Murder at the Savoy

by: Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo

Published by: Vintage Crime

Reviewed by Caryn St. Clair

Murder at the Savoy is in the middle of a set of ten books written by authors Sjowall and Wahloo between 1965 and 1975, known together as The Story of Crime. In some ways, it’s hard to talk about this particular book without talking about the entire set, since although the individual books stand perfectly well on their own, collectively, they give readers a much bigger story.

Fans of vintage crime fiction will jump eagerly at the chance to visit this series again–or for the first time. Many current crime writers credit this series as their inspiration. In fact, this series is often referred to as the “father of the police procedurals.” Sjojowall and Wahloo’s protagonist, Martin Beck, was the beginning of an entirely new subgenre of mysteries.

While Murder at the Savoy is perhaps not the best-written book in the series, it is probably the easiest to read, and an excellent starting point for those unfamiliar with the larger set. Readers used to current police procedurals, with their complex set of interwoven plots and subplots, will be surprised at how simply the authors lay this story out.

Viktor Palmgren, a wealthy industrialist, is shot while giving a speech at the tony Savoy Hotel. Those present are so stunned that the gunman is allowed to simply exit through a window, hop on a bike and ride away. Not used to dealing with major crime, the Malmo police are stymied. The fallout in the world’s financial markets is immediate and devastating.

And then Martin Beck is called in to take over the case. Beck systematically combs through Palmgren’s background and roots through both his personal and business life. People who read crime fiction regularly will recognize many of the trademark elements of the genre. In fact, it’s hard to not make it a sort of game, picking out the elements as they appear.

While I had forgotten how tedious some of the rather blatant socialistic views were, I enjoyed being reintroduced to this series nearly 40 years after I first read the set. I think that many who pick up Murder at the Savoy will want to go on and read the entire set.

Armchair Interviews agrees.