Scan barcode
A review by piccoline
Cop Killer by Maj Sjöwall, Per Wahlöö
5.0
4.5 stars.
Another great effort from this pair. This one snapped something into place for me, one of the things I really love about this series: it already does most of the things that should be done in these sorts of crime novels to radically undermine the lazy, proto-fascist, reactionary aspects of most police-based procedural novels. We get the pleasures of the chase, but at every turn we are also treated to examples of the many idiotic and downright cruel kinds of cops we should all understand have only become more widespread since the 1970s. (I know these books take place in Sweden. If anything, our situation in the USA is even more dire, with the direct genealogical line back to slave-catching. Shudder.)
Sjowall and Wahloo show, time and again, the many ways that society damages individuals, and then how small changes in turn feed back to distort society. The whole series can be viewed this way, as a tragedy of the downward spiral of a society, mirrored in the increasing brutality and corruption and incompetence of its ever-more-militarized police force. (Again, it's impossible not to see the parallels to the situation in the USA, now.)
And somehow, amidst all of this damage and sadness, the presence of Martin Beck and a few scattered flawed souls still doing their best to solve crimes that matter in ways that are compassionate and respect the humanity of both victims and perpetrators, somehow that allows these books to be not only enjoyable but in a strange way comforting.
Sure, this whole damn contraption is falling to pieces around us, grinding up more and more innocents in the gears along the way, but let us not forget the small noble acts of those who, even if they cannot see a way to turn it all around, do their best to render mercy in small ways as they go about their work.
Another great effort from this pair. This one snapped something into place for me, one of the things I really love about this series: it already does most of the things that should be done in these sorts of crime novels to radically undermine the lazy, proto-fascist, reactionary aspects of most police-based procedural novels. We get the pleasures of the chase, but at every turn we are also treated to examples of the many idiotic and downright cruel kinds of cops we should all understand have only become more widespread since the 1970s. (I know these books take place in Sweden. If anything, our situation in the USA is even more dire, with the direct genealogical line back to slave-catching. Shudder.)
Sjowall and Wahloo show, time and again, the many ways that society damages individuals, and then how small changes in turn feed back to distort society. The whole series can be viewed this way, as a tragedy of the downward spiral of a society, mirrored in the increasing brutality and corruption and incompetence of its ever-more-militarized police force. (Again, it's impossible not to see the parallels to the situation in the USA, now.)
And somehow, amidst all of this damage and sadness, the presence of Martin Beck and a few scattered flawed souls still doing their best to solve crimes that matter in ways that are compassionate and respect the humanity of both victims and perpetrators, somehow that allows these books to be not only enjoyable but in a strange way comforting.
Sure, this whole damn contraption is falling to pieces around us, grinding up more and more innocents in the gears along the way, but let us not forget the small noble acts of those who, even if they cannot see a way to turn it all around, do their best to render mercy in small ways as they go about their work.