Mystery Review: The Man Who Went Up in Smoke is the second Martin Beck mystery, taking place two years after the first, and similarly begins with almost nothing: no clues, no leads, no direction. As Beck says: "He could not remember ever being given such a hopeless, meaningless assignment." For the first half of the book the reader merely gets to enjoy Beck's self-deprecating sense of humor and his modest daily routine as he gets to know the food, wine, and sights of Budapest. All told with a wealth of minute detail, which I suppose is a testament to the detective who sees all. While good company (though Beck is still immoderately interested in boats and still immoderately depressed), the reader slowly begins to suspect that there must be bigger game afoot while learning about Hungary during the cold war. The reader may well solve the mystery before Beck does and except for one incident The Man Who Went Up in Smoke doesn't have the suspense or intrigue of the first book, but that's not really why we're here. The team of Sjöwall and Wahlöö hook the reader with their characters and setting; the puzzle is merely the icing on the cake. I was captivated while reading and the pages flew by. It was only after I finished reading the novel that the story seemed a little thin. I'll just chalk it up to the sophomore slump and now I have to see how the third book, The Man on the Balcony, compares to The Man Who Went Up in Smoke. [3★]
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