Murder at the Savoy, by Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö

(hb; 1971: sixth book in the Martin Beck Police Mysteries. Translated from the Swedish by Amy & Ken Knoespel.)

From the inside flap:

"Accustomed as he was to public speaking, powerful Swedish industrialist Viktor Palmgren had no idea that his after-dinner speech in elegant Hotel Savoy would be so rudely interrupted that warm summer evening. Suddenly, in the midst of Palmgren's entertaining remarks, an uninvited guest pulled a blue-steel object from his pocket, shot the speaker in the head, and disappeared through an open window. No one in the restaurant was able to identify the gunman, and local police were sheepishly baffled. Enter: Chief Inspector Martin Beck, of the National Homicide Squad. . . and his dogged fellow detectives of Sweden's National Police."

Review:

Another excellent, taut mystery from the Martin Beck series, sporting all the charm, quirkiness and cleverness of the preceding novels.

Worth owning, this.

Followed by The Abominable Man.

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The video film was released on October 6, 1993 in Sweden.

Per Berglund directed the film, from a script by Rainer Berg, Jonas Cornell, Pelle Berglund (aka Per Berglund, the director), Beate Langmaack and book co-author Maj Sjöwall.

Gösta Ekman reprised his role of Martin Beck. Kjell Bergqvist reprised his role of Lennart Kollberg. Rolf Lassgård reprised his role of Gunvald Larsson. Ing-Marie Carlsson reprised his role of Gun Kollberg. Bernt Ström reprised his role of Einar Rönn. Niklas Hjulström reprised his role of Skacke. Jonas Falk reprised his role of Stig Malm.

Ingvar Andersson played Per Månsson. Lena Nilsson played Åsa Thorell. Birger Österberg reprised his role of Kvant. P.G. Hylén reprised his role of Kristiansson.

Claes Sylwander played Viktor Palmgren. Görel Crona played Charlotte Palmgren. Marie Richardson played Helena Hansson. Arthur Brauss played Jürgen Hoffman. Reine Brynolfsson played Hampus Broberg. Anders Ekborg played Mats Linder. Lena T. Hansson, billed as Lena T. Hanson, played "Grunvald's Sister". Tommy Johnson played Bertil Svensson.

An uncredited Stellan Skarsgård played "Security manager at Palmgrens Company".