''The Man on the Balcony'' is a

mystery novel Mystery is a fiction genre where the nature of an event, usually a murder or other crime, remains mysterious until the end of the story. Often within a closed circle of suspects, each suspect is usually provided with a credible motive and a reas ...

by Swedish writers

Maj Sjöwall Maj Sjöwall (; 25 September 1935 – 29 April 2020) was a Swedish author and translator. She is best known for her books about police detective Martin Beck. She wrote the books in collaborative work with her partner Per Wahlöö. Biograph ...

and

Per Wahlöö Per Fredrik Wahlöö (5 August 1926 – 22 June 1975) – in English translations often identified as Peter Wahloo – was a Swedish author. He is perhaps best known for the collaborative work with his partner Maj Sjöwall on a series of ten nove ...

, originally published as ''Mannen på balkongen'' in 1967. It is the third novel in the detective series revolving around Swedish police detective

Martin Beck Martin Beck is a fictional Swedish police detective and the main character in the ten novels by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, collectively titled ''The Story of a Crime''. Frequently referred to as the Martin Beck stories, all have been adapt ...

. In the novel, Martin Beck and his team realize that a paedophilic murderer may have been seen by an unidentified serial robber on the lookout for a victim in the same area. The pressure increases when more child murders begin to occur.

Plot summary

At the beginning of the book Beck goes on a peaceful mission with colleague Ahlberg in Motala. His other colleagues, meanwhile, are looking for a handbag thief who is making the parks of Stockholm unsafe. In the park where the latest robbery occurred, a child's body is discovered by two tramps shortly after the crime. The 9-year-old girl has been abused and strangled. Shortly thereafter, the same fate befalls another child. As Beck returns, the police investigation is already underway. The police are initially lacking in clues as the abduction of the second girl was only witnessed by a three-year-old boy. An elderly

exhibitionist Exhibitionism is the act of exposing in a public or semi-public context one's intimate parts – for example, the breasts, Sex organ, genitals or buttocks. The practice may arise from a desire or compulsion to expose themselves in such a mann ...

is briefly detained, but is found to have nothing to do with the murders. Only a coincidence advances the investigation: Gunvald Larsson (making his first appearance in this novel) had a telephone call at the very beginning of the investigation with an elderly lady who complained about a man in an opposite flat, standing all day on his balcony, looking at the road, and playing with the children, among other strange behavior. After Martin Beck remembers this call; with difficulty the note written by Larsson is found and by a mixture of obstinate investigating and the coincidence that the caller had the common name

Andersson Andersson (previously Andjersson) is a Swedish language surname, a form of the surname Anderson. ''Andersson'' is, if several spelling variants are included, the most common surname in Sweden.Gösta Ekman Hans Gösta Gustaf Ekman (; 28 July 1939 – 1 April 2017) was a Swedish actor, comedian, and director. Career Ekman was born in Stockholm, Sweden, and was the son of the director Hasse Ekman and Agneta (née Wrangel). Ekman represented t ...

as Martin Beck and

Rolf Lassgård Rolf Holger Lassgård (born 29 March 1955) is a Swedish actor. He is known for his many roles in crime dramas. Life and career Lassgård was born in Östersund, Jämtland. A keen amateur ice hockey player in his youth, he also joined theatre tea ...

as Gunvald Larsson. The film was a great success and won the Swedish

Guldbagge Award The Guldbagge Awards ( sv, Guldbaggen, en, Gold scarab) is an official and annual Swedish film awards ceremony honoring achievements in the Swedish film industry. Winners are awarded a statuette depicting a rose chafer, better known by the name ...

for Best Actor (Gösta Ekman), Best Screenplay (Daniel Alfredson & Jonas Cornell) and Best Film (Hans Lönnerheden, producer). 1967 Swedish novels Swedish detective novels Novels by Sjöwall and Wahlöö Swedish novels adapted into films Pantheon Books books Norstedts förlag books {{1960s-mystery-novel-stub