17/365: The Fire Engine That Disappeared by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo

The Fire Engine That Disappeared by Maj Sjöwall, Per Wahlöö Translated from: Swedish Rating: ★★★★ Series: Martin Beck #5 Publication Date: January 1, 1969 Genre: mystery: silver age (1950-1979) Pages: 213 ReRead?: No Project: Project 365 The lightning-paced fifth novel in the Martin Beck mystery series by the internationally renowned crime writing duo, Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, finds Beck investigating one of the strangest, most violent, and unforgettable crimes of his career.The incendiary device that blew the roof off a Stockholm apartment not only interrupted the small, peaceful orgy underway inside, it nearly took the lives of the building's eleven occupants. And if one of Martin Beck's colleagues hadn't been on the scene, the explosion would have led to a major catastrophe because somehow a regulation fire-truck has vanished. Was it terrorism, suicide, or simply a gas leak? And what if, anything, did the explosion have to do with the peculiar death earlier that day of a 46-year-old bachelor whose cryptic suicide note consisted of only two words: "Martin Beck"?

This is the 5th book in the Martin Beck series of Swedish police procedurals. I’ve read through book 6, but had skipped this one because it wasn’t available as a digital checkout through one of my library systems. Fortunately, I was able to double back and get it as a print book. There are a total of 10 books in the series, so I am now over the halfway point.

I preferred this entry to the next one, Murder at the Savoy (which I read first), because I felt like the plot was better. These are definitely police procedurals, and they are very old school. They don’t rely on flashy technology or CCTV footage because neither DNA nor ubiquitous surveillance cameras have been invented yet. These are the classic “put on your shoes and knock on doors” procedurals. The crime is solved through solid police work and nothing more.

I get the impression from reading these books that Sweden in the 1960’s was a fairly grim place, and a far cry from the sleek, modern cities (or the picturesque countryside) that I picture when I think of it today. The authors depict it as a rough and tumble working class society, with quite a lot of organized crime and vice.

The series is named for one of the characters, Martin Beck, but it is really an ensemble enterprise, similar to Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct series. In this particular installment, Martin Beck does not play a starring role. All of the characters are important and distinct from one another. A solid entry into the series.