Category Archives: Classic

Still Murder by Finola Moorhead

Posted on December 15, 2011 by

Still Murder by Finola Moorhead Spinifex press, 1991; reprinted 2002 with introduction by Marion Campbell. Reviewed at Petrona, December 2011.

Posted in Asia, Australasia, Australia, Books, Classic, Crime fiction, Mystery, Police procedural, Psychology, Series, Social comment, Vietnam | Leave a comment

A Rage in Harlem by Chester Himes

Posted on June 26, 2011 by

A Rage in Harlem by Chester Himes Reviewed at Petrona, June 2011 See here for review.

Posted in Books, Classic, Crime fiction, Debut, Humour, Noir, North America, Police procedural, Series, Social comment, USA | Leave a comment

Smiley’s People by John Le Carre

Posted on June 26, 2011 by

Smiley’s People by John Le Carre. Reviewed at Petrona, January 2011. See here for review.

Posted in Books, Classic, Crime fiction, England, Europe, Political, Private investigator, Series, Thriller | Leave a comment

Cop Killer, by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo

Posted on August 22, 2010 by

  Cop Killer (The Martin Beck Series) translated by Thomas Teal   Although written in the 1970s, this ninth volume in the Martin Beck series remains a strong, relevant novel today. Two stories are told, both sent in the Malmo … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Classic, Crime fiction, Eurocrime, Europe, Police procedural, Series, Social comment, Sweden, Translated | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Locked Room, by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo

Posted on March 9, 2010 by

  The Locked Room (The Martin Beck) Translated by Paul Brittan Austin. Introduction by Michael Connelly. THE LOCKED ROOM, the eighth book in the Martin Beck series, is darker and longer than its predecessors, and has a more complex plot. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Classic, Crime fiction, Eurocrime, Europe, Police procedural, Series, Social comment, Sweden, Translated | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Thumbprint, by Friedrich Glauser

Posted on November 21, 2009 by

  Thumbprint Translated by Mike Martin. Thumbprint is the first novel in a series written in the 1930s by Friedrich Glauser; a series so influential that Germany’s main crime-fiction award is the Glauser prize. The novel is a highly readable … Continue reading →

Posted in Austria, Books, Classic, Crime fiction, Debut, Europe, Police procedural, Social comment, Switzerland, Translated | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Abominable Man, by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo

Posted on January 30, 2009 by

  The Abominable Man (The Martin Beck) THE ABOMINABLE MAN is the seventh in the Martin Beck series, and continues the bleak, downbeat trend of these superb novels. A man is gravely ill in hospital, but before the results of … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Classic, Crime fiction, Police procedural, Series, Social comment, Sweden, Translated | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Murder at the Savoy, by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo

Posted on December 22, 2008 by

  Murder at the Savoy (The Martin Beck) The sixth book in the Martin Beck series follows the same lean, sardonic and insightful formula as the previous volumes. It is summer, and most of the events take place in Malmo, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Classic, Crime fiction, Eurocrime, Europe, Police procedural, Series, Sweden | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Fire Engine that Disappeared, by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo

Posted on September 21, 2008 by

The Fire Engine That Disappeared (The Martin Beck) At the risk of sounding overenthusiastic, here is another superb outing in the Martin Beck series. The first few chapters, which describe a stakeout in which Gunvald Larsson of the homicide squad … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Classic, Crime fiction, Eurocrime, Europe, Police procedural, Series, Social comment, Sweden, Translated | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Laughing Policeman, by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo

Posted on September 7, 2008 by

The Laughing Policeman (The Martin Beck) Fourth in the acclaimed Martin Beck series, THE LAUGHING POLICEMAN is another example of the controlled brilliance of this superb set of novels. The book (first published in 1967) opens with a description of … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Classic, Crime fiction, Eurocrime, Europe, Police procedural, Series, Social comment, Sweden, Translated | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment