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Available
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Genres
Description
Fiction. Mystery. HTML: A body is found at an ATM, the apparent victim a of heart attack. Then two teenage girls are arrested for the brutal murder of a cab driver. The girls confess to the crime, showing no remorse whatsoever. Two open-and-shut cases. At first these two incidents seem to have nothing in common, but as Wallander delves deeper into the mystery of why the girls murdered the cab driver, he begins to unravel a plot much more complicated than he initially suspected. The two cases become one and lead to a conspiracy that stretches far beyond the borders of Sweden..
User reviews
LibraryThing member annbury
This novel moves Wallander into the mysterious spheres of high-grade computer hacking, and international finance. A group of computer geniuses want to transfer wealth from the rich countries to the poor, but in so doing they will destroy the world's banking system. As usual, a compulsive read, but
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it didn't grab me quite so completely as the books that focus more on character. Show Less
LibraryThing member smik
Set in Sweden in 1997. Two seemingly unrelated incidents occur within hours of each other in Ystad and Kurt Wallender and his team investigate. Tynnes Falk, seemingly in the peak of health, drops dead late one evening at the cash machine where he has just checked his account balance. The following
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night two teenage girls attack a taxi driver with a hammer and a knife. The driver was able to call for assistance and the police are able to find the girls from his description of them. Kurt Wallender has recently reached 50, he is diabetic, and desperately wants a woman in his life. Some members of his team think he is getting a bit "past it", and one in particular takes every possible opportunity to sow the seeds of doubt in the mind of Kurt's superior. This is an engrossing novel, quite a long read (422 pp) as Kurt Wallender uncovers a plot where an event in Sweden could have world shattering consequences. Show Less
LibraryThing member sfeggers
I had never heard of this author before but it got a high recommendation from a family member. It was a great read with good characters and a fast-moving and interesting plot.
LibraryThing member cdeuker
My third Henning Mankell book, and my least favorite. Plot concerns a cyber-terrorist attack on the global financial system. Wallander remains an interesting character, far more human than most detective heroes. But the plot is humdrum, the denouement humdrum, and there are far too many red
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herrings. Example, a young girl (murderess, avenging her rape by killing the rapist's father!) escapes. Later she turns up fried to a crisp in an electrical substation. Why? Mankell says "we never figured that out." Pretty poor. Show Less
LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom
Number eight in the Wallander series (which, personally, I hope Mankell never stops writing),
It's a year after the events of the previous book (One Step Behind), and the story opens with the death of a computer consultant just after making a withdrawal from his ATM. As the team begins its
The action in Firewall never lets up. Mankell has delivered yet another excellent Wallander adventure here, although I must admit that while the storyline is plausible, it's a bit over the top. Barring that minor drawback, Firewall is excellent, and I'm amazed how well Mankell manages to continue to portray Wallander as a real person with real-world problems and personal issues. He doesn't skimp on the supporting characters, either, and the core plotline is absolutely diabolical.
Mankell is one of my favorite authors, and as long as he keeps writing, I'll keep buying. Highly recommended for Scandinavian mystery fans, and to readers of more hard-edge mysteries as well. Do not start with this book as your first Wallander experience, however, because Wallander is someone that you really want to take time to get to know as a character.
Overall -- it's a great read. It's a bit over the top, but still a fast-paced and very edgy mystery novel that will keep you glued to the pages.
It's a year after the events of the previous book (One Step Behind), and the story opens with the death of a computer consultant just after making a withdrawal from his ATM. As the team begins its
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investigation into his death, two young girls in a taxi beat and stab the driver to death. The girls are arrested, and claim they killed the driver for the money, which as it turns out, wasn't very much for their trouble. As Wallander tries to sort everything out, events occur which lead him and his crack Ystad police team come to realize that these two events were not random occurrences at all, and that they are part of a much bigger and more threatening picture. And time is running out. The action in Firewall never lets up. Mankell has delivered yet another excellent Wallander adventure here, although I must admit that while the storyline is plausible, it's a bit over the top. Barring that minor drawback, Firewall is excellent, and I'm amazed how well Mankell manages to continue to portray Wallander as a real person with real-world problems and personal issues. He doesn't skimp on the supporting characters, either, and the core plotline is absolutely diabolical.
Mankell is one of my favorite authors, and as long as he keeps writing, I'll keep buying. Highly recommended for Scandinavian mystery fans, and to readers of more hard-edge mysteries as well. Do not start with this book as your first Wallander experience, however, because Wallander is someone that you really want to take time to get to know as a character.
Overall -- it's a great read. It's a bit over the top, but still a fast-paced and very edgy mystery novel that will keep you glued to the pages.
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LibraryThing member idiotgirl
Audiobook. Another enjoyable mystery. This one takes advantage, among other things, of the time of year. October and a central even is a power outage--not an insignificant event in Sweden in October. This one focuses on internet and international banking--timely. But this is set in late 1990s--a
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world away in terms of internet and banking. So the distance and the similarities were interesting. The narrative here is similar to that of Fifth Woman, the other Wallendar book I read. Focusing at various times on the different people involved in the "mystery", including the bad guys. Meditation in a way on chance. It turns out the events of this book are set in place not by a murder but by a heart attack (that's what it turns out to be though that is in question as well during part of the story). The book also continues engagement with the Swedish politics. An enjoyable series. Show Less
LibraryThing member SeriousGrace
Kurt Wallander is a Swedish detective trying to solve a series of mysterious deaths. At first the only common factor is the time frame in which these people died. A man falls dead after using an ATM, a cab driver is beaten to death, and someone has apparently committed suicide at a power station
What makes Firewall so entertaining is Kurt Wallander's personality. He is a short tempered detective, good at what he does but not as great at being a divorced dad to his near adult daughter. She finds him overbearing and lonely. I found Wallander and his Swedish police work very strange. For starters, Wallander is accused of not doing things by the book and for the most part those accusations hold true. Over and over he considers sharing information about the various investigations with his colleagues but over and over again he finds reasons not to. Also, computers connected to the crimes aren't confiscated, potential witnesses and suspects aren't detained for questioning, and despite rooms being searched several times, key evidence is not discovered right away. Case in point: an office was searched several times and yet Wallander finds a postcard under a computer keyboard days later.
I found some parts of Firewall predictable. Wallander is single. At his daughter's urging he joins a dating service. Within days he gets a letter from a potential match. Right away I knew this "response" was trouble, for the letter is slid under his door - no return address or postmark. Wouldn't Wallander have read how the service works and wouldn't he have found a nondescript letter without a postmark a little suspect?
All in all Firewallwas a good vacation read. It was fast paced and highly entertaining.
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all within a matter of days. But, as the investigation continues pieces of the puzzle fall into place. Somehow the picture reveals an absurd terrorist plot.What makes Firewall so entertaining is Kurt Wallander's personality. He is a short tempered detective, good at what he does but not as great at being a divorced dad to his near adult daughter. She finds him overbearing and lonely. I found Wallander and his Swedish police work very strange. For starters, Wallander is accused of not doing things by the book and for the most part those accusations hold true. Over and over he considers sharing information about the various investigations with his colleagues but over and over again he finds reasons not to. Also, computers connected to the crimes aren't confiscated, potential witnesses and suspects aren't detained for questioning, and despite rooms being searched several times, key evidence is not discovered right away. Case in point: an office was searched several times and yet Wallander finds a postcard under a computer keyboard days later.
I found some parts of Firewall predictable. Wallander is single. At his daughter's urging he joins a dating service. Within days he gets a letter from a potential match. Right away I knew this "response" was trouble, for the letter is slid under his door - no return address or postmark. Wouldn't Wallander have read how the service works and wouldn't he have found a nondescript letter without a postmark a little suspect?
All in all Firewallwas a good vacation read. It was fast paced and highly entertaining.
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LibraryThing member KatherineGregg
Each Wallander book gets better the more I get into the series. I'm reading them in order and unfortunately I think that I'm nearing the end. Wallander is approaching 50 and the wear and tear of the detective business is forcing an early retirement. His daughter, Linda, will continue his good work
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once she finishes the police academy. Although cell phones are used, searching for information via the Internet was not as prevalent in the late 1990s. I'm enjoying reading about the low tech days of police detective work. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookczuk
It's been a while since I read a Wallander, though I've read the start of the series that features Wallander's daughter, Linda. This was my first Wallander as an audio book, and the first thing javaczuk and I noticed was that we've been saying the name wrong -- we got the initial sound right, but
Once again, Mankell did a masterful job. One of the things I like about his books is that he gives an amazing amount of details, though not all are needed to really wrap up the case. I did have a hard time thinking Wallander was "old" (he's 5 years younger than I am in this story), and I'd forgotten his temper. And the fact that life has sped ahead in terms of technology from the time this book was set was something I had to shelve while listening. But still, it was a good ear-read, particularly on a long car trip. We both enjoy this genre so it made for successful audio-harmony for the journey.
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it was more a matter of putting the accent on the wrong syllable. But, I'm teachable, if nothing else, and I now say it correctly (or at least as the audio book did) 90% of the time.Once again, Mankell did a masterful job. One of the things I like about his books is that he gives an amazing amount of details, though not all are needed to really wrap up the case. I did have a hard time thinking Wallander was "old" (he's 5 years younger than I am in this story), and I'd forgotten his temper. And the fact that life has sped ahead in terms of technology from the time this book was set was something I had to shelve while listening. But still, it was a good ear-read, particularly on a long car trip. We both enjoy this genre so it made for successful audio-harmony for the journey.
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LibraryThing member hfineisen
I am a fan of Kurt Wallender and appreciate Mankell's methodical and thorough narrative. This is not a fast read, but a great read. I like knowing the case from Wallender's perspective and find his character flawed yet endearing. Firewall is about coincidences and conclusions wrapped up in computer
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terrorism. I am as unknowledgeable as Wallender when it comes to technology, but was able to keep up with him and the elements of the mystery as it unfolded. Mankell doesn't force all of the pieces together and keeps suspense building. I was introduced to Kurt Wallender on PBS Masterpiece Mystery, and enjoy the episodes, but they don't come close to Mankell's own mastery. Show Less
LibraryThing member CommonReeda
The Wallander books are bleak and often grisly but so addictive. Perhaps because of his personal struggles and basic integrity I warm to Wallander. His despair is not just with the (rather excessive!) string of serial criminals they have in Ystad but in a previously confident Social Democracy
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losing its way. The Swedish countryside is evocotavely portrayed. I like the computer geek imput to this one . Show Less
LibraryThing member pratalife
Another great crime mystery from Sweden. Reminiscent of Steig Larsson's millennium trilogy, but told from the perspective of an ageing, non-conformist detective.
This book totally sucked me in ... with the suspense maintained through to the very last chapters. It is only then that the thread
This book totally sucked me in ... with the suspense maintained through to the very last chapters. It is only then that the thread
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linking a series of bizarre murders becomes clear. Show Less
LibraryThing member pratalife
Another great crime mystery from Sweden. Reminiscent of Steig Larsson's millennium trilogy, but told from the perspective of an ageing, non-conformist detective.
This book totally sucked me in ... with the suspense maintained through to the very last chapters. It is only then that the thread
This book totally sucked me in ... with the suspense maintained through to the very last chapters. It is only then that the thread
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linking a series of bizarre murders becomes clear. Show Less
LibraryThing member devenish
Another complex thriller in the Wallender series. This one begins with the murder of a taxi driver by two young girls and soon spreads to something rather more sinister which involves computers and a vast ,worldwide financial plot.
An excellent read once more from this great writer.
An excellent read once more from this great writer.
LibraryThing member BillPilgrim
Wallender is leading an investigation into the murder of a taxi driver by two teenage girls. But the investigation expands from there when it appears that the girls are connected to a computer consultant who was found dead on the street at about the same time. A secret explaining what is occurring
The story is told almost exclusively from Wallender's point of view, in an almost thought-by-thought depiction at times. Besides the crime itself, he is involved in police department politics, an accusation of abuse, his own loneliness, his aging, and his relationships with his daughter and friends.
What I like about these books is that the police investigation does not proceed perfectly by the book. Mistakes are often made. Wallender is a most imperfect protaganist.
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is hidden in the computer of the dead consultant, and they bring in a young hacker to try and gain access to to the computer's secrets.The story is told almost exclusively from Wallender's point of view, in an almost thought-by-thought depiction at times. Besides the crime itself, he is involved in police department politics, an accusation of abuse, his own loneliness, his aging, and his relationships with his daughter and friends.
What I like about these books is that the police investigation does not proceed perfectly by the book. Mistakes are often made. Wallender is a most imperfect protaganist.
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LibraryThing member neddludd
Intriguing, literate, thriller from the Swedish writer featuring his Detective Kurt Wallender. Readers see how a case, with many disparate and contradictory facts, comes together. To Mankell's credit, the focus is on the networked planet and how a determined, and skilled group of hackers could
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cause havoc with various complicated grids--such as online banking. The fact that the book was copyrighted in 1998 show just how far ahead of the curve Mankell was; for most people, at that point, the Internet was still some unknown novelty. The author saw its potential for growth. Also present is a consciousness of protest: that institutions are not necessarily working in people's best interests, the prime example being The World Bank. Only quibble is that the book ran about 50 pages too long and became repetitive toward the end. Show Less
LibraryThing member buffalogr
I'm sure others will enjoy this Swedish mystery. However, I just couldn't get into it. The characters did not click this time and the plot did not gel in my mind. So, I gave up after listening to 4 hours of it.When the book starts to sound like Charlie Brown's teacher, I let it go.
LibraryThing member JBD1
I thought I had read all the Wallander books, so I was delighted to find there was another out there waiting for me. This one is as excellent as the rest.
LibraryThing member MsGumby
Another great Wallander, this time about computer firewalls, as well as Wallander's inner firewalls. The plot was enjoyably convoluted, and of course Wallander was compelling as always.
LibraryThing member JBreedlove
Another dense, well-written Wallander novel by Mankell. There are many strings to this story. Too many I think and there was a dead spot in the middle of the book. The ending was good though a little quick. But the epilogue with the daughter was good. It is Bosch like and help with Wallander's
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continuing evolution. Looking forward to th enext one. Show Less