When a case of blackmail involving the daughter of a California millionaire leads to murder, the inimitable Philip Marlowe is stirred into action as he becomes embroiled in a troublesome case of extortion complicated by kidnapping, pornography, seduction, and murder.

The incredible fourth novel in the Martin Beck mystery series by the internationally renowned crime writing duo Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, finds Martin Beck heading a major manhunt in pursuit of a mass-murderer. With a new introduction by Jonathan Franzen: "I've read The Laughing Policeman six or eight times. Each time I reach the final twist on the final page, I shiver afresh." On a cold and rainy Stockholm night, nine bus riders are gunned...

The gruesome murder of a police captain in his hospital room reveals the unsavory history of a man who spent forty years practicing a horrible blend of strongarm police work and sheer brutality. Martin Beck and his colleagues feverishly comb Stockholm for the murderer, a demented and deadly rifleman, who has plans for even more chaos. As the tension builds and a feeling of imminent danger grips Beck, his investigation unearths evidence of police corruption....

Swedish police superintendent Martin Beck conducts a thorough investigation of a series of brutal muggings and child sex murders.

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERWINNER OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEARA New York Times Critics' Pick * The Seattle Times * The Denver Post * The Washington Post * Publishers Weekly * Amazon * National Post (Toronto) * The Guardian * New Statesman * The Telegraph * The Sunday Times (London) * The Daily Mail * The Mail on Sunday It's 2004. Adan Barrera, kingpin of El Federacion, is languishing in a California...