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The Fire Engine That Disappeared: The Story of a Crime | A Martin Beck Police Story Audiobook
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(3.01) - 950 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Gunvald Larsson sits carefully observing the dingy Stockholm apartment of a man under police surveillance. He looks at his watch: nine minutes past eleven in the evening. At that same moment, the house explodes, killing at least three people. Chief Inspector Martin Beck and his men don’t suspect arson or murder until they discover a peculiar circumstance linking the explosion to a suicide committed that same day. The dead man left a note consisting of just two words: Martin Beck.
This is the excellent next installment of the genre-pioneering Martin Beck detective series from the 1960s, widely recognized as the greatest masterpieces of crime fiction ever written.
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"This is the 5th in the 10 book series of police procedurals, primarily featuring Det. Martin Beck, but as the series develops, featuring more of the other police detectives as well. I find these books interesting and satisfying: First, the mystery and plotting in each book are good, and the books are written in tight, use every page to its fullest (including the last one...), fashion. The characters are not warm, fuzzy types - these are police officers with edges, flaws, and dislikes, often of each other. So while they can work as a team, and pairs of them do so well, it really isn't a unified whole - you know, kind of like real life work. The plots are tight and the writing is excellent; I totally admire these translations (from the original Swedish). There's a unique tone and voice that I can't recall encountering elsewhere - frequent irony and tongue in cheek, but never goofy. Very adult."
— Margaret (4 out of 5 stars)
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“For me, the best criterion of a good read is to wish that it had gone on a bit longer. I felt that here…This is a ‘police procedural’ from the top drawer.”
— Colin Dexter, from the introduction -
“A gripping read, brilliantly plotted and with frequent moments of hilarity or tenderness.”
— Guardian (London) -
“Narrator Tom Weiner expertly captures Beck, who’s always referred to as Martin Beck, and his cohorts and criminals. Weiner’s best portrayals are those of Beck himself and Gunwald Larsson, a character who provides a bit of comedy. A glimpse into family life is provided when Beck visits his mother in a nursing home. Weiner captures her perfectly, and it’s fun to see how much Beck is like her. An added bonus is the introduction, which discusses the authors, their humor, and their politics. This is perfect for the discerning audience.”
— AudioFile -
“The novel is narrated by Tom Weiner, a dialogue director and voice artist best known for his voice roles in CD-ROM games and television shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Transformers. He is a former member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. An Audie Award nominee, he has narrated more than one hundred books for Blackstone. His female characterizations are convincing and the others are given the full-voice treatment. Highly recommended to fans of vintage crime fiction.”
— SoundCommentary.com
The Fire Engine That Disappeared Listener Reviews
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" The Martin Beck series keeps getting better and better. For me, this one had a ring of familiarity about it. I'm sure I've not read it before, maybe it reminded me of Wallander's Dogs of Riga. However, that didn't stop me enjoying this every page of the way. And it succeeded in gripping.g my attention at a time when not a lot else is managing to. Brilliant. Now please may I have the next one??? "
— Rachel, 1/20/2014 -
" Another amazing entry in this superb series. "
— Amy, 1/15/2014 -
" The Martin Beck series is to me the best of the crop of Scandanavian mysteries. Intriguing crimes, good character development, social issues, and humor make this series great. This book did not disappoint. "
— Kris, 11/2/2013 -
" I didn't capture my attention as much as the previous books. I missed Martin Beck who was not as involved as earlier. But the book told a little more about the society and time. "
— Emu, 8/13/2013 -
" As you would expect from Sjowall and Wahloo an excellent read. A true detective novel. "
— Alan, 6/25/2013 -
" the martin beck serie is one that I very much like . the story built itself and at the beginning you don't know how it all fits . the charicters are more alive by every new story and the writers show the way they are looking at there country and politic throw those charicters . "
— Inge, 6/8/2013 -
" This was my first Martin Beck and whilst it hasn't necessarily put me off reading another the characters didn't grab me the way that most other Scandinavian books have. Having read other crits however they seem to suggest that the book preceding this one is very good so will head there shortly "
— Fiona, 5/25/2013 -
" Swedish police before Mankell. Martin Beck and his crazy team of Stockholm detectives. It's more about their behavior than murder most foul. This series is one of the best. "
— Alan, 5/8/2013 -
" Oh to be a Swedish cop again. "
— Anne, 9/1/2011 -
" I had been looking forward to reading Sjowall and Wahloo, since they are touted as the originators of the police procedural, but somehow didn't really get into the book. Guess I'll try reading another in this series.. "
— Wanrong, 9/10/2010 -
" Wry humor makes this mystery even more fun to follow. "
— Lisbeth, 6/5/2010 -
" I enjoy this Swedish police series...Martin Beck as detective. A good yarn with lots of twists, but not too many. "
— Tina, 4/28/2010 -
" This was laugh-out-loud good. I'm particularly enjoying the evolution of Gunvald Larsson and a closer look at some of Martin Beck's other colleagues. "
— Maria, 11/30/2009 -
" Loved this book -- love the main characters -- love the integration of culture/climate -- very evocative as to place. "
— nancy, 11/27/2009 -
" Good read. I would definitely try another by these authors. "
— Kathy, 9/22/2009 -
" I love this series. I started it before Stieg Larsson became really popular. While I liked The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, I spent the entire time I read that remember this series and how much better I liked it. I don't know why its taken me so long to come back and read more of them. "
— Leigh, 6/23/2009
About the Authors
Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, wife and husband team, wrote ten Martin Beck mysteries, virtually creating the modern police procedural. In addition to the many short stories and novels he wrote, Mr. Wahlöö, who died in 1975, wrote numerous radio and television plays and was a reporter for several Swedish newspapers and magazines. Maj Sjöwall is also a journalist and poet. She lives in Sweden.
Tom Weiner, a dialogue director and voice artist best known for his roles in video games and television shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Transformers, is the winner of eight Earphones Awards and Audie Award finalist. He is a former member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
About Tom Weiner
Tom Weiner, a dialogue director and voice artist best known for his roles in video games and television shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Transformers, is the winner of eight Earphones Awards and is an Audie Award finalist. He is a former member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.