The Terrorists
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| The Terrorists | |
| Author | Sjöwall and Wahlöö |
|---|---|
| Original title | Terroristerna |
| Country | Sweden |
| Language | Swedish |
| Series | Martin Beck series |
| Publisher | Norstedts Förlag |
| Publication date | 1975 |
| Preceded by | Cop Killer |
The Terrorists (1975) is a novel by Sjöwall and Wahlöö in their detective series revolving around Martin Beck and his team. (Original Swedish title: Terroristerna.)
[edit] Plot summary
The story opens with a trial where an eighteen-year old woman is accused of a bank robbery she never intended to commit. Later, a pornographic film producer is found murdered at the home of his mistress. The main plot of the book involves Martin Beck leading a team of policemen to prevent a presumed terrorist attack on an highly unpopular American senator who is paying an official visit to Sweden.
[edit] Characters and their development
Lennart Kollberg has resigned from the force and plays only a minor role in this book. His absence is mostly compensated by a more important role for Gunvald Larsson; likewise, Einar Rönn is also more prominently featured. In this last Sjöwall and Wahlöö book, Martin Beck finally admits to himself that he actually likes working with Larsson, although he misses Kollberg.
Theobald Braxén, a defense attorney, is introduced as a rather comical and sympathetic character who loves taking up apparently hopeless cases. His antagonist in court is Sten "Bulldozer" Olsson, first introduced in The Locked Room.
[edit] Trivia
When filmed in 1994, the plot of the novel was heavily altered. In the novel, the prime minister of Sweden is murdered. This was deemed to be too sensitive matter because of the unsolved Olof Palme assassination in 1986. When the novel was written in 1974, Olof Palme actually was prime minister of Sweden.
The novel was not finished when Per Wahlöö passed away in June 1975 so Maj Sjöwall had to finish it alone. During Wahlöö's illness, which eventually led to his death, he sat up writing day and night in order to finish the book before it was too late.
| Preceded by Cop Killer |
"Martin Beck" timeline, part 10 of 10 | Succeeded by none |
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