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A review by johnnyb1954
Cop Killer by Maj Sjöwall
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The series of books are intended to show different aspects of police work, crime, and society in Sweden in the 60s - 70s. There are serious problems of increasing crime and militarization of police. The authors then descend into portraying the police as farcically incompetent, except for Beck and a few of his associates.
In addition the books have always depicted the tedium of the police investigation and the results coming from persistence along with some luck. But in this book the coincidence factor is just too great. And the tedium is too drawn out with several unnecessary scenes.
The opening murder scene totally disregards the humanity of the victim.
The synopsis of the book tells about two crimes that are apparently overlapping. But the second one - that involves the titular Cop Killer - doesn’t occur until 60% of the book has gone by.
Beck thankfully has finally been relieved of his constant sniffles and stomach problems (which are more annoying to the reader than Beck) because he is in a happy relationship. But the references to his lady friend are incidental and as nothing to the story or character development.
This is the penultimate and very least interesting installment of an otherwise great series. I hope the last one gets better.
In addition the books have always depicted the tedium of the police investigation and the results coming from persistence along with some luck. But in this book the coincidence factor is just too great. And the tedium is too drawn out with several unnecessary scenes.
The opening murder scene totally disregards the humanity of the victim.
The synopsis of the book tells about two crimes that are apparently overlapping. But the second one - that involves the titular Cop Killer - doesn’t occur until 60% of the book has gone by.
Beck thankfully has finally been relieved of his constant sniffles and stomach problems (which are more annoying to the reader than Beck) because he is in a happy relationship. But the references to his lady friend are incidental and as nothing to the story or character development.
This is the penultimate and very least interesting installment of an otherwise great series. I hope the last one gets better.