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Maj Sjöwall

Born

in Stockholm, Sweden

September 25, 1935

Died

April 29, 2020

Genre

Mystery & Thrillers, Crime

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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.

Combine Editions
Maj Sjöwall’s books

Average rating: 3.90 · 84,955 ratings · 5,979 reviews · 105 distinct works • Similar authors

	Roseanna (Martin Beck, #1) by Maj Sjöwall, Per Wahlöö, Lois Roth (Translator) 3.78 avg rating — 19,750 ratings — published 1965 — 175 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Laughing Policeman (Martin Beck, #4) 3.99 avg rating — 11,176 ratings — published 1967 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Man Who Went Up in Smoke (Martin Beck, #2) by Maj Sjöwall, Per Wahlöö, Joan Tate (Translator) 3.82 avg rating — 9,958 ratings — published 1966 — 127 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Man on the Balcony (Martin Beck, #3) by Maj Sjöwall, Per Wahlöö, Alan Blair (Translator) 3.92 avg rating — 8,298 ratings — published 1967 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Fire Engine That Disappeared (Martin Beck, #5) by Maj Sjöwall, Per Wahlöö, Joan Tate (Translator) 3.95 avg rating — 6,524 ratings — published 1969 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Abominable Man (Martin Beck, #7) by Maj Sjöwall, Per Wahlöö, Thomas Teal (Translator) 4.01 avg rating — 6,326 ratings — published 1971 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Locked Room (Martin Beck, #8) by Maj Sjöwall, Per Wahlöö, Paul Britten Austin (Translator), Michael Connelly (Goodreads Author) (Introduction) 3.94 avg rating — 6,177 ratings — published 1972 — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Murder at the Savoy (Martin Beck, #6) by Maj Sjöwall, Per Wahlöö, Amy Knoespel (Translator) 3.86 avg rating — 6,077 ratings — published 1970 — 103 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cop Killer (Martin Beck, #9) by Maj Sjöwall, Per Wahlöö, Alan Blair (Translator) 4.01 avg rating — 4,749 ratings — published 1974 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Terrorists (Martin Beck, #10) by Maj Sjöwall, Per Wahlöö, Joan Tate (Translator) 4.06 avg rating — 4,055 ratings — published 1975 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Maj Sjöwall…

Series by Maj Sjöwall

Martin Beck (10 books)
by

Maj Sjöwall,

Per Wahlöö,

Thomas Teal (Translator)

3.90 avg rating — 83,331 ratings

Quotes by Maj Sjöwall (?)

“This is a foul thing that shouldn’t be allowed to exist. No firearms should exist. The fact that they are still made and that all sorts of people have them lying about in drawers or carry them around in the street just shows that the whole system is perverted and crazy. Some bastard makes a fat profit by making and selling arms, just the way other people make a fat profit on factories that make narcotics and deadly pills. Do you get it?”
― Maj Sjöwall, The Laughing Policeman

12 likes

“Rather free than rich”
― Maj Sjöwall

tags: inspirational

9 likes

“The very idea of militia comprises a far greater danger to society than any single criminal or gang. It paves the way for lynch mentality and arbitrary administration of justice. It throws the protective mechanism of society out of gear.”
― Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo

tags: militia

6 likes

See all Maj Sjöwall's quotes »

Polls

January 2025 - New Year, New Series

Bull Mountain by Brian Panowich

13 votes, 43.3%

The Guards by Ken Bruen

6 votes, 20.0%

Roseanna by Maj Sjöwall

6 votes, 20.0%

Double Whammy by Carl Hiaasen

5 votes, 16.7%

30 total votes

1 comment

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