So it’s kinda funny but I know a lot of random facts about Sweden. No, I haven’t been there by any stretch nor do I have any penpals(I do wish both of those were a reality though). Most of this accumulation of knowledge can be credited to the Swedish Embassy in India who were nice enough to host a quiz about the country and the Nobel prize every year. Fun times.
Swedish crime writing duo Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö are renowned for their detective series featuring the exploits of Martin Beck. This series is what you would call a police procedural, where the real focus is on the investigative procedure. I had known of the series but never got around reading them all these years. Thanks to my friend Sachin’s suggestion, I decided to pick up Roseanna, the first of the Martin Beck series. It’s pretty simple really. A dead woman’s body is unearthed from the Gota canal with very little evidence at hand. Martin Beck oft considered the best detective in the Swedish police force, is brought in to lead the investigation. We’re also introduced to his colleagues, Kollberg, Melander, and Stenström, who I’m told are regular features in the series. For months on end, there is nary a development. Collaborations with the mysterious American detective titled ‘Kafka’ leads to a few opens. Slowly and steadily Beck and his men dive deep to find out who killed the titular Roseanna McGraw, an American tourist in Scandinavia. Keeping in mind that this is technically a whodunnit, I shall stop myself from talking about the plot any further. I would like to highlight the beautiful manner in which we traverse across Stockholm and numerous surrounding areas. It would be a great exercise to plot these out on Google Maps and switch on satellite view. Also, I love the effort put into developing each of the characters, even if they were minor in the bigger scheme of things. Beck’s POV alternates between his thoughts on the case and the strained relationship with his wife. He’s perenially tired and you can feel it as he goes about doing his thing. But that’s what investigations are all about. Soldiering on, turning over, and returning to different aspects till a new angle opens up. I really like how there was absolutely no need for any deus ex machina because the entire flow was charted out meticulously.
The read: Now most people who know me would think that I would love the depth and detail that police procedurals bring to the table. The funny thing is I always thought this isn’t my cup of tea but the junta was right! I loved the slow burn and the way the rigour of the investigation was portrayed. The writing stayed true to the process, describing every single event in absolute minutia. It’s almost as if the tedium with which everything is laid out, bit by bit, makes it enjoyable. This really motivates me to pick up more police procedurals, read the rest of the Martin Beck series and finally get around reading Steig Larsson as well. Nu Gar Vi! (Let’s go in Swedish)
Trivia: Sjowal and Wahloo used to chart out the plot for the series together while writing chapters alternately. (Unreal sync that!) Here’s a really old article charting out their process.
Documentation:
Book: Roseanna
Authors: Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö
Year of release: 1965
Publisher: Vintage