The Abominable Man

I first read this book about four years ago but didn't recall a single thing about it. After gulping it down in two days' worth of bus reading, I have to ask myself how that was possible. The murder that opens this book is gruesome, described in chilling detail that had me covering my mouth in horror. The character of the murder is somewhat fitting, though, given that the murder victim was referred to as an Abominable Man himself -- the very worst sort of brutal, heavy-handed policeman. Still, it's a nasty way to go, and since the victim is a policeman, Sweden's finest are all over the case.

The investigation is very methodical, but it's not all dull: the last third or so had me leaving little scorch marks on the paper from turning the show more pages so fast. It was very cinematic -- indeed, one character is accused of getting all his police knowledge from the movies. The book also ends at a good spot, tying up the loose ends but you know life goes on for the characters even after you've closed the book. Very satisfying from an artistic standpoint.

This may also be the funniest Martin Beck novel I've read yet or at least recall. There's plenty of dark humour in the last few chapters, and the narration is very wry, with kudos to Thomas Teal for his translation work. (Maybe the edition I read the first time was a different translator?) There are a few social commentary digressions that could slip into soapbox territory, but the narration manages to poke fun at itself by having one of the characters think these digressions, then he comes sharply back to reality and says, "Why am I thinking about such an odd thing at a time like this?"

I would definitely recommend this book to people who already like Martin Beck, or fans of Wallander. show less

When I wrote in my post on Sjöwall’s & Wahlöö’s Murder at the Savoy that the authors were taking the whole of Swedish society into their analytical focus, I was not entirely correct – with all the harsh criticism there remained at least one area where things still seemed to be for the most part as they should be, namely the Swedish police. Certainly, there was the occasional incompetent cop, the occasional bureaucrat who cared only for his own career, but overall the novels gave the impression that police was filled with people like Martin Beck or Lennart Kollberg – far from perfect, but hard-working and well-meaning people.

All of this changes with The Abominable Man. This seventh novel in the series opens with an aged show more policeman being murdered in his hospital room, and the ensuing investigation into his death not only reveals him to be incompetent, narrow-minded, reactionary and prone to use violence, but also makes it clear that everyone knew about this, that in fact he trained many young policemen (with rather questionable methods) to his way of thinking, and that the only reason his career in the police came to a sudden standstill is the arrival of a more liberal climate in Swedish society during the sixties – a climate which by the end of that decade (when I presume the novel takes place) has already begun to fade again. And the farther the investigations proceeds, the more heinous the things uncovered about the current state of the Swedish police service – civilians being harassed, arrested on a whim, beaten up in police cars or cells, even left to die – and all of it without the least recriminations, complaints being squished by blind solidarity among police officers or swallowed up without a trace by the labyrinthine bureaucracy of the legal system.

At the same time, this is probably the most fast-paced and action-packed volume of the series so far, taking place within a single day and ending with an extended edge-of-your-seat-tension finale (and a rather high body count). A finale that also is highly symbolic – the Swedish police is so rotten to the core that it is beyond redemption and impossible to reason with, and anyone who attempts it is in mortal danger. It is hard to pick favourites here, but this might just the be the best installment in what has been a consistently excellent series (but of course there are still three more novels to go). show less

The Abominable Man by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo takes place over the course of a day. First in the early hours we are shocked by the murder of a police officer, Nyland, killed in his hospital room, cut down by a bayonet.

Martin Beck spend their time examining old records, interviewing the family and tracking down suspects. A picture of Nyland emerges and it is one of corruption and brutality. Beck learns that the police have been covering up Nyland’s abuses and ignoring the numerous complaints about this man’s treatment of others. One fellow policeman had reported on the death of his wife which he blamed on Nyland and his associates. Beck then finds out that just yesterday, this ex-policeman lost custody of his daughter due show more partially to Nyland and others on the police force. The story culminates with the suspect on the roof of his apartment building armed with numerous guns.

Originally published in the early 1970s, this is a timeless story that could have happened today. The Abominable Man was a simple story but very effective in asking the questions of who is policing the police, and why are they able to cover up their abuses and have their word accepted as the truth. This was an excellent addition to the series, but also could very well stand on it’s own. show less

Book 7 looks critically at the problem of police brutality and how it is covered up within the infamous code of blue, even in Sweden. A senior policeman is murdered in the hospital, and as Beck investigates, he learns that the policeman often took the law into his own hands, dispensing justice. Apparently the book was published in 1971, the same year that "Dirty Harry" was released in the U.S. The final 25% was action-packed, putting the reader in the middle of a terrifying inner-city Stockholm scene: gunman-on-the-roof, lone-madman vs. the entire police force, with many innocents in between.

Nothing will incur the wrath of the police force than the death of one of their own. Even if that person turns out to be less than a paragon of virtue. Chief Inspector Nyman was one such man and everyone in the force knew his methods went far beyond acceptable levels but when he is found brutally murdered in his hospital room it's still a case of all hands on deck to find his murderer. With the lengths that an officer will go to to protect another it's no wonder that somebody has taken matters into their own hands to get rid of one of the more brutal members of this fraternity. A trip to the complaints section produces a list of potential suspects much too large for a quick resolution to the case so it's up to Martin Beck and his team show more to find the likeliest candidate.

The seventh book in this Swedish police procedural series takes a look within the police force itself and how its militaristic culture, with many recruits garnered from the armed forces, and protectionism of colleagues had an effect on Swedish society. Thematically similar to the previous book featuring a powerful man as victim who may actually deserve his fate but this instalment deals with abuse of power as opposed to wealth. The socio-commentary is still very much in evidence here no mores so than the discussions concerning the demolition of 90% of the old Stockholm to make way for a more modern city. Not because of environmental concerns but to achieve the fullest possible exploitation of the most valuable land. Although the police-work is methodical it is not as drawn out in this case and events occur at almost breakneck speed up to the final dramatic conclusion. Another excellent addition to a very good series. show less

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read. It both analyses what makes people commit horrendous crimes, and what constitutes good policing.

We learn early on that the high ranking police officer killed was not a good policeman. Martin Beck's colleague Kollberg says "he was a barbaric son of a bitch of the very worst sort." His name was never discredited, and complaints against him never got past the submission stage. And many of the current personnel in the Stockholm Police force were incredibly loyal to him because he had trained them.
As the blurb indicates, there is no shortage of people who would be glad to see this person dead, but just one has reached the point of no return, deprived of both his wife and his daughter by this man.

The show more authors also make some interesting commentary on what happened to the city of Stockholm in the 1960s when 90% of the old city was demolished to make way for "modern" development.

This series follows the changes in Martin Beck's personal life as he rises in the force. He is now the chief of the National Murder Squad, his marriage has collapsed and he unashamedly lives for his work.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of these novels is the amount of descriptive detail included, and small nuances in relationships between the men who make up Beck's team. Beck is very demanding, but he does not demand any more from them than he does of himself. show less

In a ten-part detective series characterized by its social critiques it's inevitable that one volume must address the police force itself. Who will protect society from those charged with protecting society? If the police force is corrupt, what is the citizenry to do?

This questions is unfortunatley as relevant today as it was in 1972 when The Abominable Man was first published, at least in the United States. There is a very good chance that the state of Georgia has just executed an innocent man after the Supreme Court refused to issue a stay last Wednesday and President Obama refused to intervene in any way. Meanwhile, in Fullerton, California bystanders recently filmed police officers beating a homeless man so severely that he later show more died.

As bad as both these examples are, the current situation is much better than it was in 1972 when police officers, at least in Sweden as it's depicted in Sjowall and Wahloo's novels, did not have to account for their actions to anyone. Anyone that mattered at least.

This is the setting for The Abominable Man, volume seven in The Story of Crime, the Martin Beck mysteries.

The story opens with the murder of a police officer who lays dying in a hospital bed. Now retired, former Chief Inspector Nyman was never a beloved police officer. Few of his coworkers knew anything about his private life; his family knew nothing of his police work. It's not until he is found knifed to death that anyone takes a serious look at his career. The detectives working the case have no evidence to go on. (This has been the case at the start of every Martin Beck novel so far.) All they know is that Nyman used to be a police, when they force themselves to face facts they know that Nyman was a bad police officer.

They soon determine their prime suspect to be former detective, Ericksson, who long held a grudge against Nyman. Ten years ago, Nyman arrested Ericksson's wife thinking she was under the influence of narcotics and left her chained in a cell unattended. She later died, a result of her diabeties and the officers who failed to get her the medical attention she needed. What they carelessly mistook for narcotic intoxication was actually the need for insulin. Ericksson, forced to continue working alongside the officers who caused his wife's death, along with many others, eventually lost his job as his life spiraled out of control. He goes on a killing spree once he finally loses custody of his daughter to the state.

Even with the presence of Sjowall and Wahloo's cast of good police officers, Martin Beck is far from the only one, The Abominable Man is a stinging indictment of a system that left the public unprotected from bad police officers as it encouraged good ones to turn a blind eye whenever they saw a colleague violating the law even in the most extreme circumstances. It's unfortunate that this story is still so pertinent, but it drives home the point that detective novels need not go to extremes to find subject matter. There is plenty to be dealt with in the work and lives of the detectives themselves. Real police work, done in the real world, is fascinating stuff. Something great mystery writers have always known. show less