Although it is the third in the Martin Beck series, The Man on the Balcony is considered a breakthrough novel, one of the first realistic police procedurals. Written in 1967, it is based on an actual case from 1963.

The novel begins with a description of a man watching the activity of a Stockholm summer day from his balcony. The scene seems very ordinary, but we know it is important because of the title of the novel. Later, a detective in Martin Beck’s division takes a phone call from a woman who complains that a neighbor is standing all day long watching children from his balcony, but the detective dismisses the woman as a crank. Such activities are obviously not illegal. Although a call like this might send chills down our spines these days, this novel takes place in a more innocent time and place.

The police have actually been working hard on the case of a mugger who attacks people in the parks and robs them. But almost under their noses the body of a nine-year-old girl is found in the park. She has been raped and strangled and her panties stolen. This case becomes the priority, but it is not long before the police suspect that the mugger may very well have seen the murderer in the park.

After a second girl is murdered, Beck realizes he has another potential witness–a three-year-old boy who went off to play with the victim and came back alone. The boy can barely talk, however. Although the book is notable for its realism, this was the only point that I found unrealistic, as usually three-year-olds can speak quite well with some occasional interpretation from their parents.

As Martin and his coworkers doggedly follow every lead and wait impatiently for forensics results, they become more and more stressed and depressed, hoping they can catch a break before the killer strikes again.

These novels are extremely well written. Although the pace is much more leisurely than you would find in an American mystery novel, the novel still builds up a fair amount of suspense. Sjöwall and Wahlöö, the husband and wife writing team, set the standard for this type of mystery to come. Ever since I picked up the first Martin Beck novel, Roseanna, I have been impressed with this series.