- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Harper Perennial; (Reissue) edition (18 Jun 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0007242956
- ISBN-13: 978-0007242955
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 26,328 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Martin Beck series - The Fire Engine That Disappeared
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Product Description
Review
‘Superbly well done. It stars the gloomy head of homicide, Martin Beck, and is stunning right up to the last paragraph. The authors are ready for the great Simenon.’ New York Magazine
‘The tale proceeds at a fast clip, inventive and tantalizing as the pieces of the puzzle alternately fit together and fly apart…“The Fire Engine that Disappeared” is downright fascinating.’ Publishers Weekly
'A gripping read, brilliantly plotted and with frequent moments of hilarity or tenderness.' The Guardian
Praise for Sjowall & Wahloo:
‘Plots are interesting as well as realistic, the various homicide men are admirably characterised, and the amused, sarcastic comments on modern Sweden are a delight.’ Sunday Times
‘The writing is elegant and surprisingly humorous – if you haven’t come across Beck before, you’re in for a treat.’ Guardian
‘One of the most authentic, gripping and profound collections of police procedurals ever accomplished.’nMichael Connelly
Product Description
The excellent fifth classic installment in the Martin Beck detective series from the 1960s – the novels that have inspired all crime fiction written ever since.
Widely recognised as the greatest masterpieces of crime fiction ever written, these are the original detective stories that pioneered the detective genre.
Gunvald Larsson sits carefully observing the dingy Stockholm apartment of a man under police surveillance. He looks at his watch: nine minutes past eleven in the evening. He yawns, slapping his arms to keep warm. At the same moment the house explodes, killing at least three people.
Chief Inspector Martin Beck and his men don't suspect arson or murder until they discover a peculiar circumstance and a link is established between the explosion and a suicide committed that same day, in which the dead man left a note consisting of just two words: Martin Beck.
Written in the 1960s, they are the work of Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo – a husband and wife team from Sweden. The ten novels follow the fortunes of the detective Martin Beck, whose enigmatic, taciturn character has inspired countless other policemen in crime fiction. The novels can be read separately, but do follow a chronological order, so the reader can become familiar with the characters and develop a loyalty to the series. Each book has a new introduction in order to help bring these books to a new audience.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Alongside the first book Roseanna, and The Man on the Balcony, this is among the best of the Martin Beck decalogue.
The story is quite wide-ranging in geography and plot, with interesting procedural details. And all the regulars are present, including Melander and the bear-like Gunvald Larsson, plus the inept Kristiansson and Kvant for slight comic relief. A new recruit, Benny Skacke is introduced. Recommended.
The story is quite wide-ranging in geography and plot, with interesting procedural details. And all the regulars are present, including Melander and the bear-like Gunvald Larsson, plus the inept Kristiansson and Kvant for slight comic relief. A new recruit, Benny Skacke is introduced. Recommended.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I came to Swedish detective writing through first the Wallender novels and then Salander - and then I came across this series of ten novels which really were the foundation of all that has followed.
Anyone who hasn't found this Swedish pair of Marxist journalists turned novelists should do so as soon as is humanly possible. They are fascinating about police procedure, often droll and utterly realist in the interplay of characters in the cop shop and are wonderfully, unobtrusively snide about the great Swedish Social Democrat experiment.
What is remarkable is how different each novel is. A compendium of delight worth any number of so called 'literary novels.'
Go for them!
Anyone who hasn't found this Swedish pair of Marxist journalists turned novelists should do so as soon as is humanly possible. They are fascinating about police procedure, often droll and utterly realist in the interplay of characters in the cop shop and are wonderfully, unobtrusively snide about the great Swedish Social Democrat experiment.
What is remarkable is how different each novel is. A compendium of delight worth any number of so called 'literary novels.'
Go for them!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A good read. I would definitely try another by these authors. Their occasional witty asides make a charming alternative to the kind of detective fiction that is too relentlessly serious.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Character counts for a lot
This is the fifth book in the Martin beck series. The title comes from a toy which one of the officers, Einar Rönn, gave to his young son. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Ragnar
Another superb outing for Martin Beck, Swedish policeman
At the risk of sounding overenthusiastic, here is another superb outing in the Martin Beck series. The first few chapters, which describe a stakeout in which Gunvald Larsson of the... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Maxine Clarke
A team player
The fifth in the Martin Beck decalogue with a setting of 1969 Stockholm. The authors seem to be maturing the series into traditional polce procedural with less focus on Beck... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Officer Dibble
Best of the Swedes
This was my introduction to Martin Beck and far superior to Henning Mankell. This one inspired me to buy (or borrow) others in the series.
Published 18 months ago by C. B. Tomkinson
Sixties Sweden
The dialogue is stilted and neither the story nor characters well developed. Sadly for me a book not worth reading. Read more
Published on 4 April 2010 by Blyth
Another winner
Yet another good read - great to be able to obtain the full set now. As good as John Wainwright!
Published on 22 Nov 2009 by bookworm8
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