The last of the superb Martin Beck novels, about a methodical police detective in Stockholm. Every one of the books has been wonderful, and Beck has come to be a beloved figure in my collection of crime fiction. This one deals primarily with the threatened assassination of an American politician on a visit to Sweden, but as always, the deeply felt concerns of the authors about social and political matters is at the heart of their story. ( )

Very good final entry in the Martin Beck series. I wish there were a few more of these to read! ( )

The final book of the Martin Beck series sees Martin and his team given the responsibility of providing security for a visiting US Senator. In doing so, Martin comes up against a ruthlessly efficient mercenary outfit performing assassinations for hire.

As always, the authors use their plot to air social concerns, in this case about excessive police powers and the helplessness of some individuals in what is supposd to be a welfare state. While the plot is at least partly inspired by the assassination of Olof Palme, it has much relevance for modern audiences, for whom political terrorism continues to be an issue.

The book is taut and exciting, and a triumphant finish to the series. It's a shame there are no more of these gems. ( )

Sad to come to the end of this series, read magnificently by Tom Weiner, who ability to create distinct character voices is amazing. Not sad to stop being bashed over the head with Marxist politics--incredibly naive, but at least with an understanding that capitalists rule the world for their own benefit, and to hell with everyone else--but very sad not to continue to be immersed in the lives of such as fascinating set of characters. This book is not well structured, with too many climaxes and the usual unbelievable mingling of plotlines, but watching Martin Beck and Gunvald Larsson try to catch terrorists who have come to Sweden to blow up a Barry Goldwater-like US Senator during a visit, is fascinating. Just as we have come to appreciate Gunvald's skills despite his personality, Martin Beck has begun to do so also--and it is their partnership throughout that is the secret to success. More than a few awful things happen along the way, and the scenes near the end of the book with Beck, Larsson, and others are not very believable--in one case, absolutely ridiculous, but a good chance for the authors to exercise their fascination with describing the female body in minute detail. But, as I said, it isn't the plots I'll miss--they tend to be very sordid and more than a bit contrived--it is the interplay between all these characters. At least as we leave Martin Beck, he looks well set for a happy future. Perhaps he should be thankful the series ends where it does--who knows what horrors these authors may have had in store for him had it continued? ( )

This review contains spoilers.

****

In this suspenseful final novel in the Martin Beck series, the Swedish police and security forces have their work cut out for them: preventing a terrorist attack during the visit of a U.S. senator to Sweden. It will require diplomatic manoeuvring and keeping the idiots out of harm’s way. There are a couple of other cases as well: a young woman accused of robbing a bank holds the entire capitalist system up to the light, and a sleazy filmmaker is found murdered (and probably not much mourned).

I was so relieved that Martin Beck didn’t die at the end! I feared he would because this was billed as the “last” novel in the series, but it is the last novel because one of the authors (Wahlöö) died. Plot-wise, this ranks as a 4, but I deducted half a star for the excessive descriptions of women’s breasts. Too much male gaze in those chapters. ( )