Vattern in Sweden, Detective Inspector Martin Beck is called in to find the killer. The girl could have been raped or strangled by any of about 80 possible suspects, and so the painstaking process begins.
Initailly I had a few dificulties with the stlye of the writing and the absolute precision, like for example, people entering rooms at three minutes to five or car journeys that take five minutes 40 seconds. However, I did get used to it and came to quite enjoy the report-like accuracy with which the novel is written.
The real frustrations of police investigation was apparent and the book included details of weeks where nothing much happened, which was actually quite refreshing and gave the novel a feeling of authenticity.
Police procedure might have moved on drastically since the sixties, what with computers, email and the like, but strangely 'Roseanna' doesn't seem to have dated that badly.
Don't expect flowery language or much description. The only detail in the book is that which is absolutley necessary! Saying that, there were some very nice touches...a detective that shows something of his frailty was unusual and well written.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Good Read
I enjoyed this book and felt the story built up quite well. I read beforehand this book was viewed as a bit of a classic and changed the way crime books were written thereafter -... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mr. R. N. Lock
Glad I came across it
I can't remember where I came across the Martin Beck series but I am glad I did - and I am also glad I started with this, the first in the series. Read more
Published 2 months ago by H. S. Evers
Where It All Began
Roseanna is a young American tourist who is murdered in Sweden. The lead detective on the case, Martin Beck, is certainly dogged in his attempt to track down the murderer, which he... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Ragnar
No icing on this Scandi cake
Long before the likes of Larssen and Nesbo, there was Per and Maj making a solid case for Scandi crime fiction. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Brian Walker
Something Different
I was a little apprehensive on learning that two people wrote these books alternating on chapters but it really works very well. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Madeleine Godbold
great read but disappointed with the ending
As I'm currently exploring Scandinavian crime writers, when I saw this title mentioned on eurocrime.co. Read more
Published 5 months ago by h emrys, cardiff
Re-Read
I read the laughing policeman in the 70's and it was great to be to start reading them from the beginning. Read more
Published 5 months ago by our man in Spain
The steady pace of the 1960s.....
Detective novels (as well as other novels) that are written in the present time but set in the past tend to have a very deliberate and artificial style. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Wynne Kelly
For []p, it is worth a look
This story is interesting from a plot perspective. However, the writing style is very basic. I wouldnt recommend to fans of the thriller genre.
Published 8 months ago by Ails
Dated Swedish Thriller
Roseanna was written in 1965 by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo, a husband and wife team from Sweden. Sjowall and Wahloo sat down and planned a ten part series featuring Detective... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Lincs Reader
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