The Terrorists: A Martin Beck Police Mystery (10) - Softcover

Sjowall, Maj; Wahloo, Per

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0307390888 ISBN 13: 9780307390882

Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2010

Synopsis

The final novel in the Martin Beck mystery series by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö is a masterful, all consuming tale that rushes toward a thrilling, unexpected climax. With a new introduction by Dennis Lehane: "Tension so thick the reader could crack a tooth."

An American senator is visiting Stockholm and Martin Beck must lead a team to protect him from an international gang of terrorists. However, in the midst of the fervor created by the diplomatic visit, a young, peace-loving woman is accused of robbing a bank. Beck is determined to prove her innocence, but gets trapped in the maze of police bureaucracy. To complicate matters a millionaire pornographer has been bludgeoned to death in his own bathtub. Filled with the twists and turns and the pulse pounding excitement that are the hallmarks of the Martin Beck novels, The Terrorists is the stunning conclusion to the incredible series that changed crime fiction forever.

About this title

Review

"Rendered with crisp, elegant prose and tension so thick the reader could crack a tooth."--Dennis Lehane, from the introduction

"Of all the Sjöwall/Wahlöö books, The Terrorists be the tightest in organization and the most suspenseful."--The New York Times

"One of the most authentic, gripping and profound collections of police procedurals ever accomplished."--Michael Connelly

"Lively, stylistically taut . . . Sjöwall and Wahlöö changed the genre."--Henning Mankell

"The Sjöwall-Wahlöö style and stories are dramas that expose fascinating truths about modern life."--Chicago Tribune

"The most superb new police mystery writer of recent years has been the tandem Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö."--Los Angeles Times

"Sjöwall and Wahlöö are still the best writers of police procedure in the world."--Birmingham Post

"The whole series has an immediacy to it that is both honest and awesome. These are the kind of books you can't help but read in one sitting."--Minnesota Daily

"The [Martin Beck] series has maintained such a degree of excellence that comparisons are near impossible."--Minneapolis Tribune

From the Back Cover

The Terrorists is the last Martin Beck mystery, tragically finished just a few weeks before Per Wahloo's death. The book is, in effect, a marvelous summing up of the series. The story centers on the visit of an American senator to Stockholm. Martin Beck tries to protect him from an international gang of terrorists, while they decide that Beck too should be removed from the scene. Interwoven with this basic story are two fascinating subplots. One, a classic mini-mystery, is the story of a millionaire pornographer bludgeoned to death in his own bathtub. The other is the story of a young girl, a Swedish hippie caught up unexpectedly in the maze of police bureaucracy. As in other Martin Beck books, the plot comes together in a totally unexpected climax.

Edition details

• Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0307390888
• ISBN 13: 9780307390882
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 304