The final book in the classic Martin Beck detective series from the 1960s and 70s - the novels that shaped the future of Scandinavian crime writing.

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.

An American senator is visiting Stockholm. A group of terrorists is determined to assassinate him. Detective Inspector Martin Beck is determined to stop them. At the same time, there is the ambiguous case of a young woman on trial, the latest in a long string of bank robberies plaguing the city, and the mysterious circumstances of a millionaire porn filmmaker found brutally murdered at his mistress' house. Will Beck be able to manage each unravelling case and prevent further atrocities, even when his own life is put on the line?

About the Author

Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo, both left-wing journalists and politically radical, met in 1961 while working for magazines published by the same company. They married the next year and together created the Martin Beck crime series, famously writing alternate chapters at night after putting their children to bed. Wahloo died at the age of 49 just as their 10th book was going to press. Sjowall currently lives in Sweden and continues to work as a writer and translator. They won the esteemed Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Crime Fiction Book in 1971.

Reviews

'They changed the genre. Whoever is writing crime fiction after these novels is inspired by them in one way or another.' Henning Mankell

'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 godparents of Scandinavian crime fiction' Jo Nesbo

'Some of the most gripping crime fiction ever written' Michael Connelly

'If you haven't come across Beck before, you're in for a treat.' Guardian

'I have never read a finer police story.' Los Angeles Times

'If you haven't read Sjowall/Wahloo, start now.' Sunday Telegraph

Book Information
ISBN 9780007439201
Author Maj Sjoewall
Format Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint Fourth Estate Ltd
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
Weight(grams) 260g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 23mm