The second book in the classic Martin Beck detective series from the 1960s - 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. Written in the 1960s, 10 books completed in 10 years, they are the work of Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo - a husband and wife team from Sweden. They follow the fortunes of the detective Martin Beck, whose enigmatic, taciturn character has inspired countless other policemen in crime fiction; without his creation Ian Rankin's John Rebus or Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallander may never have been conceived. The novels can be read separately, but are best read in chronological order, so the reader can follow the characters' development and get drawn into the series as a whole. 'The Man Who Went Up in Smoke' starts as Martin Beck has just begun his holiday: an August spent with his family on a small island off the coast of Sweden. But when a neighbour gets a phone call, Beck finds himself packed off to Budapest, where a boorish journalist has vanished without a trace. Instead of passing leisurely sun-filled days with his children, Beck must troll about in the Eastern Europe underworld for a man nobody knows, with the aid of the coolly efficient local police, who do business while soaking at the public baths - and at the risk of vanishing along with his quarry.
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‘They changed the genre. Whoever is writing crime fiction after these novels is inspired by them in one way or another.’ Henning Mankell
‘If you haven’t read Sjöwall/Wahlöö, start now.’ Sunday Telegraph
‘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 writing is elegant and surprisingly humorous – if you haven’t come across Beck before, you’re in for a treat.’ Guardian
Steven Mackintosh stars as dogged, dyspeptic detective Martin Beck, with Neil Pearson as his friend and colleague Lennart Kollberg, in this BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of The Man Who Went Up in Smoke.
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Destination, rates & speedsSeller: Edinburgh Books, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good Plus. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. First edition. 1970. [iv], 183pp. The third Martin Beck novel. "Inspector Beck is packed off to Budapest, where a journalist has vanished without a trace. As he trolls about in the Eastern Europe underworld, he pursues a case whose international boundaries grow with every new clue." Minor bumps to corners. The lightly soiled dust jacket has been clipped on three of the flap corners. Both book and jacket are otherwise in very good condition. All contents are tight and clean. There are no inscriptions. Seller Inventory # LitSjowall03
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Hadwebutknown, Birnam, PERTH, United Kingdom
First Edition. Th ethird Martin Beck mystery. small address label to front pastedown. VG in unclipped VG dustjacket. A nice copy. Seller Inventory # 15917
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Mispah books, Redhill, SURRE, United Kingdom
hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Very Good. book. Seller Inventory # ERICA82905750045764
Quantity: 1 available