The Man on the Balcony (A Martin Beck Police Mystery)

Product Description A quietly relentless thriller, The Man on the Balcony juxtaposes the most inhuman of crimes with the humanity of the men who must solve ittheir perseverance, frustration, and horrorresulting in a police procedural that is as moving and credible as it is enthralling. Someone is killing young girls in the oncepeaceful parks of Stockholmkilling them after having his way. The people of Stockholm are tense and fearful. Police Superintendent Martin Beck has two witnesses: a coldblooded mugger who wont say much and a threeyearold boy who cant say much. The dedicated work of the police force seems to be leading nowhere, and with each passing day, the likelihood of another murder grows. But then Beck remembers someoneor something he overheard . . . . Review The first great series of police thrillers....[Sjowall and Wahloo] caught the color of the political times and above all are truly exciting. Michael Ondaatje [The Martin Beck mysteries] dont just read well; they reread even better. . . . Ingenious. New York Times Book Review These books are cream to crime buffs. Cosmopolitan Written forty years ago by husbandandwife team Sjowall and Wahloo, this third in the Martin Beck mystery series remains timely and relevant. Tom Weiner recounts the gruesome crimes in this canny police procedural without making them sensational. Weiners rendition of Beck and his assortment of overworked, underpaid colleagues is colorful and understated. His intelligent, objective narration details the seemingly disparate puzzle pieces until they make a terrible sense. A real treat for mystery lovers. AudioFile About the Author MAJ SJOWALL AND PER WAHLOO wrote ten Martin Beck mysteries, virtually creating the modern police procedural. In addition to the many short stories and novels he wrote, Mr. Wahloo, who died in 1975, wrote numerous radio and television plays and was a reporter for several Swedish newspapers and magazines. Maj Sjowall is also a journalist and poet. From AudioFile It is Stockholm, 1967, the socalled summer of love. A mysterious man stands on a balcony watching children play below. A neighbor reports him to the police, who file and forget the incident. An audacious mugger terrorizes the citizenry and, oh yes, children are being murdered. Written 40 years ago by husbandandwife team Sjwall and Wahl, this third in the Martin Beck mystery series remains timely and relevant. Tom Weiner recounts the gruesome crimes in this canny police procedural without making them sensational. Weiners rendition of Beck and his assortment of overworked, underpaid colleagues is colorful and understated. His intelligent, objective narration details the seemingly disparate puzzle pieces until they make a terrible sense. A real treat for mystery lovers. S.J.H. AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine