The Fire Engine That Disappeared, originally published in 1969, is one of the books in the marvelous series about Swedish detective Martin Beck and his colleagues, written by Maj Sjowall (Sjöwall) and Per Wahloo (Wahlöö). According to Wahlöö, their intention was to “use the crime novel as a scalpel cutting open the belly of the ideological pauperized and morally debatable so-called welfare state of the bourgeois type.” How well they succeeded as far as the social criticism of the Swedish welfare state is concerned, is open to debate. However, what they did succeed in, was the creation of one of the most interesting and wonderful series of crime novels ever.

In The Fire Engine That Disappeared, detective Gunnvald Larsson and a street cop are on a stake-out when the house they are watching turns into a blaze of flames. While Larsson tries to rescue the survivors, the other cop runs to a phone booth to call in the fire brigade.

As Melander, another of Beck’s colorful colleagues, finds out through painstaking research, one of the inhabitants had committed suicide by closing off all holes in his room, and then filling it with gas. But even when the case is closed, there are a few doubts nagging at the backs of the heads of Martin Beck and Gunnvald Larsson. What caused the gas to explode? Where did the fire engine go that was originally called in?

All attention is focused on finding a possible suspect. Then the suspect is found dead in a car. Further investigation shows that the man was already dead when the house was blown up. The Fire Engine that Disappeared is a top police procedural. It is a wonderful read. However, reading the whole series in sequence is strongly recommended!

In our opinion, Sjowall & Wahloo’s series about Marin Besk is one of the top five series of crime books ever written. Some firmly place it in the number one spot. The stories are great, it works as a series, it is excellently written, the plots are rich and well executed, and the books are both interesting, engaging and funny as well. Great reads. How much more do you want? You can read more about the series at our site!

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