Firewall

An Inspector Wallander Mystery

De: Henning Mankell

Narrado por: Sean Barrett

Stopping to use a cash machine one evening, a man inexplicably falls to the ground: dead.

A taxi driver is brutally murdered by two teenage girls. Quickly apprehended, they appal local policemen with their total lack of remorse. One girl escapes police custody and disappears without a trace.

Soon afterwards, a blackout covers half the country. When an engineer arrives at the malfunctioning power station, he makes a grisly discovery.

Inspector Kurt Wallander is sure that these events must be linked - somehow. Hampered by the discovery of betrayals in his own team, lonely and frustrated, Wallander begins to loose conviction in his role as a detective. The search for answers leads Wallander dangerously close to a shadowy group of anarchic terrorists, hidden within the anonymity of cyberspace. Somehow these criminals seem always to know the police's next move and Wallander finds himself fighting to outsmart them.

©2004 Henning Mankell (P)2009 Random House Audio

Top Scandanavian crime

Would you listen to Firewall again? Why?

Good contemporary thriller

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The global nature of the crime as action switched between Angola and Sweden was critical. The power of computer linked financial information and the ability of competing and skilled hackers to access and manipulate this information gave the plot a sense of Good vs. Evil in the race against time. The build up of tension was strong and the story well told.

Have you listened to any of Sean Barrett’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes he is a particularly fine reader of Scandanavian crime and is able to give his characters distinct and effective voices.

Wallander is a great caracter, excellent reader

What did you love best about Firewall?

Kurt Wallander as detective and person, the unexpected twists and hints

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

good hidden little hints, great desciption of characters. - Main story too complicated, unreal

What does Sean Barrett bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Very well presented, one could distinguish the different persons easily. Excellent performed mood changes

Henning Mankell does not disaappoint with this

Henning Mankell does not disappoint with this which is well narrated by Sean Barrett. As another installment in the series Inspector Wallander is faced with apparently unrelated deaths and murders that create a puzzle that only gets deeper and more difficult to comprehend the further it develops. Another top tier effort.

Great book

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 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.

One of the Best

I do love the combination of Sean Barrett and Henning Mankell. This story involving cyber crime is one of Mankell's best.
To write too much about story line or plot would spoil this one for others. Inspector Wallander is perplexed by a seeming senseless murder and faces his lack of computer skills while his daughter urges him to join an on line dating service. There are a couple stories running through this novel that intersect in an unusual way.
That is the backdrop to a great mystery story. It is audio book I have heard a few times and will, no doubt, listen again.