man commits suicide by gunshot on the same evening as a suspect under police surveillance dies when the apartment building in which he lives explodes in flames.
Detective Gunvald Larsson saves several people from the burning building, but the suspect was already dead, As in the prior book, the Stockholm police seem baffled, and cannot locate a critical person of interest until two small boys find him in Malmo.
A local policemen there goes to Denmark, and interrogates a young woman, who helps them figure out the puzzle.
Arriving at theth installment out of thebook series to feature Martin Beck, the action begins on a freezing night police as Detective Gunvald Larsson goes to check on Officer Zachrisson, who is maintaining a surveillance on an apartment house.
Offering a bit of a respite to the nearfrozen officer, Larsson takes over for a bit, and while he's struggling to stay warm, things unexpectedly heat up when the house explodes.
While in a bit of a state of shock, Larsson eventually rescues several people from the house, but sustains a head injury and is put into the hospital.
As it turns out, the man the police were watching wasn't among the survivors, But how did the fire start What caused the explosion Was this a suicide attempt, terrorism or just an accident And where was the fire engine that had been sent for In the meantime, a man who committed suicide is discovered in his apartment, leaving no note, just a piece of paper with the name "Martin Beck" written on it.
This time Martin Beck isn't exactly in the forefront, but the mystery is challenging, and watching the solution unravel is intriguing.
The Fire Engine that Disappeared is yet another sterling work in this series, The character development continues to grow stronger with each installment, so that by this book if you're reading them in order you get the feeling that you're checking in once again on what your old friends are up to.
What I find so amazing about this series is that each of these books is rather short, but there's a full story, great characterization, and an interesting look at the authors' world view in each one without any superfluous detail that often bogs down a police procedural and makes you want to skim to get back to the meat of the investigation.
I'm sitting here looking at my copy of Nesbo's The Leopard, coming in atpages I mean, what a contrast! But back to the Beck series: there's also enough witty humor so that the reader will often walk away with a chuckle in the midst of a lot of serious business.
This book is no exception, especially when Wahloo and Sjowall bring in Inspector Mansson, who is a complete contrast to Beck.
You could read this book as a standalone, but it will definitely serve you better to read the entire series because of the social/political components that the authors are trying to highlight and because the characters become more familiar with each book.
Highly recommended, not to just to readers of Scandinavian crime fiction, but to crime fiction readers in general.
And for Pete's sake, don't expect Stieg Larsson here, and don't complain when you don't get him, With this series, the authors have created some of the best crime fiction I've ever read, Loved it! Can't wait to read the rest of the series! I can't remember what I've said previously about the sitelinkMartin Beck books beyond my general positivity, so I apologize if you find me repeating myself I am too lazy to go back and read all my previous reviews.
I think it is also important to note that my star rating here is contrasted with the other books I've read in the series.
The rating doesn't reflect my feelings about sitelinkThe Fire Engine that Disappeared compared to all books only other Martin Beck books.
That business complete, I have to say "I dig these books!" They are amongst the best police procedurals I've read, and all Swedish crime fiction perhaps all crime fiction since the sixties, including especially sitelinkSteig Larsson, owes these books an immeasurable debt.
But I don't care about the plot of this book tonight, I care about the characters, which is, I think, what sitelinkMaj Sjöwall and sitelinkPer Wahloo most wanted us to care about.
Martin Beck The man from which the series gets its name is not much more than a bit player in this tale, but he's still the place to start.
He is the pivot around which everything else revolves, and the relationship between himself and his daughter, Ingrid, is one of the most beautiful fatherdaughter relationships I've ever read.
It is true in a way that other manifestations simply aren't, At one point, she suggests that he should move out of the family home as she's about to do, hinting at a much needed divorce from the wife and son that make him so miserable.
It is an expression of trusting intimacy that is potently honest, I can't help but love them both for that moment,
Kollberg Sarcastic, bombastic, sextastic, Kollberg has been my favourite throughout the series, and he remains so here.
He starts out petulant and sarcastic, fucking with the rookie, Benny Skacke, incessantly, and winds up with nine inches of steel in his belly.
It's a sweet little arc that keeps my favourite vibrant and alive, Will he still be antigun after his stabbing I'm guessing yes, Dogmatically so.
Benny Skacke And speaking of young Skacke, . . not too bad. He's a smart operator, and it is all down to his tenacity, I get the feeling that his desire to be Chief of Police is going to come to fruition by book ten.
And his final error, the error that leads to serious danger, is the kind of error that will be misconstrued as heroism much to his benefit.
Lucky bastard.
Gunvald Larsson Perhaps the most important man in this book, Gunvald Larsson is also the biggest prick, the most unlikeable, the most insufferable.
He's the ugly cop. He's not dirty, no, no, But he is brutal, unswerving, unreasonable, He is a bully of the worst kind, He is mean, insulting, closeminded, foolish, Yet he starts this book as a hero, dragging eight people from a horrible house fire, And he milks it for all he can,
Einar Rönn He's Larsson's best friend, and he brings Gunvald a bunch of flowers while he's recovering from his heroism, to which his friend wonders aloud: "Did you pick them off a grave, Rönn" Rönn winces, genuinely hurt, but his love for Larsson never wavers.
Dumb Yes. But I can't help loving him for it, and as cops go he's actually kind of okay,
Fredrik Melander is just plain old Melander, He pseudosolves things early on, He loves his Plain Jane wife, He is his ordinary boring self, I can't do anything but love him for who he is,
And that, ultimately, is what makes me love these books, The characters. They are true. True and real. And I can't and won't ask for more, From BBC radioSaturday Drama:
The apartment of a suspect being staked out by Gunvald Larsson explodes, killing three people.
Arson and murder isn't at first suspected much to Larsson's fury but when it becomes clear that the fire was started on purpose, the case hinges on the needleinahaystack chance of finding a man who fits an impossibly vague description who was somewhere in the area around the time of the fire.
Cuốntrong series Martin Beck có đề tài khá khác biệt so với các cuốn trước, khi mà án mạng không còn là trọng tâm điều tra của Beck và đồng sự.
Tuy nhiên cách thể hiện có không tốt lắm, thiếu thuyết phục.
Khoảngđầu truyện là các manh mối rời rạc và thiếu liên kết, mãi đến cuối cùng mọi sự việc mới liên kết lại với nhau một cách logic nhờ một nhân chứng quan trọng.
Martin cũng không có nhiều đóng góp trong cuốn này,Halfway through this wonderful series the very heart of Scandinavian detective fiction the pantry of all that we now enjoy, as we banquet upon in the modern crime genre.
Most contemporary novelists acknowledge the legacy they owe to Sjowall amp Wahloo,
A police proceedural was never demonstrated better than in this inconsequential mystery around whether a fire was arson or murder.
Setting aside the date of the original writing this is a gripping tale of hard police work, excellent cooperation between forces of law enforcement within Sweden, Stockholm amp Malmo as well as into Denmark.
It is often termed the Martin Beck series but this account clearly shows the breadth of investigations and the piecing together of everyone's contribution.
It is familiar in thses books and no less enjoyable as a result, I love the humour, the less than stereotypical view of characters and situations, Some of the language may appear dated and less pc as it was written before we thought about such things.
However, as a book of its time it remains a worthwhile read and the case it follows has many a twist and turn.
The writing is compact and never over done, sharp and witty as I have stated, There are tensions between the police officers, not vying for attention so
much as a real picture of life in the murder squad.
The characters are believable, and read true both at work and in their domestic situations,
These books are a delight to read and I havemore times of enjoying their quality and proclaiming their value in further reviews.
Another smashing book in the Martin Beck series, In this one a crook is found dead after a house fire, A tragic accident Of course not there are nefarious goings on,
A locked room mystery with several twists, As ever the charm is in the simple, Spartan prose, with not a word wasted, Beck is a peripheral figure in this one, as the ensemble takes up the case with gusto,
We have the usual light touch, gentle humour and some right on social commentary, Worth a read. I'm always curious as to how other readers' impressions of a book align with or differ from my own.
When I reached the end of sitelink The Fire Engine that Disappeared by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, I did a quick scan of review sites and found that other readers had expressed disappointment in it, opining that it didn't measure up to the rest of the Martin Beck series, particularly the book that immediately preceded it, sitelink The Laughing Policeman.
Well, I must confess that I haven't yet acquired a copy of The Laughing Policeman and, as a consequence, I skipped straight fromsitelink The Man on the Balcony to.
And without The Laughing Policemanwhich is by many accounts the standout of the serieslooming over it, The Fire Engine that Disappeared held up just fine.
Indeed, my impression of the series, as expressed in yesterday's post, is that it gets better and better with each book.
I was thoroughly puzzled by the mystery at the heart of The Fire Engine that Disappearedthe links between a disparate group of smalltime crooks and their connection to the big, shocking, and seemingly professional crime that occurs at the start of the noveland enjoyed unraveling it alongside Martin Beck and his team.
The accent truly is on team here, as the reader witnesses not just Martin Beck and his usual colleagues working together, but also their assistance from and cooperation with other branches of the Stockholm police, a laconic Malmö detective, and a counterpart of his in Copenhagen, as the case takes on an international dimension.
I felt that I got to know Martin Beck much better in this installment, and I also relished learning more about the thoroughly unpleasant but very intriguing Gunvald Larsson.
The only negative for me is that there seemed to be more in this book of an element in the series of which I am wearyinga string of minor female characters who appear to be willing to sleep with anyone at the drop of a hat.
Could this be an accurate reflection of sexual mores in Sweden in the lates Or is a nod to hardboiled crime fiction convention Regardless, it feels out of step with what otherwise seems to be a realistic portrayal ofs Sweden.
That's a minor annoyance however and my enthusiasm for the series continues unabated, .