
Maj Sjöwall was a Swedish author and translator. She was best known for the collaborative work with her partner Per Wahlöö on a series of ten novels about the exploits of Martin Beck, a police detective in Stockholm. In 1971, the fourth of these books, The Laughing Policeman (a translation of Den skrattande polisen, originally published in 1968) won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Novel. They also wrote novels separately. Sjöwall had a 13 year relationship with Wahlöö which lasted until his death in 1975.
The striking seventh novel in the Martin Beck mystery series by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, finds Beck facing one of the greatest challenges in his professional career.The gruesome murder of a police captain in his hospital room reveals the unsavory history of a man who spent forty years practicing a horrible blend of strong-arm police work and shear brutality. Martin Beck and his colleagues feverishly comb Stockholm for the murderer, a demented and deadly rifleman, who has plans for even more chaos. As the tension builds and a feeling of imminent danger grips Beck, his investigation unearths evidence of police corruption. That’s when an even stronger sense of responsibility and something like shame urge him into taking a series of drastic steps, which lead to a shocking disaster.
The masterful first novel in the Martin Beck series of mysteries by the internationally renowned crime writing duo Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, finds Beck hunting for the murderer of a lonely traveler. On a July afternoon, a young woman's body is dredged from Sweden's beautiful Lake Vattern. With no clues Beck begins an investigation not only to uncover a murderer but also to discover who the victim was. Three months later, all Beck knows is that her name was Roseanna and that she could have been strangled by any one of eighty-five people on a cruise. As the melancholic Beck narrows the list of suspects, he is drawn increasingly to the enigma of the victim, a free-spirited traveler with a penchant for casual sex, and to the psychopathology of a murderer with a distinctive--indeed, terrifying--sense of propriety..
With its wonderfully observed lawmen (including the inimitable Martin Beck), its brilliantly rendered felons and their murky Stockholm underworld, and its deftly engineered plot, The Laughing Policeman is a classic of the police procedural and "must reading for anyone who claims to be [a student] of the best detective fiction" (Saturday Review).
His holiday has just an August spent with his family on a small island off the coast of Sweden. But when a neighbor gets a phone call, Martin Beck finds himself packed off to Budapest, where a boorish journalist has vanished without a trace. Instead of passing leisurely sun-filled days with his children, Beck must troll about in the Eastern Europe underworld for a man nobody knows, with the aid of the coolly efficient local police, who do business while soaking at the public baths--and at the risk of vanishing along with his quarry.
Someone is killing young girls in the once-peaceful parks of Stockholm -- killing them after having his way. The people of Stockholm are tense and fearful. Police Superintendent Martin Beck has two a cold-blooded mugger who won't say much and a three-year-old boy who can't say much. The dedicated work of the police force seems to be leading nowhere, and with each passing day, the likelihood of another murder grows. But then Beck remembers someone -- or something -- he overheard.A quietly relentless thriller, The Man on the Balcony juxtaposes the most inhuman of crimes with the humanity of the men who must solve it -- their perseverance, frustration, and horror -- resulting in a police procedural that is as moving and credible as it is enthralling.
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.
In one part of town, a woman robs a bank. In another, a corpse is found shot through the heart in a room locked from within, with no firearm in sight. Although the two incidents appear unrelated, Detective Inspector Martin Beck believes otherwise, and solving the mystery acquires the utmost importance.
The murder of Victor Palmgren, a Swedish industrialist, leads Martin Beck and his fellow detectives into an intense hunt for the killer
A woman is found dead in Anderslöv, a small village in southern Sweden. While Martin Beck investigates her murder, his colleague Larsson becomes embroiled in the hunt for two men responsible for the death of a policeman during a shoot out on the open road. Are the two cases related?
Finished just a few weeks before Per Wahloo's death, The Terrorists is the last Martin Beck mystery, a marvelous summing up of the series. The series finale finds Beck attempting to save an American diplomat from the bloody hands of a terrorist group.The book is, in effect, a marvelous summing up of the series. The story centers on the visit of an American senator to Stockholm. Martin Beck tries to protect him from an international gang of terrorists, while they decide that Beck too should be removed from the scene. Interwoven with this basic story are two fascinating subplots. One, a classic mini-mystery, is the story of a millionaire pornographer bludgeoned to death in his own bathtub. The other is the story of a young girl, a Swedish hippie caught up unexpectedly in the maze of police bureaucracy. As in other Martin Beck books, the plot comes together in a totally unexpected climax.
Here, in one eBook volume, are the first four books in the hugely acclaimed Martin Beck series – novels that shaped the future of Scandinavian crime fiction and influenced writers from Stieg Larsson to Jo Nesbo, Henning Mankell to Lars Kepplar.The first four novels in the Martin Beck series, available in one eBook volume.‘Roseanna’: On a July afternoon, the body of a young woman is dredged from a lake in southern Sweden. Raped and murdered, she is naked, unmarked and carries no sign of her identity. As Detective Inspector Martin Beck slowly begins to make the connections that will bring her identity to light, he uncovers a series of crimes further reaching than he ever would have imagined and a killer far more dangerous. How much will Beck be prepared to risk to catch him?‘The Man Who Went Up in Smoke’: A Swedish journalist has vanished without a trace in Budapest. When Detective Inspector Martin Beck arrives in the city to investigate, he is drawn to an Eastern European underworld in search of a man nobody knows. With the aid of the coolly efficient local police, he reveals a web of crime, stretching back across Europe – a discovery that will put his own life at risk.‘The Man on the Balcony’: Someone is killing young girls in the once-peaceful parks of Stockholm – killing them after having his own way with them. The people of Stockholm are tense and fearful. Police Superintendent Martin Beck has two witnesses: a cold-blooded mugger who won’t say much and a three-year-old boy who can’t say much. The dedicated work of the police seems to be leading nowhere, and with each passing day the likelihood of another murder grows. But then Beck remembers someone – or something – he overheard.‘The Laughing Policeman’: On a cold and rainy Stockholm night, nine bus riders are gunned down by an unknown assassin. The press, anxious for an explanation for the seemingly random crime, quickly dubs him a madman. But Martin Beck of the Homicide Squad suspects otherwise: this apparently motiveless killer has managed to target one of Beck’s best detectives – and he, surely, would not have been riding that lethal bus without a reason.
The Man Who Went Up in Smoke and Roseanna.
The Martin Beck books are widely acknowledged as some of the most influential detective novels ever written. Written by Swedish husband and wife team Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö between 1965 and 1975, the 10-book series set a gold standard for all subsequent Scandinavian crime fiction. Long before Kurt Wallander or Harry Hole, Beck was the original flawed policeman, working with a motley collection of colleagues to uncover the cruelty and injustice lurking beneath the surface of Sweden's seemingly liberal, democratic society.This complete collection includes:Roseanna (1965) - translated by Lois Roth and dramatised by Jennifer Howarth.The Man Who Went Up in Smoke (1966) - translated by Joan Tate and dramatised by Katie Hims.The Man on the Balcony (1967) - translated by Alan Blair and dramatised by Katie Hims.The Laughing Policeman (1968) - translated by Alan Blair and dramatised by Jennifer Howarth.The Fire Engine That Disappeared (1969) - translated by Joan Tate and dramatised by Katie Hims.Murder at the Savoy (1970) - translated by Amy and Ken Knoespel and dramatised by Jennifer Howarth.The Abominable Man (1971) - translated by Thomas Teal and dramatised by Katie Hims.The Locked Room (1972) - translated by Alan Blair and dramatised by Jennifer Howarth.Cop Killer (1974) - translated by Thomas Teal and dramatised by Jennifer Howarth.The Terrorists (1975) - translated by Joan Tate and dramatised by Katie Hims.
by Maj Sjöwall
Rating: 3.4 ⭐
Maj Sjöwall e Per Wahlöö, compagni nella vita oltre che romanzieri a quattro mani, con la serie di Martin Beck hanno probabilmente inventato il poliziesco procedurale; e certamente sono i caposcuola del giallo alla scandinava. Ma la squadra del commissario, da dietro le cui spalle vediamo svolgersi l'inchiesta, gonfiarsi i casi, risolversi gli intrighi, inscena anche una specie di commedia umana dei vividi anni Sessanta. In questo volume. Roseanna, la tipica ragazza anni Sessanta, colorata, vivace, piena di attese. Il bel cadavere nudo viene trovato in una diga. A distanza di mesi, Martin Beck, malinconico e sentimentalmente frustrato detective, metodico e lento, non può dimenticare; un brandello di indizio gli permette di risalire il filo della traccia. Non senza un groppo in gola. L'uomo che andò in Un uomo è andato in fumo, è sparito. Un giornalista. Svanito a Budapest e c'è il rischio dell'incidente diplomatico. A Martin Beck è affidata un'indagine discreta; che completa in coppia con un insperato alter ego ungherese. Nulla è quel che sembrava, solo una certa infelicità. L'uomo al Gelidi omicidi di bambine adescate nei parchi. Pochi testimoni hanno notato, talvolta, che parlavano con un uomo capace di carpirne la fiducia. Su questo lavora, quasi rumina, con i suoi uomini, Martin Beck, il commissario che "non pensa mai". Mentre le loro difficili esistenze riflettono l'opaca inquietudine della società del benessere.
Maj Sjöwall e Per Wahlöö sono stati la coppia di scrittori a cui si riconosce, insieme a pochi altri, la nascita del genere poliziesco cosiddetto procedurale. Scrissero la famosa serie di Martin Beck e dei colleghi della polizia di Stoccolma, da dove sono stati tratti film e telefilm in tutto il mondo. Loro la consideravano come un unico romanzo a fini di educazione politica socialista. Tanto che il sottotitolo della serie è unico: «romanzo su un crimine», intendendo con «crimine» l’insieme delle circostanze sociali che spingono le persone al delitto. Oltre che nella scrittura e nel fine politico della loro opera, erano compagni nella vita – lei, Maj, più giovane ed entrambi reduci da matrimoni con figli –, ed ebbero una storia d’amore piena di sentimento, di sensi e di vitalità, conclusasi per la prematura morte di lui.In questi racconti (tre a quattro mani, uno di Per e uno di Maj) lettere e note sparse, gli elementi portanti della comune avventura biografica e letteraria si colgono e si intuiscono tutti, rendendo questo piccolo volume un utile compagno ai dieci volumi dei loro polizieschi. Si scopre una scrittura naturalmente leggera, bella, scorrevole, che ha bisogno di alimentarsi di realismo quotidiano e di acutezza psicologica verso i tipi che si incontrano nella vita; si scruta lo stesso panorama di mare e di porti che faceva da sfondo inevitabile al loro immaginario nordico; si entra nel loro romanticismo di coppia, così tipicamente libero e anni Sessanta. Si notano le differenze personali e ciò che ciascuno di loro ha portato separatamente in dote ai romanzi scritti insieme. E si legge – scritto da Maj – un capolavoro di breve racconto, che contiene in nuce tutto un romanzo alla Patricia Highsmith.
Friðsælt sveitaþorp kemst í sviðsljósið þegar kona hverfur á leið heim úr vinnu og finnst síðar myrt. Yfirmaður morðdeildarinnar, Martin Beck, tekur sjálfur að sér rannsóknina en verður lítið ágengt. Almenningsálitið hefur þegar fundið sökudólg og yfirstjórn lögreglunnar krefst þess að látið verði til skarar skríða. Þá kemur upp annað mál sem grípur athyglina – LÖGREGLUMORÐ.Lögreglumorð er níunda bókin í sagnaflokknum Skáldsaga um glæp eftir sænsku rithöfundana Maj Sjöwall og Per Wahlöö.
Tre indagini per il commissario Beck. Il secondo volume della raccolta completa dei dieci romanzi con cui la coppia storica del romanzo scandinavo ha inventato il poliziesco procedurale.Chi legge Sjöwall e Wahlöö entra, con i sensi accesi e la mente ingombra di chi indaga, negli angoli delle vite difficili dove il delitto nasce. I due autori hanno gettato, per giudizio unanime, le basi di un genere, il «giallo procedurale». Ma la serie di Martin Beck, e della sua squadra di agenti segnati dalle vicende private e di carriera, propone anche una veduta del capitalismo sub specie poliziesca. Il poliziotto che rideUna strage su un autobus di Stoccolma. Otto morti, tra cui un poliziotto di recente nomina, con la pistola in mano. Incomprensibile la natura del delitto, che non può essere opera di uno solo. Martin Beck, con l’amico Kollberg, si fa una domanda. Su che cosa indagava il giovane agente?L’autopompa fantasmaUna palazzina, sotto osservazione della polizia, va a fuoco, bruciando sospetti e innocenti. L’esame della scena del crimine è minuzioso ed esercita ipotesi e fantasie. Lo sguardo laterale di Martin Beck è volto altrove: un’autopompa chiamata e mai giunta per un incendio destinato a cancellare molte cose.Omicidio al SavoyÈ molto raro che Martin Beck si trovi a indagare su un omicidio con vittime altolocate, come il magnate e speculatore finanziario Viktor Palmgren, sparato durante un lussuoso pranzo all’Hotel Savoy. Al ministero insistono per il complotto politico. Martin non ci crede e cerca, al solito, verità banali e non altolocate.
Á kyrru sumarkvöldi gengur maður inn í glæsilegan veitingastað í Málmey og skýtur einn kvöldvarðargestinn til bana. Síðan hverfur hann út um glugga án þess að nokkur fái stöðvað hann. Enginn viðstaddra þekkir hann, sá sem fyrir skotinu varð heldur rænu nógu lengi til að segjast ekki þekkja hann heldur. Það er eitthvað dularfullt við þennan mann sem svo margir hafa séð en enginn kannast við, og eitthvað er líka einkennilegt við vopnið sem hann notaði. Undarlegast reynist þó allt það sem lögreglunni tekst að grafa upp um fortíð og fjármálaumsvifs fórnarlambsins. Sá maður er talinn svo mikilvægur af yfirvöldum að fremstu lögreglumönnum er falið að leysa gátuna undir stjórn Martins Beck og leikurinn berst frá Málmey til Kaupmannahafnar og síðan Stokkhólms…Sagnaflokkurinn Skáldsaga um glæp eftir sænsku rithöfundana Maj Sjöwall og Per Wahlöö hefur verið gefinn út á fjölmörgum þjóðtungum og alls staðar notið mikilla vinsælda, ekki síst meðal vandlátra lesenda. Þetta er flokkur tíu lögreglusagna sem eru sjálfstæðar hver um sig, en aðalpersónurnar eru þær sömu, Martin Beck og starfsbræður hans í rannsóknarlögreglu Stokkhólmsborgar. Þetta er sjötta bókin í flokknum.
Gunvald Larsson lögreglumaður hefur fylgst með náunga sem heitir Malm í tíu viðburðasnauða daga. Dag einn er Larsson staddur fyrir utan gamalt timburhús í miðbænum þar sem maðurinn er inni og á sér einskis ills von þegar mikil sprenging verður í húsinu og það fuðrar upp. Þar hefst sögulegt mál. Brátt kemur í ljós að rannsóknin er í verkahring morðdeildarinnar.Sagnaflokkurinn Skáldsaga um glæp eftir sænsku rithöfundana Maj Sjöwall og Per Wahlöö hefur verið gefinn út á fjölmörgum þjóðtungum og alls staðar notið mikilla vinsælda, ekki síst meðal vandlátra lesenda. Þetta er flokkur tíu lögreglusagna sem eru sjálfstæðar hver um sig, en aðalpersónurnar eru þær sömu, Martin Beck og starfsbræður hans í rannsóknarlögreglu Stokkhólmsborgar. Þetta er fimmta bókin í flokknum.
Пер Валё и Май Шеваль – шведские журналисты, авторы знаменитого цикла романов о комиссаре Мартине Беке, удостоенных престижных литературных наград, как в Европе, так и в Америке.Детективный жанр под пером супругов Валё и Шеваль «перестает быть игрой воображения и развлекательным чтивом, оторванным от действительности» («Таймс»). Безусловно, в каждом романе есть трудная головоломка, которую должны решить полицейские под началом Мартина Бека, но есть и второй план: Швеция того времени, со всеми ее проблемами и противоречиями. Читатель следует за преступником по реальным стокгольмским улицам, знакомится как с лучшими, «парадными» местами шведской столицы, так и с ее «злачными» уголками.В настоящую книгу вошли первые четыре романа декалогии: «Розанна» (1965), «Швед, который исчез» (1966), «Человек на балконе» (1967) и «Рейс на эшафот» (1968).
by Maj Sjöwall
Rating: 4.0 ⭐
Chi legge Sjöwall e Wahlöö è trascinato con i poliziotti della squadra di Martin Beck, e con i loro sensi accesi e menti ingombre, dentro gli angoli delle vite difficili dove il delitto attecchisce. È questo il cosiddetto «poliziesco procedurale» di cui gli autori sono tra i fondatori.
enthält die beiden Romane - Die Tote im Götakanal (Roseanna; übersetzt von Johannes Carstensen, überarbeitet von Werner Hennig)- Der Mann, der sich in Luft auflöste (Mannen som gick upp i rök; übersetzt von Johannes Carstensen, überarbeitet von Eckhard Schultz)
Eftir skotáverka og langa sjúkrahússvist snýr Martin Beck aftur til vinnu sem forstöðumaður fyrir morðdeild ríkislögreglunnar – og til að fara rólega af stað tekur hann að sér mál manns sem hefur fundist skotinn í herbergi þar sem bæði dyr og gluggar voru lokuð og læst að innanverðu. Samtímis vinna starfsfélagar hans að því að upplýsa fjölmörg bankarán, og skynsemi hans og köld rökhugsun á ekki minnstan þátt í því að raða öllum brotunum saman í heillega mynd.Luktar dyr er áttunda bókin í sagnaflokknum Skáldsaga um glæp eftir sænsku rithöfundana Maj Sjöwall og Per Wahlöö.
En vårnatt i blir en pensionerad polis mördad i Stockholm. Vem är mördaren? Kommer fler människor att dö? Tillsammans med Gunvald Larsson måste Martin Beck försöka stoppa och gripa den farlige mannen. Och det måste ske så fort som möjligt. Mannen på taket är en bearbetning av Sjöwalls och Wahlöös berömda roman Den vedervärdige mannen från Säffle. Johan Werkmäster har återberättat den till lättläst svenska.
Stig Nyman var ekki rannsóknarlögreglumaður. Hann var í götulögreglunni og hafði þjálfað stóra hópa af nýliðum. Á seinni árum hafði hann einkum fengist við skipulag borgarvarna. Oft hafði verið leitað til hans þegar kom að hinum miklu mótmælaaðgerðum og mótmælagöngum í lok sjöunda áratugarins.Allir gerðu ráð fyrir að maðurinn sem hríðskotabyssuna á þakinu væri brjálaður. Eitt var víst – hann ætlaði ekki að hafa láta staðar numið við Stig Nyman.Maður uppi á þaki er sjöunda sagan í spennusagnaflokknum Skáldsaga um glæp eftir Maj Sjöwall og Per Wahlöö. Ólafur Jónsson þýddi.
by Maj Sjöwall
Rating: 3.5 ⭐
Май Шеваль и Пер Валё – шведские журналисты, авторы знаменитого цикла романов о комиссаре Мартине Беке, удостоенных престижных литературных наград, как в Европе, так и в Америке. В последних романах серии погруженность в социальный контекст становится еще глубже, чем в первых книгах. На первый план выходит конфликт внутри самой полиции: между следователями старой школы, такими как Мартин Бек, вникающими в мельчайшие детали дела, чтобы разрешить все имеющиеся в нем противоречия, и высшими полицейскими чинами, считающими, что подобная скрупулезность ни к чему и даже вредна. Им больше по душе деятели новой формации, вроде Стена Ульссона с характерным прозвищем Б