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Martin Beck #6
Murder at the Savoy
The murder of Victor Palmgren, a Swedish industrialist, leads Martin Beck and his fellow detectives into an intense hunt for the killer
204 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
179 people are currently reading
1575 people want to read
About the author
Maj Sjöwall
107 books472 followersMaj 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.
Sjöwall had a 13 year relationship with Wahlöö which lasted until his death in 1975.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 332 reviews
August 10, 2025
All six forewords for all six Martin Beck books I've read (in order) have made much of the authors' Marxist backgrounds. I can't remember who wrote what and what they wrote exactly, but most of them are quick to warn readers of Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö politics, then -- most times -- they are just as quick to let us know that those politics rarely intrude on on their writing, so we readers shouldn't have any problem enjoying their mysteries.
The writers of the forewords talk a lot about their love of the police procedural as a form, of Sjöwall & Wahlöö's impact on the writers who've followed them and their relevance today, of how well the books hold up forty years on and how much fun they are to read. Then they remind us, once again, not to worry about the authors' Socialist ideals, as though they are apologizing for Sjöwall & Wahlöö, or are ashamed to admit they love the work of a pair of pinko-Swedes.
I have no such shame. If anything, I've been disappointed throughout the series that Sjöwall & Wahlöö's politics haven't been more obvious in their books. I want more socio-economic criticism from the radical left (although their brand of Marxism is hardly radical), so I am thrilled that Polis, polis, potatismos! (the original Swedish title of Murder at the Savoy) and its Marxist ending finally satisfied my craving for more.
The criticism is expressed in a feeling Martin Beck has while walking home after solving the murder of industrialist Viktor Palmgren. It's a feeling he can't shake because a poor man, a beaten man, a useless man waits to spend his life in prison for killing Palmgren, and Palmgren was the man who kept the poor man poor by making him poorer still, beat him into submission through the bludgeon of greed and made him useless to himself and everyone around him. It's Beck's sadness that carries the Marxist opinions of Sjöwall & Wahlöö, and in this series that I have thoroughly enjoyed, I have finally found a moment I can also love. Beck walking home is my favourite moment so far.
I'm not expecting to see much overt Marxism in the rest of the books -- Sjöwall & Wahlöö tend to be too subtle for that -- but that will simply make me savour this book's chapter all the more.
third reading (a listen, actually) -- I was going to sit down and write ... well, basically what I had written before ... but there is no need. What I wrote before remains true. All the Marxist reasons I had for loving Polis, polis, potatismos! remain, and all my feelings are still there the third time through. If I need to add anything, it is simply that the Martin Beck books hold up. In fact, they get better and better the more I listen to them. There is little better in the world of the police procedural than Martin Beck and his crew -- no, nothing better.
The writers of the forewords talk a lot about their love of the police procedural as a form, of Sjöwall & Wahlöö's impact on the writers who've followed them and their relevance today, of how well the books hold up forty years on and how much fun they are to read. Then they remind us, once again, not to worry about the authors' Socialist ideals, as though they are apologizing for Sjöwall & Wahlöö, or are ashamed to admit they love the work of a pair of pinko-Swedes.
I have no such shame. If anything, I've been disappointed throughout the series that Sjöwall & Wahlöö's politics haven't been more obvious in their books. I want more socio-economic criticism from the radical left (although their brand of Marxism is hardly radical), so I am thrilled that Polis, polis, potatismos! (the original Swedish title of Murder at the Savoy) and its Marxist ending finally satisfied my craving for more.
The criticism is expressed in a feeling Martin Beck has while walking home after solving the murder of industrialist Viktor Palmgren. It's a feeling he can't shake because a poor man, a beaten man, a useless man waits to spend his life in prison for killing Palmgren, and Palmgren was the man who kept the poor man poor by making him poorer still, beat him into submission through the bludgeon of greed and made him useless to himself and everyone around him. It's Beck's sadness that carries the Marxist opinions of Sjöwall & Wahlöö, and in this series that I have thoroughly enjoyed, I have finally found a moment I can also love. Beck walking home is my favourite moment so far.
I'm not expecting to see much overt Marxism in the rest of the books -- Sjöwall & Wahlöö tend to be too subtle for that -- but that will simply make me savour this book's chapter all the more.
third reading (a listen, actually) -- I was going to sit down and write ... well, basically what I had written before ... but there is no need. What I wrote before remains true. All the Marxist reasons I had for loving Polis, polis, potatismos! remain, and all my feelings are still there the third time through. If I need to add anything, it is simply that the Martin Beck books hold up. In fact, they get better and better the more I listen to them. There is little better in the world of the police procedural than Martin Beck and his crew -- no, nothing better.
November 10, 2023
Murder at the Savoy is yet another fantastic edition in the Martin Beck series.
It has been several years since I completed book #5 and am so glad I finally picked up where I left off. Sad there is only four books till its conclusion.
Narrator Tom Weiner is the only voice I can imagine these books. His delivery, accents and pacing is impeccable.
It has been several years since I completed book #5 and am so glad I finally picked up where I left off. Sad there is only four books till its conclusion.
Narrator Tom Weiner is the only voice I can imagine these books. His delivery, accents and pacing is impeccable.
March 30, 2022
[7/10]
Viktor Palmgren died at seven-thirty-three on Thursday evening. As recently as half an hour before the official declaration of death, the doctors involved in his case said that his constitution was strong and the much-discussed general condition not so serious.
On the whole, the only thing wrong with him was that he had a bullet in his head.
Those Swedes! Their reputation as dour, gloomy, manic-depressive only serves to hide a wicked sense of humour, a deadpan delivery that hits you just as you turn to the next paragraph. There's even a place for a running gag involving Kristiansson and Kvant, the two hulking, golden haired, blue-eyed and inept patrolmen that make blonde jokes seem tame by comparison. Incidentally, the two dim bulbs are responsible for the Swedish title of this sixth Martin Beck book : Polis! Polis! Potatismos! which is another way of saying policemen are dunderheads.
The premise of the crime is quite simple : a wealthy businessman is shot in front of dozens of witnesses as he had dinner at the most luxurious restaurant in Malmo, the internationally renowned Savoy. The mysterious perpetrator then jumps through an open window and disappears into the night. As Viktor Palmgren, the victim, is famous (or infamous) at the highest levels of Swedish industry and politics, Martin Beck is dispatched from Stockholm to Malmo, where he gets reunited with Per Mansson, his friend and local chief crime investigator.
In the absence of the main suspect, the two detectives start to interview the witnesses, in particular the guests of Palmgren's dinner party, building up the profile of the victim and hoping to identify the motive behind the crime. A parallel investigation is developing in Stockholm as Gunnar Larsson and Martin Kollberg follow up on two of these guests. Other recurring characters are the keen, ambitious rookie Benny Skacke, the young widow turned policewoman Asa Torrell and Zachrisson - another bumbling officer.
Best part of the novel consists not the actual crime investigation, but in spending time with these regular characters and see their interactions, their personal developments, their easy companionship. There is a holiday spirit to the text, despite the frantic telephones from the chiefs of police in Stockholm asking for immediate results. It's summertime, Beck and Mansson sleep late, eat long dinners, go to the beach, drink up in the evening. Beck himself is unwounding, taking it easy, getting back in the saddle after taking the plunge and ending his dysfunctional marriage. There's a good scene, totally unrelated to the investigation, where Martin invites his friends to his brand new bachelor pad after deciding to live separately from his wife.
This is not my favorite book in the series, but only because I have come to have very high expectations after Roseanna or The Laughing Policeman. Most of my issues come from a lack of balance when it comes to politics. I position myself consistently to the left of the political spectrum on most issues, and I was well aware of Sjowall and Wahloo's own convictions, but until now their ideology was confined to brief diatribes on corruption, urban decay, morality. In telling the story of Viktor Palmgren the class struggle becomes the dominant aspect of the narrative and I had the feeling the authors got carried away in their portrayal of the less savoury parts of consumerism. As we discover more and more about his business deals and his personality, Viktor Palmgren morphs from victim into culprit : the bloodsucker, who lined his purse at the expense of other human beings, the big shot, who didn't give a damn about the welfare of his employees or tenants.
This is not an isolated case, as the same unflattering light is cast on the rest of Palmgren's entourage : his vacuous fashion model wife, his shady accountant, his arriviste right hand man, a partner from Denmark who flies illegal cargo for him, a high priced call girl - all are presented as venal and self-serving. While I agree that success in the business world is often accompanied by ruthlessness and a flexible attitude towards law and ethics, I believe Wahloo and Sjowall missed an opportunity to convince me by making these rich people too much of a caricature of the evils of capitalism.
The crime is solved, as usual, not by a brilliant flash of insight on the part of the investigators, but by a lucky incident that points them in the right direction when the murder weapon is discovered by chance on an empty beach. As I already mentioned, by this time I'm more interested in the characters than in the actual police work, so I look forward to the next book. New readers should start with one of the earlier books.
As a side note, the debate about who popularized more the police procedural genre is settled in this sixth book, as one of the characters is shown reading an EdMcBain thriller ( Till Death ), so I guess the Swedes acknowledged their inspiration came from across the ocean.
Viktor Palmgren died at seven-thirty-three on Thursday evening. As recently as half an hour before the official declaration of death, the doctors involved in his case said that his constitution was strong and the much-discussed general condition not so serious.
On the whole, the only thing wrong with him was that he had a bullet in his head.
Those Swedes! Their reputation as dour, gloomy, manic-depressive only serves to hide a wicked sense of humour, a deadpan delivery that hits you just as you turn to the next paragraph. There's even a place for a running gag involving Kristiansson and Kvant, the two hulking, golden haired, blue-eyed and inept patrolmen that make blonde jokes seem tame by comparison. Incidentally, the two dim bulbs are responsible for the Swedish title of this sixth Martin Beck book : Polis! Polis! Potatismos! which is another way of saying policemen are dunderheads.
The premise of the crime is quite simple : a wealthy businessman is shot in front of dozens of witnesses as he had dinner at the most luxurious restaurant in Malmo, the internationally renowned Savoy. The mysterious perpetrator then jumps through an open window and disappears into the night. As Viktor Palmgren, the victim, is famous (or infamous) at the highest levels of Swedish industry and politics, Martin Beck is dispatched from Stockholm to Malmo, where he gets reunited with Per Mansson, his friend and local chief crime investigator.
In the absence of the main suspect, the two detectives start to interview the witnesses, in particular the guests of Palmgren's dinner party, building up the profile of the victim and hoping to identify the motive behind the crime. A parallel investigation is developing in Stockholm as Gunnar Larsson and Martin Kollberg follow up on two of these guests. Other recurring characters are the keen, ambitious rookie Benny Skacke, the young widow turned policewoman Asa Torrell and Zachrisson - another bumbling officer.
Best part of the novel consists not the actual crime investigation, but in spending time with these regular characters and see their interactions, their personal developments, their easy companionship. There is a holiday spirit to the text, despite the frantic telephones from the chiefs of police in Stockholm asking for immediate results. It's summertime, Beck and Mansson sleep late, eat long dinners, go to the beach, drink up in the evening. Beck himself is unwounding, taking it easy, getting back in the saddle after taking the plunge and ending his dysfunctional marriage. There's a good scene, totally unrelated to the investigation, where Martin invites his friends to his brand new bachelor pad after deciding to live separately from his wife.
This is not my favorite book in the series, but only because I have come to have very high expectations after Roseanna or The Laughing Policeman. Most of my issues come from a lack of balance when it comes to politics. I position myself consistently to the left of the political spectrum on most issues, and I was well aware of Sjowall and Wahloo's own convictions, but until now their ideology was confined to brief diatribes on corruption, urban decay, morality. In telling the story of Viktor Palmgren the class struggle becomes the dominant aspect of the narrative and I had the feeling the authors got carried away in their portrayal of the less savoury parts of consumerism. As we discover more and more about his business deals and his personality, Viktor Palmgren morphs from victim into culprit : the bloodsucker, who lined his purse at the expense of other human beings, the big shot, who didn't give a damn about the welfare of his employees or tenants.
This is not an isolated case, as the same unflattering light is cast on the rest of Palmgren's entourage : his vacuous fashion model wife, his shady accountant, his arriviste right hand man, a partner from Denmark who flies illegal cargo for him, a high priced call girl - all are presented as venal and self-serving. While I agree that success in the business world is often accompanied by ruthlessness and a flexible attitude towards law and ethics, I believe Wahloo and Sjowall missed an opportunity to convince me by making these rich people too much of a caricature of the evils of capitalism.
The crime is solved, as usual, not by a brilliant flash of insight on the part of the investigators, but by a lucky incident that points them in the right direction when the murder weapon is discovered by chance on an empty beach. As I already mentioned, by this time I'm more interested in the characters than in the actual police work, so I look forward to the next book. New readers should start with one of the earlier books.
As a side note, the debate about who popularized more the police procedural genre is settled in this sixth book, as one of the characters is shown reading an EdMcBain thriller ( Till Death ), so I guess the Swedes acknowledged their inspiration came from across the ocean.
March 30, 2022
"I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, 'Who then can be saved?'”--Matthew 19:24, The Bible
Martin Beck #6, Murder at the Savoy, was published in 1970, written in the time when many thought of Sweden as Sun. A film, I Am Curious: Yellow (1967) I am Curious: Blue (1968), about a (sexually) curious young woman. Freedom to do whatever you want! But is sexual liberation great for everyone? Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo make it clear that the increase in drug-infused orgies were not always so advantageous for women, and certainly not for the Stability of Society, or Social equity. More drugs and sex led to more crime, more violence, more police, more inequity.
So book six is named very differently in Swedish, more like a Swedish rhyme, Polis, polis, potatoes. Cops in the late sixties were called the “derogatory” pigs. On the way to stop a murderer from leaving the country, two cops think they hear a 3 year old call them pigs, so they write up the boy’s father, though they were just eating sausages (pigs) and potatoes and thus, the kid says this rhyme. But the crime investigation is delayed because of this.
Ok. So Gunvald Larsson, hearing of this situation, tells off the lazy and incompetent policemen, Kristiansson and Kvant, who have become the Keystone Cops comic relief in this series. But the serious crime in this novel is that high powered businessman Viktor Palmgren, who has many enemies, is shot in the head in the elite Savoy Hotel restaurant, his face plants in mashed potatoes (and sausages!) on his table. He doesn’t immediately die, making way for this joke, which the authors try to squeeze more of into their dark stories:
“On the whole, the only thing wrong with him was that he had a bullet in his head.”
Ultimately, the story is one where social criticism by socialists Sjowall and Wahloo is highlighted, castigating the rich and corrupt while bemoaning the sad social scene of increasing economic hardships and crime for the rest of society. I wasn’t quite as engaged in this one, for some reason, but appreciate what it is doing as social commentary. Maybe it's just that Palmgren and his associates all just seem caricatures of the rich and corrupt capitalists. I am with them politically, but I also want more complexity. I like it that one cop is reading an Ed McBain mystery in this book, though.
Martin Beck #6, Murder at the Savoy, was published in 1970, written in the time when many thought of Sweden as Sun. A film, I Am Curious: Yellow (1967) I am Curious: Blue (1968), about a (sexually) curious young woman. Freedom to do whatever you want! But is sexual liberation great for everyone? Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo make it clear that the increase in drug-infused orgies were not always so advantageous for women, and certainly not for the Stability of Society, or Social equity. More drugs and sex led to more crime, more violence, more police, more inequity.
So book six is named very differently in Swedish, more like a Swedish rhyme, Polis, polis, potatoes. Cops in the late sixties were called the “derogatory” pigs. On the way to stop a murderer from leaving the country, two cops think they hear a 3 year old call them pigs, so they write up the boy’s father, though they were just eating sausages (pigs) and potatoes and thus, the kid says this rhyme. But the crime investigation is delayed because of this.
Ok. So Gunvald Larsson, hearing of this situation, tells off the lazy and incompetent policemen, Kristiansson and Kvant, who have become the Keystone Cops comic relief in this series. But the serious crime in this novel is that high powered businessman Viktor Palmgren, who has many enemies, is shot in the head in the elite Savoy Hotel restaurant, his face plants in mashed potatoes (and sausages!) on his table. He doesn’t immediately die, making way for this joke, which the authors try to squeeze more of into their dark stories:
“On the whole, the only thing wrong with him was that he had a bullet in his head.”
Ultimately, the story is one where social criticism by socialists Sjowall and Wahloo is highlighted, castigating the rich and corrupt while bemoaning the sad social scene of increasing economic hardships and crime for the rest of society. I wasn’t quite as engaged in this one, for some reason, but appreciate what it is doing as social commentary. Maybe it's just that Palmgren and his associates all just seem caricatures of the rich and corrupt capitalists. I am with them politically, but I also want more complexity. I like it that one cop is reading an Ed McBain mystery in this book, though.
July 17, 2025
“During the long drive to Vasastaden in Stockholm, he considered the fact that even Lidingö had a generous portion of crime behind its polished façade. The only difference was that people were richer and could hide their dirty linen more easily”. p96
Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö’s ten book Martin Beck series, The Story of Crime, are really the epitome of the iconic genre that has become known as Nordic Noir. Written between 1965 and 1975, these police procedurals, were structured as not only mysteries, but reflections and commentary on modern Swedish society. This commentary is equally important and privileged in these books as much as the crime story itself. In fact, if you’re reading these books purely for the crime procedural you might be disappointed. Both lenses are interdependent.
Murder at the Savoy is the sixth in the series and I gotta say, Sjöwall and Wahlöö’s political persuasions are fairly evident and probably the most prominent in the series so far.
The crime of capitalism actually seems to be the real investigation here as Beck leads a team to solve the cold blooded murder of Viktor Palmgren, capitalist, dealer in illegal alms sales, ruthless businessman and heartless landlord. It’s a real case of the haves and have nots and casualties of humanity, clearly evident in dialogue like:
"No, I do, but solely because of his money. It was the same thing with Palmgren. His fortune gave him influence pretty much everywhere. You must realize that this society has grown dependent on people like Palmgren and Broberg. In many cases, they have more leverage in the way the country's run than either the Government or Parliament and such. So even people like us have to accept them."
Gunvald Larsson looked at her with disgust. P106
It’s a sad indictment on our western civilization that this novel is as relevant 50 years on as when it was written. Acutely aware of my own political leanings and biases but I can’t help empathizing with the have nots although I find it challenging to reconcile the privilege I enjoy in a society that is very unequal. At times I feel a bit helpless and somewhat like Martin Beck whom I find such a relatable character….
“Chief Inspector Martin Beck didn't feel good at all.
He paid his bill, picked up his suitcase and walked over Mälar Bridge towards the railway station.
He wondered if he'd be able to sleep on the train.”
Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö’s ten book Martin Beck series, The Story of Crime, are really the epitome of the iconic genre that has become known as Nordic Noir. Written between 1965 and 1975, these police procedurals, were structured as not only mysteries, but reflections and commentary on modern Swedish society. This commentary is equally important and privileged in these books as much as the crime story itself. In fact, if you’re reading these books purely for the crime procedural you might be disappointed. Both lenses are interdependent.
Murder at the Savoy is the sixth in the series and I gotta say, Sjöwall and Wahlöö’s political persuasions are fairly evident and probably the most prominent in the series so far.
The crime of capitalism actually seems to be the real investigation here as Beck leads a team to solve the cold blooded murder of Viktor Palmgren, capitalist, dealer in illegal alms sales, ruthless businessman and heartless landlord. It’s a real case of the haves and have nots and casualties of humanity, clearly evident in dialogue like:
"No, I do, but solely because of his money. It was the same thing with Palmgren. His fortune gave him influence pretty much everywhere. You must realize that this society has grown dependent on people like Palmgren and Broberg. In many cases, they have more leverage in the way the country's run than either the Government or Parliament and such. So even people like us have to accept them."
Gunvald Larsson looked at her with disgust. P106
It’s a sad indictment on our western civilization that this novel is as relevant 50 years on as when it was written. Acutely aware of my own political leanings and biases but I can’t help empathizing with the have nots although I find it challenging to reconcile the privilege I enjoy in a society that is very unequal. At times I feel a bit helpless and somewhat like Martin Beck whom I find such a relatable character….
“Chief Inspector Martin Beck didn't feel good at all.
He paid his bill, picked up his suitcase and walked over Mälar Bridge towards the railway station.
He wondered if he'd be able to sleep on the train.”
December 31, 2017
A businessman is shot dead during a dinner at a swanky hotel. The murderer gets away and disappears into the night.
Who could have killed the tycoon? The trophy wife? Her lover? A dodgy business associate (several candidates fit this bill)?
Beck follows the case to a conclusion, with the doggedness we have seen before, ably assisted by a wonderful supporting cast of oddballs and curmudgeons. This book is set in the Sixties and it is a little dated in the detail - everyone smokes incessantly for instance - but it is a good read
Who could have killed the tycoon? The trophy wife? Her lover? A dodgy business associate (several candidates fit this bill)?
Beck follows the case to a conclusion, with the doggedness we have seen before, ably assisted by a wonderful supporting cast of oddballs and curmudgeons. This book is set in the Sixties and it is a little dated in the detail - everyone smokes incessantly for instance - but it is a good read
August 9, 2016
The investigation (in Malmö this time) of the murder (a shooting in full restaurant) of a wealthy entrepreneur brings out a lot of the social conscience of Martin Beck (and his creators). This is very much Sweden of the times (60s/70s), but still, at a quite reasonable level and not really interfering with the story being told.
August 11, 2013
The husband and wife team of political activists turned mystery writers, Sjowall & Wahloo, really crank up the social commentary in this sixth chapter in their The Story of a Crime series featuring Martin Beck. It's noticeable because there's very little in the way of crime or police procedural writing and more discussion on the failings of Swedish society in the late 1960's; this time the spoiling of nature by commerce, the government approval of an "illegal" arms trade, the inferior quality of housing for the poor and the huge profits it created for slum landlords and unconscionable loan sharks and the general filth that was allowed to spread on the streets of Stockholm.
The murder that occurs in the dining room of The Savoy Hotel in Malmo is central to the discussion, how a man can walk in to a room in front of dozens of witnesses, shoot a prominent business man in cold blood and calmly escape leaving the combined efforts of a multi-national police force struggling for leads allows the authors to uncover several unsavoury details as part of the investigation. The heroes of this series are painted as bureaucrats and fools pushed around by political men intent on hiding anything incriminating under the carpet, the incompetent state of the police force is highlighted by the blundering buffoonery of the copper on the street and Martin Beck all the while plods onwards now shorn of marital responsibility and happier for it.
There's a lack of enthusiasm for this case from Beck, Kollberg, Larsen et al that caries through to the reader, they hold the victim and the potential perpetrators in equal contempt and seem to be going through the motions simply because their bosses insist upon a speedy resolution. Whilst there's a lot to be said for the way the authors utilised the formula of a police procedural to make political statements, the real pleasure taken from the series is in seeing the journey the protagonists take both in solving the case and their personal lives, the very nature of this novel removes that aspect and in shifting focus further towards the social commentary made Murder at the Savoy the most dated read of the six so far.
Part 1: Roseanna
Part 2: The Man Who Went Up In Smoke
Part 3: The Man On The Balcony
Part 4: The Laughing Policeman
Part 5: The Fire Engine That Disappeared
The murder that occurs in the dining room of The Savoy Hotel in Malmo is central to the discussion, how a man can walk in to a room in front of dozens of witnesses, shoot a prominent business man in cold blood and calmly escape leaving the combined efforts of a multi-national police force struggling for leads allows the authors to uncover several unsavoury details as part of the investigation. The heroes of this series are painted as bureaucrats and fools pushed around by political men intent on hiding anything incriminating under the carpet, the incompetent state of the police force is highlighted by the blundering buffoonery of the copper on the street and Martin Beck all the while plods onwards now shorn of marital responsibility and happier for it.
There's a lack of enthusiasm for this case from Beck, Kollberg, Larsen et al that caries through to the reader, they hold the victim and the potential perpetrators in equal contempt and seem to be going through the motions simply because their bosses insist upon a speedy resolution. Whilst there's a lot to be said for the way the authors utilised the formula of a police procedural to make political statements, the real pleasure taken from the series is in seeing the journey the protagonists take both in solving the case and their personal lives, the very nature of this novel removes that aspect and in shifting focus further towards the social commentary made Murder at the Savoy the most dated read of the six so far.
Part 1: Roseanna
Part 2: The Man Who Went Up In Smoke
Part 3: The Man On The Balcony
Part 4: The Laughing Policeman
Part 5: The Fire Engine That Disappeared
January 2, 2024
Estocolmo es una auténtica jungla urbana donde la drogadicción, la perversidad y los crímenes medran como nunca. Los delincuentes profesionales están cada vez más organizados. Además, comienza a surgir una franja de población que es visto como un proletariado pauperizado. La inflación galopa junto al alcoholismo y la delincuencia juvenil.
Este es el panorama que nos describen Sjowall y Wahloo en el sexto libro de la serie Martin Beck. La novela se lee rápido, es ágil y hasta tiene momentos graciosos.
Típica novela policial nórdica con un asesinato, las pistas que no llegan y la situación que amerita una pronta solución. No es el mejor de la serie pero profundizamos en conocer a los personajes que acompañan cada entrega. Lectura de verano ciento por ciento.
Este es el panorama que nos describen Sjowall y Wahloo en el sexto libro de la serie Martin Beck. La novela se lee rápido, es ágil y hasta tiene momentos graciosos.
Típica novela policial nórdica con un asesinato, las pistas que no llegan y la situación que amerita una pronta solución. No es el mejor de la serie pero profundizamos en conocer a los personajes que acompañan cada entrega. Lectura de verano ciento por ciento.
July 6, 2021
The ten Swedish police procedurals in the Martin Beck series launched the genre known today as Nordic or Scandinavian noir. Published from 1965 to 1975, they captured the reality of life in Sweden at a time of momentous change. The authors, a Marxist couple named Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, set out to portray the impact on Swedish society of narcotic drugs, immigration, and the agitation for social change then sweeping through the West. And this is nowhere more plain than in their superb sixth effort, Murder at the Savoy. In his introduction to the novel, novelist Arne Dahl characterizes the series as “literature emblematic of the 1968 generation.”
“You have to catch the murderer. On the double.”
Most of the Martin Beck novels follow the pattern typical in police procedurals. Chief Inspector Beck investigates high-profile crimes with his colleagues in the National Homicide Squad in Stockholm. He is one of many. Now, pressure from his superiors has forced him to fly to the city of Malmö on the southern coast. There, at “Scandinavia’s best-known restaurant,” a man walked in and shot to death a wealthy and powerful corporate executive named Viktor Palmgren. “‘It is the wish of someone higher up that you take charge of this,'” the Chief Superintendent has informed him. “‘You have to catch the murderer. On the double.'” And Beck is on his own, without the help of his team in Stockholm. Thus begins the search for the truth in what is surely one of the region’s best police procedurals.
The victim is not who he seems
Grudgingly, Beck teams up with a Detective Inspector with the Malmö police force named Per Månsson. The two play leading roles in the drama. Over the course of weeks, they stumble from clue to clue to identify the man who walked into the restaurant at the Savoy, shot Palmgren in the head with a revolver, and fled through a window onto the street. With a combination of help and hindrance from their colleagues in both Malmö and Stockholm, Beck and Månsson uncover the ugly backstory to the murder. Palmgren, they learn, was not the philanthropic corporate executive the public knows. He was a human trafficker and an arms dealer who illegally sold weapons in Rhodesia, Angola, Mozambique, and other African countries. And this explains the pressure on Beck from the government. Senior officials know about the true source of Palmgren’s wealth. (They may even be involved).
An ugly picture of the Swedish police
The picture of the Swedish National Police that emerges in Murder at the Savoy is unflattering. Both Beck and Månsson are saddled with incompetent and lazy officers, and a member of Beck’s team is a violence-prone sadist. Beck “was very worried, most of all by the way in which the force had been politicized and centralized after the recent reorganization. That the quality of the personnel on patrol was getting lower all the time hardy improved things.” Nor did the fact that Beck’s superiors are now political appointees without investigative experience. It’s clear that Beck and Månsson would have solved Viktor Palmgren’s murder within days at the most if the police force had simply followed orders.
A stand-out example of Swedish police procedurals
As Dahl notes in his introduction, Sjöwall and Wahlöö introduce humor into their stories. I found little evidence of that in the earlier Martin Beck novels—but not in Murder at the Savoy. It’s here in passages such as “On the whole, the only thing wrong with him was that he had a bullet in his head.” Some of the dialogue, too, is laugh-out-loud funny even in translation. All in all, Murder at the Savoy is a joy for a mystery fan to read and a stand-out example of the Martin Beck series.
About the authors
Maj Sjöwall (1935-2020) wrote the ten Swedish police procedurals of the Martin Beck series together with her partner in life, Per Wahlöö (1926-75). The couple, both Left-wing activists, approached their decade-long project as a means to portray the harsh conditions prevailing in Swedish society in the 1960s and 70s. Both worked as novelists and translators on many other books as well.
“You have to catch the murderer. On the double.”
Most of the Martin Beck novels follow the pattern typical in police procedurals. Chief Inspector Beck investigates high-profile crimes with his colleagues in the National Homicide Squad in Stockholm. He is one of many. Now, pressure from his superiors has forced him to fly to the city of Malmö on the southern coast. There, at “Scandinavia’s best-known restaurant,” a man walked in and shot to death a wealthy and powerful corporate executive named Viktor Palmgren. “‘It is the wish of someone higher up that you take charge of this,'” the Chief Superintendent has informed him. “‘You have to catch the murderer. On the double.'” And Beck is on his own, without the help of his team in Stockholm. Thus begins the search for the truth in what is surely one of the region’s best police procedurals.
The victim is not who he seems
Grudgingly, Beck teams up with a Detective Inspector with the Malmö police force named Per Månsson. The two play leading roles in the drama. Over the course of weeks, they stumble from clue to clue to identify the man who walked into the restaurant at the Savoy, shot Palmgren in the head with a revolver, and fled through a window onto the street. With a combination of help and hindrance from their colleagues in both Malmö and Stockholm, Beck and Månsson uncover the ugly backstory to the murder. Palmgren, they learn, was not the philanthropic corporate executive the public knows. He was a human trafficker and an arms dealer who illegally sold weapons in Rhodesia, Angola, Mozambique, and other African countries. And this explains the pressure on Beck from the government. Senior officials know about the true source of Palmgren’s wealth. (They may even be involved).
An ugly picture of the Swedish police
The picture of the Swedish National Police that emerges in Murder at the Savoy is unflattering. Both Beck and Månsson are saddled with incompetent and lazy officers, and a member of Beck’s team is a violence-prone sadist. Beck “was very worried, most of all by the way in which the force had been politicized and centralized after the recent reorganization. That the quality of the personnel on patrol was getting lower all the time hardy improved things.” Nor did the fact that Beck’s superiors are now political appointees without investigative experience. It’s clear that Beck and Månsson would have solved Viktor Palmgren’s murder within days at the most if the police force had simply followed orders.
A stand-out example of Swedish police procedurals
As Dahl notes in his introduction, Sjöwall and Wahlöö introduce humor into their stories. I found little evidence of that in the earlier Martin Beck novels—but not in Murder at the Savoy. It’s here in passages such as “On the whole, the only thing wrong with him was that he had a bullet in his head.” Some of the dialogue, too, is laugh-out-loud funny even in translation. All in all, Murder at the Savoy is a joy for a mystery fan to read and a stand-out example of the Martin Beck series.
About the authors
Maj Sjöwall (1935-2020) wrote the ten Swedish police procedurals of the Martin Beck series together with her partner in life, Per Wahlöö (1926-75). The couple, both Left-wing activists, approached their decade-long project as a means to portray the harsh conditions prevailing in Swedish society in the 1960s and 70s. Both worked as novelists and translators on many other books as well.
April 28, 2014
I have tremendously enjoyed reading the books in this series. Up until now. I have to say that this sixth entry in the ten-book series left me scratching my head as to why they even bothered. It seemed as though the authors were simply phoning it in and were not really engaged by the story they were telling.
The "mystery" took a back seat to Sjowall's and Wahloo's exploration of Swedish society and all that (they felt) was wrong with it back in the 1960s when they were writing. Reading about the evils of the welfare state that was Sweden was interesting, at least historically, up to a point, but past that point, I frankly just felt that the writers were beating a dead horse. They were definitely beating a reader who had lost interest.
The mystery involves who shot Viktor Palmgren, a powerful Swedish industrialist, while he was making an after-dinner speech in the restaurant of the luxurious Hotel Savoy. He had just stood up to start his speech when a man walked into the restaurant and right up behind Palmgren and shot him in the head with a .22 caliber revolver. The other people around the dinner table were so shocked that they didn't realize at first what had happened and the assassin made his escape before anyone could react.
Initially, the victim survives, but then within a few hours his condition deteriorates and he dies. And so it becomes a case not just of assault but of murder.
This all happens in the southern town of Malmo. The police there are baffled and are getting nowhere with their investigation. Since Palmgren was a very big deal as a captain of industry and a major player in the international money markets, the powers that be in Stockholm are eager for an early solution to the murder. They send their main man, Martin Beck, to take over the investigation and find the culprit.
In reviewing Palmgren's background and his life, Beck finds that he was not a nice man and that there are probably any number of people who would have been happy to have him dead. But which one of them did it?
As usual, Beck is coming down with a cold and feeling miserable, and his detectives are just about the most reluctant group of investigators that you will ever find in the pages of a mystery novel. Still they all trudge on, doing their job, however grudgingly, and, finally, they do reach a conclusion and get their man. Frankly, by this point, I had a lot of sympathy for the murderer and I was sort of hoping he would get away. That's really not the reaction that a reader of a murder mystery should have.
One of the things that I have enjoyed so much in the previous books in the series has been the sly humor which the authors have slipped into the narrative from time to time, often to drive home a point. This book had very little of that. Early in the book, there was one bit that gave me a chuckle, but after that it was mostly sheer, boring routine and much attention paid to each detective's complaints about the society, about life, and about his job.
But perhaps that is just true to life and that's what the detective's lot is all about. It may be realistic, but it doesn't make for very compelling reading.
The "mystery" took a back seat to Sjowall's and Wahloo's exploration of Swedish society and all that (they felt) was wrong with it back in the 1960s when they were writing. Reading about the evils of the welfare state that was Sweden was interesting, at least historically, up to a point, but past that point, I frankly just felt that the writers were beating a dead horse. They were definitely beating a reader who had lost interest.
The mystery involves who shot Viktor Palmgren, a powerful Swedish industrialist, while he was making an after-dinner speech in the restaurant of the luxurious Hotel Savoy. He had just stood up to start his speech when a man walked into the restaurant and right up behind Palmgren and shot him in the head with a .22 caliber revolver. The other people around the dinner table were so shocked that they didn't realize at first what had happened and the assassin made his escape before anyone could react.
Initially, the victim survives, but then within a few hours his condition deteriorates and he dies. And so it becomes a case not just of assault but of murder.
This all happens in the southern town of Malmo. The police there are baffled and are getting nowhere with their investigation. Since Palmgren was a very big deal as a captain of industry and a major player in the international money markets, the powers that be in Stockholm are eager for an early solution to the murder. They send their main man, Martin Beck, to take over the investigation and find the culprit.
In reviewing Palmgren's background and his life, Beck finds that he was not a nice man and that there are probably any number of people who would have been happy to have him dead. But which one of them did it?
As usual, Beck is coming down with a cold and feeling miserable, and his detectives are just about the most reluctant group of investigators that you will ever find in the pages of a mystery novel. Still they all trudge on, doing their job, however grudgingly, and, finally, they do reach a conclusion and get their man. Frankly, by this point, I had a lot of sympathy for the murderer and I was sort of hoping he would get away. That's really not the reaction that a reader of a murder mystery should have.
One of the things that I have enjoyed so much in the previous books in the series has been the sly humor which the authors have slipped into the narrative from time to time, often to drive home a point. This book had very little of that. Early in the book, there was one bit that gave me a chuckle, but after that it was mostly sheer, boring routine and much attention paid to each detective's complaints about the society, about life, and about his job.
But perhaps that is just true to life and that's what the detective's lot is all about. It may be realistic, but it doesn't make for very compelling reading.
August 18, 2017
Brilliant! But sad that only 4 left to read. Never mind, there's always re-reading!
August 7, 2025
Sonunu ben bambaşka bir şekilde hayal etmiştim. Sonu beni cidden üzdü…
Sahtekârlar, alavere dalavereciler yine paçayı sıyırmamalıydı…. Umarım serinin devamında bu karar hatalıydı denir….
Sahtekârlar, alavere dalavereciler yine paçayı sıyırmamalıydı…. Umarım serinin devamında bu karar hatalıydı denir….
August 26, 2022
En av de bättre! Kände mig mer engagerad i Becks ständiga dysterhet i den här, istället för att bli irriterad alltså
Read
January 7, 2015The introduction to this volume (by Michael Carlson) is one of the better ones in this edition – finally someone who does not deem it necessary to a follow a mention of the authors’ Marxist leanings with a disclaimer that they are not preaching party politics.
Unlike communism or socialism, Marxism is not a political movement but a philosophy and an analysis of the workings of capitalist society (which both communism and socialism claim to build on – notice that there is a difference); in fact Marxism is probably to this day the most nuanced and incisive analytical tool in existence if one tries to comprehend the forces driving economy and society. And this is important for Murder at the Savoy, because while earlier novels in the series always had a strong element of social realism, it is here that Sjöwall/Wahlöö first attempt to tackle Swedish society as a whole rather than just certain localized aspects of it.
Depicting the whole of contemporary society as based on injustice, driven by corruption and held together by exploitation is of course quite ambitious for a police procedural, and while Murder at the Savoy is still clearly and unambiguously a crime novel, the authors just as clearly were not satisfied with the scope that following standard genre conventions offered them. And I would argue that it’s precisely an underlying Marxist analysis of Swedish society that allows Sjöwall und Wahlöö to open up their perspective here, providing a foundation that grounds their criticism and lends it impetus beyond the range of a crime fiction plot.
Which does not mean that the authors are neglecting that aspect of the novel – just like the previous installments in the series, Murder at the Savoy is an excellent police procedural, combining a compelling mystery with realistic descriptions of police work and plausible character portraits. Interestingly, at the same time as the series begins to present a broader perspective on Swedish society at the time, it also spends increasingly more time filling out the smaller details in the lives of its protagonists, painting small pictures inside the big one. In fact, it might even be the most admirable feature of this series how it manages to strike an almost perfect balance between prodesse and delectare – indeed, there are few works in any genre that mix instruction and delight as well as Maj Sjöwall’s and Per Wahlöö’s series.
Unlike communism or socialism, Marxism is not a political movement but a philosophy and an analysis of the workings of capitalist society (which both communism and socialism claim to build on – notice that there is a difference); in fact Marxism is probably to this day the most nuanced and incisive analytical tool in existence if one tries to comprehend the forces driving economy and society. And this is important for Murder at the Savoy, because while earlier novels in the series always had a strong element of social realism, it is here that Sjöwall/Wahlöö first attempt to tackle Swedish society as a whole rather than just certain localized aspects of it.
Depicting the whole of contemporary society as based on injustice, driven by corruption and held together by exploitation is of course quite ambitious for a police procedural, and while Murder at the Savoy is still clearly and unambiguously a crime novel, the authors just as clearly were not satisfied with the scope that following standard genre conventions offered them. And I would argue that it’s precisely an underlying Marxist analysis of Swedish society that allows Sjöwall und Wahlöö to open up their perspective here, providing a foundation that grounds their criticism and lends it impetus beyond the range of a crime fiction plot.
Which does not mean that the authors are neglecting that aspect of the novel – just like the previous installments in the series, Murder at the Savoy is an excellent police procedural, combining a compelling mystery with realistic descriptions of police work and plausible character portraits. Interestingly, at the same time as the series begins to present a broader perspective on Swedish society at the time, it also spends increasingly more time filling out the smaller details in the lives of its protagonists, painting small pictures inside the big one. In fact, it might even be the most admirable feature of this series how it manages to strike an almost perfect balance between prodesse and delectare – indeed, there are few works in any genre that mix instruction and delight as well as Maj Sjöwall’s and Per Wahlöö’s series.
September 14, 2022
Sexta novela de la serie del detective Martin BECK, donde los autores esencialmente siguen la misma dinámica de sus libros anteriores; es decir, muchas pistas en falso, hasta que de repente, surge un indicio que cataliza la resolución del caso.
Un rasgo que sobresale en esta novela en particular es la crítica social de SJOWALL y WAHLOO, denostando a los ricos y corruptos mientras que lamentan la triste escena social de crecientes dificultades económicas y delincuencia para el resto de la sociedad. Una escena terriblemente actual.
Aparte de esto, tenemos la típica novela de suspenso, muy recomendable para pasar el rato ;)
Un rasgo que sobresale en esta novela en particular es la crítica social de SJOWALL y WAHLOO, denostando a los ricos y corruptos mientras que lamentan la triste escena social de crecientes dificultades económicas y delincuencia para el resto de la sociedad. Una escena terriblemente actual.
Aparte de esto, tenemos la típica novela de suspenso, muy recomendable para pasar el rato ;)
December 6, 2020
Murder at the Savoy is #6 in the Martin Beck series. Like Book #5, Beck does not play much of a role in the story. He's spoken about, but his appearance comes quite late in the book.
A man is shot in the dining room of the Savoy in Malmo. He doesn't immediately die, the bullet is lodged in his head in a precarious location that prevents the surgeons from removing it. He does succumb to his injuries kicking off a murder investigation. It's a unique situation as there were many witnesses in a dining room full of guests and staff; however, the sheer unexpectedness of the crime had all eyes on the victim as the perpetrator made their escape. This entry drifts away from the murder often to speculate about current political and social states in Sweden. It was somewhat scattered for me, partly because the audio wasn't that engaging.
Even though this outing wasn't a favourite, I do really enjoy this series and will continue. Next time, I will return to a physical copy.
A man is shot in the dining room of the Savoy in Malmo. He doesn't immediately die, the bullet is lodged in his head in a precarious location that prevents the surgeons from removing it. He does succumb to his injuries kicking off a murder investigation. It's a unique situation as there were many witnesses in a dining room full of guests and staff; however, the sheer unexpectedness of the crime had all eyes on the victim as the perpetrator made their escape. This entry drifts away from the murder often to speculate about current political and social states in Sweden. It was somewhat scattered for me, partly because the audio wasn't that engaging.
Even though this outing wasn't a favourite, I do really enjoy this series and will continue. Next time, I will return to a physical copy.
May 12, 2014
Book six. A high profile businessman, Viktor Palmgren, who is shot to death while addressing colleagues at a dinner in the Savoy Hotel in Malmö. It is unclear whether the non-descript killer's motive was political (anti-capitalism), commercial or criminal. Martin Beck is dispatched from Stockholm to run the investigation and works again with Per Mansson, with whom he has worked in previous novels. Ava Torell, former girlfriend of a murdered detective, makes an important contribution to the crime in her new role as a vice cop. The authors' Marxist beliefs are clearly demonstrated in this one.
March 2, 2013
"We maintain law and order here. This isn't Stockholm."
"Murder at the Savoy", o sexto livro da série do Martin Beck, mantém o mesmo estilo de narrativa sarcástico, perspicaz e introspectivo que os volumes anteriores.
É Verão e os habitantes de Estocolmo mantêm as suas rotinas sob o sol excessivamente quente que se faz sentir. O número de crimes na cidade aumentou e a violência parece ser despoletada pelas temperaturas elevadas. Apesar disso, Martin Beck está, como quase sempre, constipado!
"There aren't any ordinary murders."
Um jantar no Hotel Savoy, em Mälmo, acaba em tragédia quando o anfitrião, Viktor Palmgren, um homem de negócios de renome, é assassinado a meio do seu discurso. A investigação é imediatamente entregue a Per Mansson, inspector que colaborou com o nosso protagonista em várias ocasiões anteriores, e o suspeito teria sido facilmente capturado caso não se desse um pequeno imprevisto.
Kristiansson e Kvant metem água para variar um pouco! Como se encontram perto do local, Per Mansson pede ao duo para interceptar o suspeito em Estocolmo. Ainda que avisados com 20 minutos de antecedência a dupla, que não podia ser mais incompetente e preguiçosa, parou num drive-in para comer um cachorro e demorou 15 minutos a multar uma criança que, supuseram eles, os insultou. Este mal entendido faz com que o suspeito escape. E, como já se veio a tornar hábito, fez com que ambos sejam sujeitos a um sermão de Gunvald Larsson, que apesar de uma personagem peculiar odiada por quase todos, tem toda a razão para estar furioso. Afinal de contas, não é a primeira, nem a segunda vez que se depara com esta parelha curiosa.
"It'll be the one and only Beck."
Martin Beck é então enviado para Mälmo para colaborar com Mansson. Juntos trabalham nesta investigação, analisando pistas e entrevistando suspeitos. São ajudados por Kollberg, que contacta com as pessoas de interesse em Estocolmo, pelo cada vez mais impaciente e insuportável Gunvald Larsson e ainda pelo ambicioso e novato Benny Skacke, que foi transferido para a equipa de Per Mansson após o incidente em Estocolmo, numa missão ao lado de Kollberg, no livro anterior "The Fire Engine That Disappeared".
Martin Beck encontra-se sob uma maior pressão que o normal, pois a investigação envolve a politica (temática por ele desprezada) podendo mesmo ter um impacto a nível internacional. Por esta razão, são chamados a intervir os Serviços Secretos, que empreendem numa desconfortável e dispensável investigação paralela. Aos olhos de Beck esta força que supostamente deveria passar despercebida, dá demasiado nas vistas e demoram demasiado tempo para produzir resultados úteis.
Após 18 anos de casamento Martin Beck deixa Inga, que fica a viver com o filho de 14 anos. Quanto a Ingrid, a filha adolescente, voou do ninho. Solteiro e num novo apartamento vê as suas típicas dores de estômago e falta de apetite desaparecerem gradualmente. Neste novo contexto da sua vida pessoal, pela primeira vez desde o inicio da série, Martin Beck tem direito a romance e a felizarda é Asa Torell. Apesar de já se conhecerem e conviverem há algum tempo, o momento amoroso foi estrategicamente preparado pelo seu melhor amigo, que decide fazer de cupido! Foi Kollberg que ajudou e deu cama a Asa quando o namorado e colega de trabalho destes dois inspectores morreu assassinado no livro "The Laughing Policeman".
O livro leva-nos a reflectir na casualidade ou, para quem acredita, no destino. Um simples ser humano, um homem comum, igual a tantos outros, com uma vida chamada normal - família, trabalho e amigos - pode atingir os seus limites quando incapaz de suportar mais infortúnios e infelicidades. A linha que separa o bem do mal é muito ténue e facilmente ultrapassada. Como sempre, Söjwall e Wahlöö focam-se na área cinzenta do dia-a-dia na Suécia: a área mais comum a todos nós, onde um homem com um bom coração e boas intenções recorre ao mal para praticar o bem. Será isto correcto? Quanto a mim posso dizer que me identifiquei e senti empatia pelo assassino. Contrariamente, a vitima, que em vida desempenhou um papel influente e poderoso na corrupção e exploração da Suécia, nada mais me fez sentir por ela do que desprezo.
Tal como nos livros anteriores, Maj Söjwall e Per Wahlöö são minuciosos nas suas descrições, sejam elas das personagens, procedimentos policiais, cenários ou ambiente envolvente.
"Murder at the Savoy" é um livro que se iguala aos que o antecedem, caracterizado por uma qualidade excepcional, que não poderia ser mais elevada.
Mais uma investigação resolvida com sucesso. Quanto a Martin Beck sente que a justiça apenas beneficiou os verdadeiros criminosos, que permaneceram livres. Deprimido, atormentado e com o assassino, quem compreende e por quem sente simpatia, no seu pensamento, volta a Estocolmo cabisbaixo. Afinal de contas, ser inspector de homicídios é tudo menos tarefa simples.
"Hungover detective questions hungover witness, Very constructive."
"Murder at the Savoy", o sexto livro da série do Martin Beck, mantém o mesmo estilo de narrativa sarcástico, perspicaz e introspectivo que os volumes anteriores.
É Verão e os habitantes de Estocolmo mantêm as suas rotinas sob o sol excessivamente quente que se faz sentir. O número de crimes na cidade aumentou e a violência parece ser despoletada pelas temperaturas elevadas. Apesar disso, Martin Beck está, como quase sempre, constipado!
"There aren't any ordinary murders."
Um jantar no Hotel Savoy, em Mälmo, acaba em tragédia quando o anfitrião, Viktor Palmgren, um homem de negócios de renome, é assassinado a meio do seu discurso. A investigação é imediatamente entregue a Per Mansson, inspector que colaborou com o nosso protagonista em várias ocasiões anteriores, e o suspeito teria sido facilmente capturado caso não se desse um pequeno imprevisto.
Kristiansson e Kvant metem água para variar um pouco! Como se encontram perto do local, Per Mansson pede ao duo para interceptar o suspeito em Estocolmo. Ainda que avisados com 20 minutos de antecedência a dupla, que não podia ser mais incompetente e preguiçosa, parou num drive-in para comer um cachorro e demorou 15 minutos a multar uma criança que, supuseram eles, os insultou. Este mal entendido faz com que o suspeito escape. E, como já se veio a tornar hábito, fez com que ambos sejam sujeitos a um sermão de Gunvald Larsson, que apesar de uma personagem peculiar odiada por quase todos, tem toda a razão para estar furioso. Afinal de contas, não é a primeira, nem a segunda vez que se depara com esta parelha curiosa.
"It'll be the one and only Beck."
Martin Beck é então enviado para Mälmo para colaborar com Mansson. Juntos trabalham nesta investigação, analisando pistas e entrevistando suspeitos. São ajudados por Kollberg, que contacta com as pessoas de interesse em Estocolmo, pelo cada vez mais impaciente e insuportável Gunvald Larsson e ainda pelo ambicioso e novato Benny Skacke, que foi transferido para a equipa de Per Mansson após o incidente em Estocolmo, numa missão ao lado de Kollberg, no livro anterior "The Fire Engine That Disappeared".
Martin Beck encontra-se sob uma maior pressão que o normal, pois a investigação envolve a politica (temática por ele desprezada) podendo mesmo ter um impacto a nível internacional. Por esta razão, são chamados a intervir os Serviços Secretos, que empreendem numa desconfortável e dispensável investigação paralela. Aos olhos de Beck esta força que supostamente deveria passar despercebida, dá demasiado nas vistas e demoram demasiado tempo para produzir resultados úteis.
Após 18 anos de casamento Martin Beck deixa Inga, que fica a viver com o filho de 14 anos. Quanto a Ingrid, a filha adolescente, voou do ninho. Solteiro e num novo apartamento vê as suas típicas dores de estômago e falta de apetite desaparecerem gradualmente. Neste novo contexto da sua vida pessoal, pela primeira vez desde o inicio da série, Martin Beck tem direito a romance e a felizarda é Asa Torell. Apesar de já se conhecerem e conviverem há algum tempo, o momento amoroso foi estrategicamente preparado pelo seu melhor amigo, que decide fazer de cupido! Foi Kollberg que ajudou e deu cama a Asa quando o namorado e colega de trabalho destes dois inspectores morreu assassinado no livro "The Laughing Policeman".
O livro leva-nos a reflectir na casualidade ou, para quem acredita, no destino. Um simples ser humano, um homem comum, igual a tantos outros, com uma vida chamada normal - família, trabalho e amigos - pode atingir os seus limites quando incapaz de suportar mais infortúnios e infelicidades. A linha que separa o bem do mal é muito ténue e facilmente ultrapassada. Como sempre, Söjwall e Wahlöö focam-se na área cinzenta do dia-a-dia na Suécia: a área mais comum a todos nós, onde um homem com um bom coração e boas intenções recorre ao mal para praticar o bem. Será isto correcto? Quanto a mim posso dizer que me identifiquei e senti empatia pelo assassino. Contrariamente, a vitima, que em vida desempenhou um papel influente e poderoso na corrupção e exploração da Suécia, nada mais me fez sentir por ela do que desprezo.
Tal como nos livros anteriores, Maj Söjwall e Per Wahlöö são minuciosos nas suas descrições, sejam elas das personagens, procedimentos policiais, cenários ou ambiente envolvente.
"Murder at the Savoy" é um livro que se iguala aos que o antecedem, caracterizado por uma qualidade excepcional, que não poderia ser mais elevada.
Mais uma investigação resolvida com sucesso. Quanto a Martin Beck sente que a justiça apenas beneficiou os verdadeiros criminosos, que permaneceram livres. Deprimido, atormentado e com o assassino, quem compreende e por quem sente simpatia, no seu pensamento, volta a Estocolmo cabisbaixo. Afinal de contas, ser inspector de homicídios é tudo menos tarefa simples.
"Hungover detective questions hungover witness, Very constructive."
March 5, 2011
In the city of Malmo, which lies across the Baltic from the coast of Denmark, a group of people are having dinner together at the Savoy hotel. A man enters the dining room and shoots one of them, a wealthy industrialist who promptly falls into a plate of mashed potatoes that surround a fish casserole. The shooter leaves through a window and he's gone. With very little clues as to the killer's identity, the police begin to focus on the dead man, Victor Palmgren, and his associates. Things become rather complicated when Martin Beck, Chief Inspector of the National Homicide Squad is told to move quickly on the case and get it closed, because Palmgren has been involved in some shady transactions abroad which might cause some embarrassment to some in the upper echelons of Swedish politics.
Murder at the Savoy is the sixth book and doesn't have the intensity of some of its predecessors in the series, but it's still a great read. As always, Wahloo and Sjowall take their opportunity to voice their opinions about the social problems in Sweden of the time. This time, though, the authors also ask their readers to consider the very nature of crime itself, and the question of justice, for that matter. While most people consider crime to be under the purview of the police and the legal system, there are those for whom there is no recourse, especially when one is at the mercy of the whims of the rich and famous. This is one of those issues that is never pertinent only to a time or a place -- it is an ongoing reality of life. This is one of the characteristics of the series as a whole -- the books may have been written decades ago, but the authors' observations remain appropriate in the present time. As with the other books, there are memorable moments of humor during a serious investigation, and the characters continue to grow and change, acting very human all of the time. And another hallmark of this series continues here: the crime, the investigation, the characters' lives and the social commentary all occur succinctly within a relatively short amount of space with no superfluous distractions.
I am loving this series and have the final four stacked up, ready to read. I can't think of another author (or pair of authors) who have done what Wahloo and Sjowall have accomplished here in the realm of crime fiction. Just because these books were written some time ago, they're not antiquated: they've still got a lot to offer readers who are either just entering the genre or those who've been in it a while and have only focused on current offerings. Again, you can read this as a standalone, but to get the most out of the series, I would suggest starting with the first book, Roseanna.
Murder at the Savoy is the sixth book and doesn't have the intensity of some of its predecessors in the series, but it's still a great read. As always, Wahloo and Sjowall take their opportunity to voice their opinions about the social problems in Sweden of the time. This time, though, the authors also ask their readers to consider the very nature of crime itself, and the question of justice, for that matter. While most people consider crime to be under the purview of the police and the legal system, there are those for whom there is no recourse, especially when one is at the mercy of the whims of the rich and famous. This is one of those issues that is never pertinent only to a time or a place -- it is an ongoing reality of life. This is one of the characteristics of the series as a whole -- the books may have been written decades ago, but the authors' observations remain appropriate in the present time. As with the other books, there are memorable moments of humor during a serious investigation, and the characters continue to grow and change, acting very human all of the time. And another hallmark of this series continues here: the crime, the investigation, the characters' lives and the social commentary all occur succinctly within a relatively short amount of space with no superfluous distractions.
I am loving this series and have the final four stacked up, ready to read. I can't think of another author (or pair of authors) who have done what Wahloo and Sjowall have accomplished here in the realm of crime fiction. Just because these books were written some time ago, they're not antiquated: they've still got a lot to offer readers who are either just entering the genre or those who've been in it a while and have only focused on current offerings. Again, you can read this as a standalone, but to get the most out of the series, I would suggest starting with the first book, Roseanna.
May 27, 2010
I know that Sjowall and Wahloo pioneered the Swedish procedural, and I know, as well, that pioneers often work within a framework that's much more limited than what we are used to. As such, it's not hard to imagine that these mysteries were ground-breaking at the time they came out. They depict a society growing anxious about its own safety, about the efficacy of its police, and about the trust-worthiness of its own home-grown businesses and elite classes. The clash between classes is more apparently in this book than it was in the first Beck mystery I read, and to some extent, that helps propel the story along.
The mystery, however, often gets obscured by the message. Sjowall and Wahloo want to talk about this teeming, changing Sweden, and so they use every device and insignificant non-suspect they can get their hands on to illustrate the possible changes. Yet there isn't a character that they interview through the first 3/4 of the book that anyone -- including the lead detectives -- genuinely believe might have actually committed the crime. So it feels like we're just going through the paces. That's certainly an important part of the procedural form, and part of the ground-breaking here was the invention of detectives who don't have action-filled days and danger-filled nights, certainly. Still, I think the convention of having some suspense can't be discarded altogether without a great loss in reader interest, and since there's not even the opportunity for a reader to sympathize with the victim, well, it became difficult to continue this book about 1/3 of the way in.
The mystery, however, often gets obscured by the message. Sjowall and Wahloo want to talk about this teeming, changing Sweden, and so they use every device and insignificant non-suspect they can get their hands on to illustrate the possible changes. Yet there isn't a character that they interview through the first 3/4 of the book that anyone -- including the lead detectives -- genuinely believe might have actually committed the crime. So it feels like we're just going through the paces. That's certainly an important part of the procedural form, and part of the ground-breaking here was the invention of detectives who don't have action-filled days and danger-filled nights, certainly. Still, I think the convention of having some suspense can't be discarded altogether without a great loss in reader interest, and since there's not even the opportunity for a reader to sympathize with the victim, well, it became difficult to continue this book about 1/3 of the way in.
March 20, 2020
Otra obra escrita a 4 manos por este dúo fantástico de escritores suecos, exponentes de la novela negra, como protagonista tenemos a Martin Beck el detective iconico de esta mancuerna.
En el hotel Savoy, un magnate sueco es asesinado en pleno comedor rodeado de muchas personas, y el asesino solitario después de dispararle una única bala huye por la ventana.
A partir de ahí inicia la investigación que transcurre entre varias ciudades de Suecia y Dinamarca.
Lo interesante del libro son las investigaciones que realizan los diferentes detectives y como la información es allegada por distintos medios, también esa denuncia que se hace entre líneas de la protección policial a los poderosos y esa indefensión del ciudadano común que en cualquier momento puede perder lo poco o mucho que tiene y volverse casi una paria de la sociedad.
Los policías parecen ser despreciables a veces, pero nos dejan entrever su pensar o su sensibilidad ante las cosas que tienen que presenciar, muchas veces demasiada inhumanidad, ante la cual no queda más que un poco de cinismo o frialdad para enfrentarla.
Ese toque sucio y real es el que hace los libros de esta serie realmente interesantes y memorables.
En el hotel Savoy, un magnate sueco es asesinado en pleno comedor rodeado de muchas personas, y el asesino solitario después de dispararle una única bala huye por la ventana.
A partir de ahí inicia la investigación que transcurre entre varias ciudades de Suecia y Dinamarca.
Lo interesante del libro son las investigaciones que realizan los diferentes detectives y como la información es allegada por distintos medios, también esa denuncia que se hace entre líneas de la protección policial a los poderosos y esa indefensión del ciudadano común que en cualquier momento puede perder lo poco o mucho que tiene y volverse casi una paria de la sociedad.
Los policías parecen ser despreciables a veces, pero nos dejan entrever su pensar o su sensibilidad ante las cosas que tienen que presenciar, muchas veces demasiada inhumanidad, ante la cual no queda más que un poco de cinismo o frialdad para enfrentarla.
Ese toque sucio y real es el que hace los libros de esta serie realmente interesantes y memorables.
August 18, 2017
Another thoroughly enjoyable, highly satisfying instalment in this fine series. Recommended.
January 18, 2021
2 1/2* kanske. Med denna börjar serien bli politiskt intressant, och personerna utvecklas något men det blir mer och mer irriterande att läsa om kvinnors bröstvårtor och könshår. Hur är det med männens? Det skulle vara lika ointressant men mera jämlikt i alla fall.
September 4, 2018
What did you think of this book? For an instant, I thought of the utterly dark cynicism and originality of Joseph Conrad. But humor was tagging along, too.
November 4, 2023
The most society critical book till now in the series. So much so that in the end no one of the team is happy with the outcome. Many of the real culprits do not get what they deserve and go on with their greed and deplorable ways. And the common people pay the price and stay on being ignored and taken advantage of.
In the guise of detective novels Sjöwall & Wahlöö ask attention for the many wrongs in their world.
Again we meet the blundering policemen Kristiansson and Kvant. It gives for a hilarious encounter with Gundvald Larsson. Their nemesis. But this is serious. Because they let escape the murderer of a well known industrialist. What ensues is a desparate hunt for his killer.
As usual in these books a long time nothing much happens. Progress is very slow. In spite of that, it is an enjoyable read. Then, also as is common in the books in this series, a small detail cracks the case open.
Lots of cynical observations of the establisment, the authorities and society in general. The so-called welfare state of Sweden is in a deplorable shape according to the writers. The beginning of chapter 12 is a two page long tirade about what is wrong with Sweden. Very recognizable for a lot of the western world countries. Not much has changed since the 1960s.
The authors have nothing good to say about the politcians and administrators.
For instance, p.92: ”The causes were obscure, at least to those at the helm and to the experts who had the delicate task of making society function as smoothly as possible.”
Everything passes by. Criminality, alcoholism, drugs, inflation, housing, poverty, politics.
We get to know Kollberg better and better with each book. Beck on the other hand, although supposedly the central figure, stays on the sideline. Only in the second book, The Man who Vanished in Smoke, is he the central figure. Also in the first book: Roseanna. But after those two books, other detectives are becoming more interesting.
We also meet Larsson again. With his unorthodox methods. And again he gets results. His interrogation of his sister is hilarious.
written: 1970
Maj Sjöwall: 1935-2000
Per Wahlöö: 1926-1975
In the guise of detective novels Sjöwall & Wahlöö ask attention for the many wrongs in their world.
Again we meet the blundering policemen Kristiansson and Kvant. It gives for a hilarious encounter with Gundvald Larsson. Their nemesis. But this is serious. Because they let escape the murderer of a well known industrialist. What ensues is a desparate hunt for his killer.
As usual in these books a long time nothing much happens. Progress is very slow. In spite of that, it is an enjoyable read. Then, also as is common in the books in this series, a small detail cracks the case open.
Lots of cynical observations of the establisment, the authorities and society in general. The so-called welfare state of Sweden is in a deplorable shape according to the writers. The beginning of chapter 12 is a two page long tirade about what is wrong with Sweden. Very recognizable for a lot of the western world countries. Not much has changed since the 1960s.
The authors have nothing good to say about the politcians and administrators.
For instance, p.92: ”The causes were obscure, at least to those at the helm and to the experts who had the delicate task of making society function as smoothly as possible.”
Everything passes by. Criminality, alcoholism, drugs, inflation, housing, poverty, politics.
We get to know Kollberg better and better with each book. Beck on the other hand, although supposedly the central figure, stays on the sideline. Only in the second book, The Man who Vanished in Smoke, is he the central figure. Also in the first book: Roseanna. But after those two books, other detectives are becoming more interesting.
We also meet Larsson again. With his unorthodox methods. And again he gets results. His interrogation of his sister is hilarious.
written: 1970
Maj Sjöwall: 1935-2000
Per Wahlöö: 1926-1975
September 20, 2017
Festival del luogo comune
La coppia di autori svedesi (3 coppie di puntini sulla o) scrive bene ed è di piacevole lettura. Sul risvolto di copertina si legge che i loro libri hanno “un fine anche politico: la denuncia della società neo capitalistica svedese”. In realtà la denuncia consiste nel dire che i ricchi fanno i soldi sulla pelle dei poveri e facendo traffici d’armi con l’Africa (così: più didascalico che propositivo). Leggendo si trova una lunga serie di macchiette che stanno a sottolineare l’idiozia dei poliziotti svedesi (almeno del 50%) e non è un bel leggere. Se il problema era così vasto, sarebbe stato il caso di fare un’interrogazione parlamentare e di alzare i parametri della selezione del personale. Così si affligge inutilmente il lettore con filippiche che sanno più che altro di denigrazione classista. (Sarà più bello fare il direttore di orchestra o il poliziotto semplice? Il direttore d’orchestra, perché fa un lavoro artistico e signorile, mentre il poliziotto semplice è un uomo violento: non lo scrivono, ma il livello di ovvietà è paragonabile). Per non parlare delle donne: a parte la poliziotta intelligente, le altre sono tutte segretarie o squillo o entrambe le cose e più sono belle, più sono sceme, non si sfugge (non mi risulta che la nota correlazione sia provata scientificamente). La trama non sarebbe male ma è affogata fra le lagnanze degli autori, Insomma, si salva ben poco, nonostante la solenne introduzione di Camilleri.
La coppia di autori svedesi (3 coppie di puntini sulla o) scrive bene ed è di piacevole lettura. Sul risvolto di copertina si legge che i loro libri hanno “un fine anche politico: la denuncia della società neo capitalistica svedese”. In realtà la denuncia consiste nel dire che i ricchi fanno i soldi sulla pelle dei poveri e facendo traffici d’armi con l’Africa (così: più didascalico che propositivo). Leggendo si trova una lunga serie di macchiette che stanno a sottolineare l’idiozia dei poliziotti svedesi (almeno del 50%) e non è un bel leggere. Se il problema era così vasto, sarebbe stato il caso di fare un’interrogazione parlamentare e di alzare i parametri della selezione del personale. Così si affligge inutilmente il lettore con filippiche che sanno più che altro di denigrazione classista. (Sarà più bello fare il direttore di orchestra o il poliziotto semplice? Il direttore d’orchestra, perché fa un lavoro artistico e signorile, mentre il poliziotto semplice è un uomo violento: non lo scrivono, ma il livello di ovvietà è paragonabile). Per non parlare delle donne: a parte la poliziotta intelligente, le altre sono tutte segretarie o squillo o entrambe le cose e più sono belle, più sono sceme, non si sfugge (non mi risulta che la nota correlazione sia provata scientificamente). La trama non sarebbe male ma è affogata fra le lagnanze degli autori, Insomma, si salva ben poco, nonostante la solenne introduzione di Camilleri.
February 3, 2018
Another day another crime. This was another my favorite. Simple straight forward but engrossing much. From the suspects to the victim himself. I love Åsa Torell in here (I like that she decided to join the police squad after the Stenström incident). One thing about Beck investigation that he loves to involve all his team fairly that I think all characters get their own spotlight, even Broberg the suspect. I was nervous at a point, can't think or making assumptions on how or who the shooter-- quite vague and I wondered how Beck can solve this. And I think Skacke was lovable here compared to previous book, he was clumsy sometimes but was a very interesting character.
The story telling was structured well-- from the shooting scene to investigation to how Beck came into the scene and a lil help from Kollberg. It was actually going around Sweden, back and forth with few witnesses helping out and I like that the authors actually gave this extra colours to these witnesses' character like they were all as important as Beck and the team.
Loving the ending, kind of sentimental and I never realised the motive was actually quite unexpected and so suddenly. Some people really, when they gotta do it, they gotta do it.
The story telling was structured well-- from the shooting scene to investigation to how Beck came into the scene and a lil help from Kollberg. It was actually going around Sweden, back and forth with few witnesses helping out and I like that the authors actually gave this extra colours to these witnesses' character like they were all as important as Beck and the team.
Loving the ending, kind of sentimental and I never realised the motive was actually quite unexpected and so suddenly. Some people really, when they gotta do it, they gotta do it.
May 3, 2021
The quantum increase in quality that began with the fourth book in the series continues here. Same Saharan humor, calm and collected procedures, revelations of character. Same sociological commentary which subtly forms the basis for the novel (what seems to be an international incident is actually much closer to home), although the authors seem to enjoy razzing both the right and the left. The summer heat and menacing pollution is a constant annoyance. And we finally have some female officers which is a welcome development. The best written of the books so far. The one flaw is that there was little suspense or tension, yet I enjoyably coasted along, confident that I was in good hands, comfortable with the now familiar cast of characters. I know little about Sweden, especially in 1970, but I was surprised at the amount of poverty and crime described, since I view Scandinavia as a little utopia. Of course everything is relative. Best book in the series, but I've been saying that for three novels now.
April 17, 2024
Another excellent outing for the lugubrious Martin Beck who is sent to Malmö to investigate the shooting of a businessman in the Savoy hotel, the narrative sprinkled with social comment and as always conveying the value of thorough painstaking police work in solving crime.
The precise language marries perfectly with the setting, and all the favourite characters from the series have a contribution to the story. Their lives are changing bit by bit - Martin himself has left his loveless marriage and has his own flat - but the routine of policing goes on and they all put in the hours, interviewing unhelpful suspects and checking phone directories. It’s mundane but also totally compelling.
There are no dramatic revelations, just a sad conclusion that leaves Martin Beck slightly dissatisfied and dispirited, but we know he’ll be back to do it all again in the next case, and that’s worth looking forward to.
The precise language marries perfectly with the setting, and all the favourite characters from the series have a contribution to the story. Their lives are changing bit by bit - Martin himself has left his loveless marriage and has his own flat - but the routine of policing goes on and they all put in the hours, interviewing unhelpful suspects and checking phone directories. It’s mundane but also totally compelling.
There are no dramatic revelations, just a sad conclusion that leaves Martin Beck slightly dissatisfied and dispirited, but we know he’ll be back to do it all again in the next case, and that’s worth looking forward to.
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