The Locked Room
 First English edition | |
| Author | Sjöwall and Wahlöö |
|---|---|
| Original title | Det slutna rummet |
| Translator | Paul Britten Austin[1] |
| Country | Sweden |
| Language | Swedish |
| Series | Martin Beck series |
| Publisher |
Norstedts Förlag (Swedish) Pantheon Books (English) |
Publication date | 1972 |
Published in English | 1973 |
| Pages | 291 pp |
| ISBN | 91-1-725301-2 |
| OCLC | 11577021 |
| LC Class | PT9876.29.J63 S54 |
| Preceded by | The Abominable Man |
| Followed by | Cop Killer |
The Locked Room (1972) is a novel by Sjöwall and Wahlöö in their detective series revolving around Martin Beck and his team. (Original Swedish title: Det slutna rummet.)
Plot
The Locked Room has two plots running simultaneously. Larsson and Kollberg are extremely reluctantly part of a special task force that needs to solve a spree of bank robberies. Martin Beck is given a pity job after recovering from being shot at the conclusion of The Abominable Man; he needs to solve a classic situation of the genre: the locked room mystery.
The incompetence of the Swedish police force has spread to the point that all three detectives are severely hindered in their work. One criminal walks free for a heinous crime he did commit, then gets to do hard time for a crime he did not.
Characters and their development
Beck meets Rhea Nielsen, and it is love at first sight, sort of, in slow motion. Contrary to his ex-wife, she is a no-nonsense left-wing type of person and his intellectual equal.
Criminal mastermind Werner Roos and bank robbers Malmström and Mohrén are introduced, as is their ineffectual but successful Nemesis, public prosecutor 'Bulldozer' Olsson.
Police officer Kenneth Kvastmo is introduced tor replace Kurt Kvant as Police officer Karl Kristianssons partner.
Film adaptation
The book was adapted by Dutch filmmaker Jacob Bijl as De gesloten kamer in 1993. In this film, the action is set in Antwerp and Beck is played by famous Belgian actor Jan Decleir. Most of the other characters were renamed to match the new setting; for instance, the name of Beck's assistant Kolberg was changed to Colbert.
References
| Preceded by The Abominable Man |
"Martin Beck" timeline, part 8 of 10 | Succeeded by Cop Killer |
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