The Fire Engine That Disappeared: A Martin Beck Police Mystery (5)

The Fire Engine That Disappeared, first published in Sweden in 1969 was the fifth in a series of ten Martin Beck mysteries written by the Swedish, husband and wife team of Per Wahloo and Maj Sjowall. The plot and structure of the Beck mysteries I've read to date do not deviate from the standard format found in any well-written police procedural. However, what sets the Beck mysteries apart is their location and character development. Naturally enough, each book is a small window into Swedish life and culture in the 1960s and 1970s when the books were written. Further, as the series develops the character of Beck and his colleagues evolve and the reader slowly obtains a real feel for Beck and his fellow police officers. By this fifth book, the personalities of Martin Beck and his police colleagues have developed to the point where the reader almost has an instinct for how each will react to a given situation. At the same time the characters, especially Beck, remain far from predictable. However, they are already fully formed in the authors' minds and for that reason I suggest reading these books in order. Martin Beck does not play center-stage in The Fire Engine That Disappeared. Rather, the leading role is played by his gruff, not very well liked colleague Gunvald Larsson. As the story opens, Larsson is taking a short- shift staking out a small boarding house on a frigid winter's night in Stockholm. The house explodes. Larsson rushes in and despite his heroic efforts there are quite a few deaths. The coroner quickly rules out arson but Larsson, being the stubborn cuss that he is, refuses to accept that conclusion. As the story progresses we see Larsson plowing ahead, diligently if not brilliantly. At the same time a seemingly unrelated case keeps Beck busy. A number of things keep the Martin Beck stories interesting for me. First and foremost is the character development. None of the recurring characters are angels or virtuous men on horseback coming in to save the world from crime. They are cops, first and foremost, doing a tough job in a city, Stockholm, which had more than its share of murder and mayhem. Yet, after reading a few of these books I've grown attached to Beck and his crew. They aren't geniuses but they work. They dig out clues and they wait and they analyze and they dig some more. Second is the setting: Sweden in the 60s and 70s. Sjowall and Wahloo world view (they were socialist and strong supporters of the Social Democratic Party) does not create a rose-colored look at society but, rather, one that shows crime and moral decay even within a system that on its surface is dedicated to egalitarianism. They even seem to put forward some puritanical notions as they describe some of the consequences of the sexual revolution of the 60s and its impact on Swedish life. In other words, these remain detective stories and good ones at that. They are not polemics, quite the contrary in fact. All in all the Martin Beck detecti

The fifth Martin Beck novel. When an apartment building under police surveillance mysteriously explodes in the middle of the night, it's up to Beck to solve the crime. Was it terrorism? Assassination? Or just a gas leak? One of the better novels in the series, this is the first one to deal seriously with organized crime and the underworld. It also gives more time to the hilarious Gunvald Larsson, introduced in earlier novels but here playing a major supporting role. An excellent crime thriller.

set in 70's Sweden, one of the "Martin Beck" Mysteries (there are 10 of them I think). Although they were Swedish, they made it into mainstream American Paperback print. Racy covers with contradictorily reasonably serious themes and decent writing."And just why is it not longer in print?" one of the bureaucrats might ask."Ridiculous" Beck might think under his breath.These books give me the feeling that the authors really had a lot of experience in the world of police detective work. I don't know if they did or not. I think perhaps they were journalists who covered some criminal investigations. There isn't a gunfight on every other page, and they don't get the guy who did it quite as easily as all that.The work is methodical and frustrating, but in the end things get done and in the end the book is a satisfying read with small insights into both the work and the lives of the men.This particular one has a good bit of Gunvald Larsson (not exactly Beck's favorite colleague, but definitely my favorite character) and the brick walls he very nearly runs into in trying to solve this case.The comic relief, like the more serious moments, is reserved but very well done. I've reread some of the Larsson scenes many times.jl

A look into the world of Swedish Homocide Bureau Chief Martin Beck. The book is well plotted and gives the reader a realistic look into the procedures of the police, as well as a glimpse into the steamy side of life (and crime) in Sweden in the late sixties.