Firewall

Even though I have read this a good while after its publication, and with a general public’s knowledge of technology and terrorism that couldn’t have been available to the author (or Wallendar) when written, enjoyment of the book isn’t diminished by those aspects that no longer have the same level of revelation, or the power to shock. The sense that the narrator is a straight shooter in presenting the characters and crimescape makes for a hugely satisfying reading experience. I got way less done this week; couldn’t tear myself away (burnt the toast, twice). Totally worth it. Well done!

I am thrilled to have found Kurt Wallender and have been reading the books sequentially. I finish one and delve into the next one. To the author: Henning Mankell, youve ruined me-LOL!! I start reading other books by other authors, in between, and they seem so mundane, and boring. I cant wait to dive into the next Kurt Wallander book. The plots are complicated and going thru Kurts thought process, emotions, trying to solve the case(s), are quite captivating and enthralling. It seems that Wallender never sleeps and is always exhausted. I dont how he gets by, but I know I cant stop reading this series. This is Nordic noir at its best. Highly recommend this series!

Kurt Wallander’s life is always described as boring and depressing, but I find it very interesting to read about. Anyone who is awakened in the wee hours of the morning or who never gets to bed at all because of a gripping murder case as many times as Kurt does can’t be that bored or boring. It’s only when Kurt is alone in his apartment and has time to think about his failed marriage, his aloneness, that he is melancholy.The books tend to treat him as if he is a washed up older policeman, but he is only about 50. That’s okay, he’s one of my literary heroes, anyway.

In “Firewall” the Ystad police force is up against a tough case this time and Wallander finds himself in an area that he doesn’t know hardly anything about: cyberspace. He barely knows how to turn on a computer much less break through a highly protected system of computers that are connected from Sweden to other parts of the world. A plan for a catastrophic worldwide event is going to happen if they can’t break the case.

A man who suddenly dies at an ATM machine and the brutal murder of a cab driver by two teenage girls seem unrelated until Wallander figures out that the two incidents may be related in an important way. This case will test Wallander’s skills, thinking and performance as a police officer at a time when an adversary is trying to break him down. This is a very difficult case for the entire Ystad police department.

I was delighted by this page turner and since I have only a few more to read in the series, I’ll be disappointed when it ends. This is a series that might have to be read over again.

I have been following Mankels Wllanders mysteries ever since I watched the BBC series starred by Kenneth Branagh. I have been reading the novels in the order of publication in Sweden. Thus, there are long delays between the first publication in Sweden and the appearance of the English translation. The gap is even wider between those days, the English TV series and today, when I am reading them. That said, one may understand why so many reviewers complained of lack of research by Mankel when dealing with the Information Technologies and the Internet. The fact that Mankels novels necessarily have to be set in Wallanders native country and city, has also been object of remarks. It is so because such a big plot would never occur in such a small Swedish city. Although I do consider that both criticisms have some basis, I think that they more than miss the point. Every Wallander reader knows that he lives in Ystad and thus the plots have to develop there (although they often have links with other countries, such as Latvia and South Africa). One must also be aware that the center of Makels books is the so-called Swedish welfare state (What is happening to this country? is one recurring moto to remind us of that). So, if we put the technological and geographical issues aside, the book is a superb Wallander mystery. I am against revealing anything about the plot, so I wont go there to back my claim on the books quality. But it is enough to say that supporting characters from previous novels move in to the main stage, Wallanders investigative procedures and manias prove to be productive as well as they backslash. My only remark would be to the last scene regarding the plot, that has quite many loose ends. It does not however compromises the novel. A reader that’s old enough to do it, can just remember what the internet was in the 1990s and what a fifty years old police officer would have know about it by then. It will allow he/she to enjoy the book. Its far from being Mankels best Wallander mysteries. But it is pretty good. So good that I immediately purchased the next novel. And I did with some sadness, because I am now approaching the last novel and there will be no more. Well, the translation did not improve. That’s a minor but true issue with all Wllander novels.

I am a big fan of the Kurt Wallander series. He is a complex character with numerous flaws that carry on to different levels in each succeeding book. One thing that is clear in each book is that Sweden’s police procedures are antiquated even in the 1990’s and this takes some getting used to. Kurt and his fellow policeman break quite a few procedures that are normal in the USA and most other modern countries. But this can be forgiven given the excellent plots and story lines. In Firewall my main issue was with the real plot of bringing down the financial institutions of the world. All this taking place in the small Swedish city of Ystad where most of the stories in the series take place. After reading about Ystad in many of his other books I had trouble buying into the story line. Not Mr. Mankell’s best book but like an old friend I forgive him.