The Laughing Policeman (novel)

The Laughing Policeman
First edition (Swedish)
AuthorMaj Sjöwall
Per Wahlöö
Original titleDen skrattande polisen
LanguageSwedish
SeriesMartin Beck series
PublisherNorstedts Förlag (Swedish)
Pantheon Books (English)
Publication date
1968
Publication placeSweden
Published in English
1970
Pages240
ISBN9780679742234
Preceded byThe Man on the Balcony 
Followed byThe Fire Engine That Disappeared 

The Laughing Policeman is a mystery novel by the Swedish writing duo Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, originally published in Sweden in 1968 as Den skrattande polisen and translated into English in 1970. It is the fourth of ten novels featuring police detective Martin Beck.

In 1971, The Laughing Policeman won an Edgar Award for Best Novel.[1] The 1973 American film The Laughing Policeman is a loose adaptation of the novel.

Jonathan Franzen has written an introduction for a Penguin Random House edition of the book.[2] He describes radically critical image of Sweden as 'comic'. Franzen's 2012 collection of essays Farther Away also contains a reprint of a 2008 piece, "On The Laughing Policeman".