“The Fire Engine that Disappeared” Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö

Sometimes I like to follow a trail to its end, and the Martin Beck books are one of those trails. In 2009 I read books 1, 3 and 4, but not in that order. In 2010 so far I have read books 2, 5 and 8, and this book is number 5. I found this book satisfying, and so I am counting it as one of the early books in the series. I have said before that my enjoyment seems to decrease as the series goes on, but really I have liked all the books up to and including number 5 and can see myself rereading these later in life. It is really only book number 8, “The Locked Room,” that I didn’t like as much. I am wondering if I should even try to locate the other four books in the series.

In my notes about this book I wrote, “an intricate case of suicide/homicide where unlikely connections are made.” I’m not even sure I was able to keep track of who was who and who did what, but that is one of the things that kept my interest. It is one of those cases where false assumptions are made that keep the investigation from going as well as it could. One amusing part of the story involves Per Månsson, a policeman from Malmö, and a missing toy fire engine. The action focuses on Larsson and Kollberg and a younger officer, Skacke, but that doesn’t mean Beck is not involved. The story starts with a suicide who leaves a two-word note: “Martin Beck.”