The Laughing Policeman (novel)
| The Laughing Policeman | |
 1st English edition |
|
| Author | Sjöwall and Wahlöö |
|---|---|
| Original title | Den skrattande polisen |
| Country | Sweden |
| Language | Swedish |
| Series | Martin Beck series |
| Publisher | Norstedts Förlag (Swedish) Pantheon Books (English) |
| Publication date | 1968 |
| Published in English |
1970 |
| Pages | 240 pp |
| Preceded by | The Man on the Balcony |
| Followed by | The Fire Engine That Disappeared |
The Laughing Policeman (1968), by Sjöwall and Wahlöö, is the fourth police detective novel, in the ten-part 'Martin Beck' series. Originally published in Sweden in 1968 as Den skrattande polisen, it is the first novel in the series to criticize the shortcomings of the Swedish welfare state.[citation needed] In 1971, The Laughing Policeman — the title derives from the eponymous song — earned a 'Best Novel' Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America. The American police procedural film, The Laughing Policeman (1973) featuring Walter Matthau, is a loose adaptation of the novel.
The title explained
The novel's title, The Laughing Policeman, derives from a 1922 song so titled: Detective Beck receives the record as a Christmas gift from his daughter, Ingrid, but does not think it a funny joke, yet, Beck's first laugh, comes when the dead Det. Ake Stenström is vindicated.
Plot summary
A gunman shoots the passengers of a public transport bus with a sub-machine gun; he kills eight people (including Detective Ake Stenstrom), and wounds one. Detective Beck and his team suspect the mass-murder is to disguise the murder of Detective Stenstrom, who was spending his free time investigating the sixteen-year-old murder of a Portuguese prostitute.
Character Development
To solve the case, several outsiders are called: Detective Ullholm (a reactionary who informs on his fellow officers a hobby); Per Månsson (introduced in a previous novel; is the man who can find anything); and detective Nordin (the most tenacious investigator). Åsa Torrell, Stenström's girlfriend, plays a significant, emotional, part in the story, and, after slowly recovering from the shock of her boyfriend's murder, admits to planning to join the police.
| Preceded by The Man on the Balcony |
"Martin Beck" timeline, part 4 of 10 | Succeeded by The Fire Engine That Disappeared |
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