" My only experience with Scandinavian authors (Swedish, specifically) until now has been Henning Mankell, who wrote the foreword to this edition of Roseanna. I certainly see similarities between Sjowall/Wahloo and Mankell, but couldn't say if this is because Mankell was so influenced by S/W, or if this style of writing is endemic to all Swedish writers of "roman policiers". The book is austere in its descriptions, it is an ensemble piece (with Martin Beck as the protagonist here and Kurt Wallander in the Mankell books, and a strong and interesting supporting cast), and there are long periods of time when there is no action. I definitely liked it, but as a 21st century reader, it seems a bit naive -- policeman are always good, perps are always evil. I think, however, when it first came out in 1966, it probably was a little shocking, given the nature of the murder and some of the more salicious details. I wonder how this reflected Swedish society at the time? Oh, and it really jumped out at me that the protagonist was always referred to by both his first and last name: Martin Beck. It was never just "Beck" or "Martin". Hmm. "
— Judi, 1/22/2014