The parking brake has stopped working on my '94 volvo 850 estate.
I plan on fixing it, but I'm not sure where to start. I don't want to dismantle the whole braking system to loosen the shoe, only to find that the problem lies elsewhere.

Problem: The parking brake froze the first time I used it, locking the passenger side rear tire. I got it unstuck after a while, and haven't used it since. When I tested the brake today, there was no reaction. The handle clicks into place, becoming harder to pull up with each click, but the wheels aren't obstructed at all.
There are no problems with the normal brakes. Discs are kept evenly clean, there's no side drag, delay or slack.

Based on this, where do the experts here think the problem is?

Thanks in advance for the help. =)

 

I think I've managed to figure out where the problem is located. Nowhere.

The cable is nice and tight, it moves easily, the shoes move nicely, it's balanced to stop both tires equally, and at five clicks, I couldn't move the tires even by standing on them.
And doing a coasting test at 5 mph, the car didn't slow down at all. Ah, the joys of mechanics.