In this classic police procedural, the ever-dyspeptic Martin Beck has nothing to be amused about, even though it's Christmastime. Åke Stenstrom, a ...
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Aug 20, 2011
Nancy
rated it: 
After finishing The Man on the Balcony, I decided to go back for more of Martin Beck and his colleagues, and I'm so happy I did. The Laughing Policeman is the fourth in the Martin Beck series, and so far it is my favorite from this writing duo.
While the police in Stockholm are busy at the American Embassy where a protest against the Vietnam War has turned very ugly, patrolmen Kvant and Kristiansson, the Keystone Cop-ish police officers who just so happened to have inadvertently solved More...
While the police in Stockholm are busy at the American Embassy where a protest against the Vietnam War has turned very ugly, patrolmen Kvant and Kristiansson, the Keystone Cop-ish police officers who just so happened to have inadvertently solved More...
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May 30, 2008
Nikki
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This was only the second of the Edgar Best Novel winners so far that I knew for certain I had read before. But, I decided it would be worthwhile to reread it, and how right I was. Martin Beck, the protagonist of this series, is the spiritual ancestor of Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallander. He pretty much bears out any stereotype you may have about gloomy Swedes. But he's a heck of a policeman.
One thing I don't recall noticing when I first read this book back in the 1970s was how it is set in More...
One thing I don't recall noticing when I first read this book back in the 1970s was how it is set in More...
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Mar 29, 2008
Nick
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I have been reading the Martin Beck series chronologically and this is one of the best. The original Roseanna is withoutdoubt outstanding but this comes close.
The authors of these books are the inspiration for other great Swedish crime novelists such as Henning Mankell and you can see that reflected in the latters books. The bleak cold descriptions of the Sweden of the 1970's, not the clinical society we imagine today, is racked with crime, drink and drug problems. The city street More...
The authors of these books are the inspiration for other great Swedish crime novelists such as Henning Mankell and you can see that reflected in the latters books. The bleak cold descriptions of the Sweden of the 1970's, not the clinical society we imagine today, is racked with crime, drink and drug problems. The city street More...
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Oct 26, 2008
Sun
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This is a breath of fresh air to one used to reading English and American crime fiction. Part of the Martin Beck series, it details the case of a mass murder on a bus in Stockholm.
It's written in a clean and simple style by Swedish journalists Sjowall and Wahloo, who incidentally were also husband and wife. It's damn good writing, dominated by the quirky consistency of the characters and the gloom of Swedish weather.
I can't recommend this enough for its straightforward More...
It's written in a clean and simple style by Swedish journalists Sjowall and Wahloo, who incidentally were also husband and wife. It's damn good writing, dominated by the quirky consistency of the characters and the gloom of Swedish weather.
I can't recommend this enough for its straightforward More...
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Jan 07, 2012
Avadhut
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http://avadhutrecommends.wordpress.com/
My Rating – 5/5
Summary –
On a cold, rainy November night in 1967, when Stockholm is witnessing protests against America’s Vietnam War, nine people on a bus are gunned down by an unknown assailant. One of the victims is young detective Ake Stenstrom sitting beside a young nurse. Was it the handiwork of a madman or a mass murderer was on prowl? And what was Stenstrom doing on the bus?
Review –
The b More...
My Rating – 5/5
Summary –
On a cold, rainy November night in 1967, when Stockholm is witnessing protests against America’s Vietnam War, nine people on a bus are gunned down by an unknown assailant. One of the victims is young detective Ake Stenstrom sitting beside a young nurse. Was it the handiwork of a madman or a mass murderer was on prowl? And what was Stenstrom doing on the bus?
Review –
The b More...
Dec 20, 2011
Rod
rated it:
This is the fourth in the authors’ Martin Beck series. By the time they came to write it, they had it down to a fine art. The plot is very well constructed and the book continually absorbing.
A gunman shoots all the passengers on a bus with a sub-machine gun killing eight people, one of whom is a fellow detective, Åke Stenström. Martin Beck and his team have remarkably little to go on, since it is not at all obvious what Stenström was doing on the bus in the first place. Though it soon More...
A gunman shoots all the passengers on a bus with a sub-machine gun killing eight people, one of whom is a fellow detective, Åke Stenström. Martin Beck and his team have remarkably little to go on, since it is not at all obvious what Stenström was doing on the bus in the first place. Though it soon More...
Aug 21, 2011
Mohnish
rated it:
This book came highly recommended to me by a friend. And it didnt disappoint. The beauty of this book lies in the way Maj and Per compress their writing yet gives away a lot in terms of plot and characterization. At the end of the book i came across a chapter where they have actually listed names of 30 people with their last names,age and occupation! So you ll never complain that a 250-odd pages book will never consist of detailing. The 250-odd pages is just a decoy, mind you - this novel is as
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Apr 27, 2011
Kathleen
rated it:
I had to go back and re-read this having recently been sampling the wares of the new generation of Swedish detective fiction writers. In the early 80’s I read and enjoyed the entire Martin Beck series of Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, but “The Laughing Policeman” was my favorite.
“The Laughing Policeman” is a police procedural published in 1968 when mass murders had yet to appear on the scene in Sweden. The subject of the investigation in the book purports to be the first. The technol More...
“The Laughing Policeman” is a police procedural published in 1968 when mass murders had yet to appear on the scene in Sweden. The subject of the investigation in the book purports to be the first. The technol More...
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Mar 10, 2010
Kat
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http://tinyurl.com/byn8z5
I guess long ago they didn't call these mystery novels or crime stories, they called them police procedurals. Or at least they did for stories like those written by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, set in Stockholm and starring Martin Beck, police detective.
For some people, their stories may seem plodding because they detail the work performed by the police while solving the crime. Every bit of detail. But if you read closely, you find humor, different More...
I guess long ago they didn't call these mystery novels or crime stories, they called them police procedurals. Or at least they did for stories like those written by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, set in Stockholm and starring Martin Beck, police detective.
For some people, their stories may seem plodding because they detail the work performed by the police while solving the crime. Every bit of detail. But if you read closely, you find humor, different More...
May 26, 2009
The Laughing Policeman, by Maj Sjöwall, Per Wahlöö narrated by Tom Weiner, produceed by Blackstone Audio, downloaded from audible.com.
This is the fourth book in the Martin Beck series. This one has an introduction from another husband-wife team, John and Nicci French, their name, for purposes of their books being Nicci French. In this book, the police are called to a crime scene when a transit two-decker bus is found pulled off the road with its doors wide open, and the eight to te More...
This is the fourth book in the Martin Beck series. This one has an introduction from another husband-wife team, John and Nicci French, their name, for purposes of their books being Nicci French. In this book, the police are called to a crime scene when a transit two-decker bus is found pulled off the road with its doors wide open, and the eight to te More...
Jan 28, 2011
Flo
rated it: 
Entre 2 et 3* (c'était ok et j'ai aimé un peu ;)
Pas le polar du siècle mais c'était pratique en attendant chez le dentiste. Un peu daté comme relevé dans la préface de Sean et Nicci French. "Twist" rageant - dans le bon sens - comme les préfaciers l'avaient annoncé. Personnages intéressants (je parle des enquêteurs. Les différentes victimes et les suspects me sont passés par-dessus la tête).
Intrigue assez embrouillée pour plusieurs raisons : 1. beaucoup de victi More...
Pas le polar du siècle mais c'était pratique en attendant chez le dentiste. Un peu daté comme relevé dans la préface de Sean et Nicci French. "Twist" rageant - dans le bon sens - comme les préfaciers l'avaient annoncé. Personnages intéressants (je parle des enquêteurs. Les différentes victimes et les suspects me sont passés par-dessus la tête).
Intrigue assez embrouillée pour plusieurs raisons : 1. beaucoup de victi More...
Sep 21, 2011
F.R.
rated it:
The name of Martin Beck was only vaguely familiar to me when – the other week – a friend recommended these books. Having now waded in, I am immensely glad she did.
If I’m honest I was expecting something more contemporary – in the Stieg Larsson or Jo Nesbo line – not something far older and much more classic. Written and set in the Sixties, with protests against the Vietnam War as a backdrop, this is a beautifully conceived and wonderfully sharp police procedural. A bus crashes on a dar More...
If I’m honest I was expecting something more contemporary – in the Stieg Larsson or Jo Nesbo line – not something far older and much more classic. Written and set in the Sixties, with protests against the Vietnam War as a backdrop, this is a beautifully conceived and wonderfully sharp police procedural. A bus crashes on a dar More...
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Jun 28, 2008
Jessica
rated it:
My mom lent me this Swedish police novel not long after I'd visited Sweden. The recent Scandinavian exposure helped me out with the names, but it turns out that when you get down to it, a police procedural is a police procedural no matter where it takes place.
The book is written by a husband-wife team, and they do a great job of putting the story together from the perspectives of a number of different detectives. It really picks up towards the end.
The book is written by a husband-wife team, and they do a great job of putting the story together from the perspectives of a number of different detectives. It really picks up towards the end.
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Jul 20, 2011
Kat
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"The Laughing Policeman" is a gripping ride from start to finish. Because it starts out with a mass murder on a double-decker bus, I was instantly reminded of the horrific massacre on a Greyhound bus out west in Manitoba, Canada, in 2008. Initially, I couldn't get that awful story out of my head.
But eventually, this book took over my thoughts and I was firmly planted in Sweden where the drudgery of police work is made entertaining to readers by the laconic dialogue and the More...
But eventually, this book took over my thoughts and I was firmly planted in Sweden where the drudgery of police work is made entertaining to readers by the laconic dialogue and the More...
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Dec 19, 2007
Christopher
rated it:
Part of the famous Martin Beck series written by Maj and Per (wife and husband) in the late 1960s / early 1970s. After the tenth and final novel in the series (The Terrorists), Per--I think it was Per--died.
Great reads, all of them. Really sharp characters, fine mysteries, and the books are an excellent reflection of the changes in Swedish society over that 10-year period.
Great reads, all of them. Really sharp characters, fine mysteries, and the books are an excellent reflection of the changes in Swedish society over that 10-year period.
Dec 14, 2011
"Miss"
rated it:
I read this book years ago, when it came out as a movie starring Walter Matthau. I'm glad I remembered only bits and pieces, because it was almost like reading it anew. It starts with a bang and then the fast moving action stops. But the tension remains. Being the fly on the wall as the case is solved makes for a good read. The plot moves along like a puzzle, each piece giving way to another. I enjoyed the true to life boringness of the workplace, because it was never actually boring. The squad
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Jan 12, 2008
Anne
rated it:
I had not read this since the 70's and I wanted to compare it to Henning Mankell. Lot of similarities certainly, and it does stand the test of time well. Having spent time in Stockholm also intensified the experience. Sure Martin Beck carries around his own cloud but so does the tormented Kurt Wallender.
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Apr 30, 2008
Kevin
rated it:
I enjoy the Sjowall/Wahloo series of police procedural novels. The protagonist is a cynical, world-weary Swedish cop, and the portarit of Stockholm life in the late 60s- early 70s is excellent. Start with Roseanne.
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Jul 21, 2011
Molly
rated it:
I really, really liked this one! My favorite yet out of this series. This one seemed to be more complex than the others. I really enjoyed the inclusion of more characters, and their descriptions and development were entertaining. All grumps, all the time! I especially liked Larsson's speech at the end regarding rich folks who think they can get away with, well, murder, just because they have social status and money. For me, the portrayal of class and social issues were pretty great. Take the nym
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Mar 14, 2010
Judy
rated it:
The Maj Sjowall-Per Wahloo books were recommended to me by a friend who knew that I have been reading Henning Mankell's books. This is the fourth book in the Martin Beck series and was originally published in the late 1960s in Sweden. The police in Stockholm are tied up trying to control a crowd protesting America's involvement in Vietnam when a mass murderer kills a bus driver and all of the passengers on a double decker public bus. In this police procedural, Martin Beck and the detectives wi
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Jun 04, 2011
thegift
rated it:
this is a very interesting, different, police procedural set in stockholm in 1967. the difference is, the murder investigation is shown as a team project, the entire homicide division, rather than an isolated genius versus systemic quicksand of bureaucracy. in fact, it is mildly moralistic against the idea of lone agents. beck, kollberg, melinea etc are shown at work, each coming up with useful bits and pieces even when mistaken, and the process is shown stretched over months, searching back yea
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Jan 29, 2012
Paul
rated it:
Stockholm, a beautiful city, is also a city of extremes -- so warm and sunny in the summer, so dark and cold in the winter -- and therefore it is an eminently suitable setting for a murder mystery. Nowadays, the Stockholm murder mysteries that are all the rage are Stieg Larsson's three Millennium novels; but forty years before Larsson, the husband-and-wife writing team of Maj Sjövall and Per Wahlöö created their own powerful series of mystery novels, centering around the phlegmatic and taciturn
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Aug 20, 2011
Ellie
rated it:
I bought The Laughing Policeman by Maj Sjöwall because a) I liked the title and b) the bookstore didn't have the book for which I was looking. And heaven forbid I should actually leave a bookstore without spending a chunk of money.
Also, for some reason, I like a lot of Scandinavian mysteries, such as the Ake Edwardson series (Detective Erik Winter), so this seemed like a reasonable gamble.
I'm glad to say the gamble payed off, and payed big.
The laughing detective doe More...
Also, for some reason, I like a lot of Scandinavian mysteries, such as the Ake Edwardson series (Detective Erik Winter), so this seemed like a reasonable gamble.
I'm glad to say the gamble payed off, and payed big.
The laughing detective doe More...
Aug 20, 2011
Andréa
rated it: 
I feel harsh giving this two stars, but Goodreads tells me that two stars means "it was okay." And it was okay. I had never even heard of this, but after learning of my love for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo , the boyfriend was insistent that I read this installment of the Martin Beck series. Plot: (I don't think anything here counts as a spoiler, as everything I'm about to say happens on the first page.) Basically, on a rainy night in Stockholm a mass murderer kills everyone on
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Jan 29, 2012
Winifred
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This is the fourth of this series of great detective stories from the sixties by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo that I've read. Once again I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Set in Stockholm in winter the plot involves a double decker bus that crashes and all onboard have been shot including one of Martin Beck's detectives. It kept you guessing until the end and you found out a little bit more about each of the characters, especially the detectives that Martin Beck works with.
This boo More...
Set in Stockholm in winter the plot involves a double decker bus that crashes and all onboard have been shot including one of Martin Beck's detectives. It kept you guessing until the end and you found out a little bit more about each of the characters, especially the detectives that Martin Beck works with.
This boo More...
Jan 19, 2011
Ben
rated it:
yet another totally solid, fast-moving, absolutely hypnotic entry in the martin beck series which somehow manages to completely emotionally devastate me at the end (this time, via a joke). these people are insanely good, i have no idea how they did it, these books are all but perfect, i don't in the slightest understand how they work, how they gain their power, but it is tremendous... and what's more, it seems to be cumulative... 6 books left and i'm already starting to worry about withdrawal...
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Aug 09, 2008
Zeno
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A naked woman was dredged up from the bottom of Sweden's beautiful Lake Vattern one July day. Where had she come from? How had she got there? And why? . . . a rash of brutal muggings and child sex-murders with the elusive mugger perhaps the only person in Stockholm to have seen the murderer . . . the search for a hard-drinking well-known Swedish journalist in Budapest, who has vanished without a trace . . . eight people were shot to death in a Stockholm bus, with one of the dead being an ambitio
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Apr 29, 2008
Bunxena
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This Stockholm-based mystery opens with a bus full of murder victims, one of whom is a policeman, Ake Stenstrom. The investigating detectives can't help but wonder why Ake was on a bus so late at night. They soon discover that Ake had taken up a cold case from a decade ago, and that solving that case will probably solve the bus murders as well.
From what I recall of this book (it's been a couple of years since I read it), it was a solid plot with good dialogue. I enjoyed the novelty o More...
From what I recall of this book (it's been a couple of years since I read it), it was a solid plot with good dialogue. I enjoyed the novelty o More...
Jun 17, 2009
Liz
rated it:
Another great detective novel from Sjowall & Wahloo. These detectives are such a departure from the heroes of TV and other popular fiction, who are always ready with a wisecrack and poised for action. They say dumb things to each other often as not, they run out of ideas and energy, but they get it done with determination and smarts. I find that the novels of this time (60's & 70's) offer some of the best police procedural without a lot of the grisly violence that's included today (unnecessarily
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Jan 16, 2009
Lee
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I liked this police procedural a whole lot!!! What is there to like about a police procedural? A good one starts with the a well-crafted solution to the question "whodunit?" This certainly has that, and it is also quietly humorous, deeply sympathetic to its characters, and through nuanced detail, comprehensively descriptive of Swedish culture. As in good literary writing, its spare and understated apprach also manages to connect its Swedish setting to universal human feelings and them
