This is the first book in a series that follows Swedish detective Martin Beck. He does his job. He’s quite ordinary and there is nothing particularly special about him. He struggles with depression. He works a lot and barely sees his family. He’s married, but he’s no longer happy in his marriage. She wishes he’d spend more time with his the kids and he doesn’t want to. It’s refreshing to see a perfectly ordinary man be the protagonist.
When Martin Beck is physically home, he isn’t there emotionally. He spends most of his time alone. He doesn’t pursue his family. They’re used to him not being around.
The crime Martin Beck is sent to solve is the murder and rape of an American tourist named Roseanna McGraw. Her body is fished out of the lake at the start of the novel. The body was found near a small town that doesn’t have the resources to solve the crime, so they send for Beck and his team. Beck becomes close to a detective from the small town and together they team up to lead the investigation. There are no clues or leads to the case.
The reader gets a glimpse into the highs and lows of the investigation. This includes getting in touch with an American detective to help them interview people who knew Roseanna. The reader is presented with the interviews in the format of a transcript. The interviews get personal and uncomfortable at times. This does help Beck figure out the profile of potential suspects. There are dull moments in the book as there times when the investigation comes to a stand still until new clues are uncovered. Beck does finally figure out who committed the crime. At this point, Beck is desperate to solve the crime. He is sure he has found the killer, but has no substantial proof so he has to figure out a way to get him to confess. The book is clever in showing the reality of solving a crime, but it can be boring.
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