Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö
Hugely acclaimed, the Martin Beck series were the original Scandinavian crime novels and have inspired the writings of Stieg Larsson, Henning Mankell and Jo Nesbo. Written in the 1960s, 10 books completed in 10 years, they are the work of Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö – a husband and wife team from Sweden. They follow the fortunes of the detective Martin Beck, whose enigmatic, taciturn character has inspired countless other policemen in crime fiction; without his creation Ian Rankin’s John Rebus or Henning Mankell’s Kurt Wallander may never have been conceived. The novels can be read separately, but are best read in chronological order, so the reader can follow the characters’ development and get drawn into the series as a whole. ‘The Man Who Went Up in Smoke’ starts as Martin Beck has just begun his holiday: an August spent with his family on a small island off the coast of Sweden. But when a neighbour gets a phone call, Beck finds himself packed off to Budapest, where a boorish journalist has vanished without a trace. Instead of passing leisurely sun-filled days with his children, Beck must troll about in the Eastern Europe underworld for a man nobody knows, with the aid of the coolly efficient local police, who do business while soaking at the public baths – and at the risk of vanishing along with his quarry.
Reviews of The Man Who Went Up in Smoke
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‘They changed the genre. Whoever is writing crime fiction after these novels is inspired by them in one way or another.’ Henning Mankell
‘If you haven’t read Sjöwall/Wahlöö, start now.’ Sunday Telegraph
‘Pick up one book…and you become unhinged. You want to block out a week of your life, lie to your boss, and stay in bed, gorging on one after another.’ Observer
‘The writing is elegant and surprisingly humorous – if you haven’t come across Beck before, you’re in for a treat.’ Guardian
More from Maj Sjöwall, Per Wahlöö
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The Abominable Man (The Martin Beck series, Book 7)
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The Locked Room (The Martin Beck series, Book 8)
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Cop Killer (The Martin Beck series, Book 9)
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The Terrorists (The Martin Beck series, Book 10)
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The Laughing Policeman (The Martin Beck series, Book 4)
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The Fire Engine That Disappeared (A Martin Beck Novel, Book 5)
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Murder at the Savoy (The Martin Beck series, Book 6)
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Roseanna (A Martin Beck Novel, Book 1)
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The Man Who Went Up in Smoke (A Martin Beck Novel, Book 2)
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The Man on the Balcony (A Martin Beck Novel, Book 3)
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The Terrorists
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Cop Killer
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The Locked Room
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The Abominable Man
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Murder at the Savoy
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The Fire Engine That Disappeared
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The Laughing Policeman
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The Man on the Balcony
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The Man Who Went Up in Smoke
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Roseanna
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The Martin Beck Series: Books 1–4
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The Laughing Policeman
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Cop Killer
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Murder at the Savoy
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The Abominable Man
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The Locked Room
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The Terrorists
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The Fire Engine That Disappeared
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Cop Killer
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The Terrorists
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Roseanna
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The Man on the Balcony
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The Laughing Policeman
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The Fire Engine That Disappeared
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The Abominable Man
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Murder at the Savoy
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The Locked Room
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The Man Who Went Up in Smoke
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The Man on the Balcony
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Roseanna
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