The Laughing Policeman by
Maj Per Sjowall
hbk out March 02
Published by Orion
at £12.99
The fourth Martin Beck book, introduced by another writing couple, Sean and Nicci
French, is one of the highpoints in the excellent series of Swedish police novels.
When a bus crashes, it turns out that the driver and all eight passengers have been
shot. What can be the purpose of this bizarre and horrific massacre? As the Frenches
point out, one of the incidental (but important) pleasures of the book is that it has
various trappings, in terms of enigmatic clues and cunning plot twists, of which
Agatha Christie would be proud. That Sjowall and Wahloo avoid making the mistake
of allowing their political preoccupations to interfere with the telling of a complex
tale is one of their greatest strengths.
(
Martin Edwards
- author of the highly acclaimed Harry Devlin Mysteries)
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The Laughing Policeman by
Maj Per Sjowall 
