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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Well, intuition isn't much help in police work, 4 Jan 2007
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
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Martin Beck Arrives, 8 Aug 2004
"Roseanna" introduces Martin Beck, an overworked but brilliant Swedish policeman. When the body of a young woman is found in a nearby lake, Beck is called in to assist. The case proves frustrating, and months pass before any progress is made. Fortunately, Beck is persistent and sticks with the case, even as it begins to haunt his life. Originally released in 1967, the plot doesn't rely on high-tech police techniques - just good old-fashioned story-telling.Married authors Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo crafted this fine novel, as well as subsequent entries in the Martin Beck series. The style of writing is sometimes dry and always factual, which adds a great deal of realism to the story. At times, the translation is somewhat awkward, particularly in the dialogue, but it doesn't detract much from the overall impact of the book. Crime Masterworks has re-released the series, and as always they've done a beautiful job. Recommended for fans of police/detective stories - I intend to read more entries in the series.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Very Precise Police Procedural, 29 Oct 2006
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.
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