The journalist doesn’t just write fictional crime novels. For the Futurezone, she also deals with very real technology topics such as IT security and data protection – and this expertise was incorporated into her book. This is shown, among other things, by the fact that in the novel, investigative journalist Stefanie Laudon gains access to spicy data via a poorly secured computer and decides to investigate the Internet herself.
In addition, Wimmer has come up with realistic scenarios of how digitization could develop over the next five years. “It’s about how artificial intelligence and surveillance could determine our everyday lives in the future,” says Wimmer. In the invented scenario, for example, there is a productivity calculator for companies that calculates who will be fired next.
IT background
Fans of Viennese crime novels with an IT background should mark October 11th in their calendars. Not only does Wimmer present her new novel, but also Heidi Emfried. In her crime novel “Wiener Wiedererstehung”, programmer Adrian Stuiber seems to be able to overcome death with his algorithms – until he is found lifeless. Both authors will read at 7 p.m. at Thalia Wien-Mitte (3rd, Landstrasser Hauptstrasse 2a/2b).
Wimmer will also read from her novel on October 12 – as part of the Vienna crime nightwhich is taking place for the 18th time this year.
By the way: If you are reading “Jagd im Wiener Netz” and hoping for Gossip from the KURIER newsroom, you will not get it. Although the main character is a journalist and works for a daily newspaper, no scenes that actually happened are described, according to Wimmer. Also, “the character has strong opinions that don’t always reflect mine.”
In the spring, the author will also be offering “Crime Walks” in Dehnepark, during which she will talk about her novel directly at the scene of the murder. The appointments are on barbara-wimmer.net announced.