Delete

by Karl Olsberg

A GRIPPING, UP-TO-THE-MINUTE THRILLER FOR FANS OF THE MATRIX AND M. R. CAREY.

A dangerous game - or a murderous reality?

For role-playing gamers like Mina and Thomas, reality can blur when you spend too much time online. But when Thomas disappears, not only from the virtual world but also from real life, Mina sets out to search for him. When she discovers that other Berliners have gone missing, all of them participants in the same game, she worries that she will be next.

Chief Inspector Eisenberg heads up a team that is supposed to track and prevent potential terrorists. But identifying suspects via pattern recognition doesn't help - you can't arrest someone before a crime has been committed. Faced with uniting a brilliant but unruly team made up of hackers and coders, Eisenberg is drawn into the puzzle of the missing gamers - all of whom had the same in-game experience immediately before they disappeared.

Will Eisenberg and his team be able to unravel the truth from the fiction before it's too late?

Genres: Thriller, Crime, Mystery, Audiobook, Fiction, Suspense, German Literature

464 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 15, 2013

About the author

Karl Olsberg holds a Ph.D. in artificial intelligence and is the founder of three start-up companies, one of which was named "Start-up of the Year 2000" by German business magazine Wirtschaftswoche. He has written more than 50 books that have been translated into 10 languages, among them several German national bestsellers. He is an active member of the international AI safety community, working together with AI experts to prevent existential risks from advanced AI.

Reviews

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t read a lot of thrillers lately. But I really do love reading thrillers. So when I received an review request for ‘Delete’ by Karl Olsberg, I was super excited and immediately said yes. If it hadn’t been for the book description that cover would have grabbed my attention. I love those red and greyish colors.

In ‘Delete’ we meet Chief inspector Eisenberg. Eisenberg is the head of a new police force that is supposed to find new and potential terrorists. But when the story of a missing gamer comes to his attention Eisenberg decides to check it out. Soon there are more gamers missing and Eisenberg is determined to find out what is really going on. Together with his team, Eisenberg will try to solve this new puzzle.

Although I’m not much of a gamer myself, I really enjoyed how this story was developed. The whole idea of a video game that is really happening is something that really fascinates me. Especially since it doesn’t sound as unbelievable as it did only a view years ago. So when I started reading ‘Delete’ I found myself being easily hooked to the pages.

‘Delete’ is definitely a fascinating story. Even if you’re not a fan of video games this is definitely a nice book to read. There is a lot happening and it sure made me sit on the edge of my seat. This book also definitely makes you think of the whole ‘What if..’ question. I loved how this book made me think and doubt everything I read.

I did think the beginning of the book was better than the last half. But the ending of this book was really perfect and it made up for the moments I thought the story got less exciting. If you’re a fan of thrillers this book is definitely one for you.

[Meggy Chocolate'n'Waffles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was the first surprised by the effect this synopsis had on me. I am not a gamer and I had never read anything set in Germany. I don’t know anything about codes and hackers, and I am too down-to-earth to believe in far-fetched theories. Yet, I loved Delete. Where’s the glitch?

Like many other people, I loved The Matrix. Not for their clothes, although they were pretty cool, but for the what-if theory of a reality behind ours. I love playing God with my Sims. Do they know they are only dots on a computer screen? Do they notice when I trap their grandparents in the pool to kill them? Well, Mina did notice when Thomas disappeared from their online game, causing her to ask questions around. I do know how fast relations strike up online. You easily get used to talking or playing with certain people and you consider them as friends, even though you would probably not tell them. So Mina’s concern talked to me right away. But how do you make people take you seriously when you report an online disappearance? While I was debating what would Mina’s options be, a sci-fi theory crept up on me. Other weird disappearances occurred in the online game, making Mina wonder if the reality she comes back to when she logs out isn’t just another simulation.

Now, stay with me. I can hear you say this is not for you just like I said it was not for me. But have you ever really given it a thought? Because believe me, it you give Delete a shot, you’ll start wondering too. I am not talking about all populations suddenly screaming at the top of their lungs that the world isn’t real and that we are all living a lie. I would have closed the book shut if I had been thrown into a hard sci-fi story telling me nothing is real because I am not ready for this. Here, I am discussing a disturbing idea offered to you in a very convincing way through a story that will make you question if the computer you are reading this review on is a real computer. Weirdly enough, it worked for me. I was so engrossed in everything that was happening that I stopped questioning reality to focus on everything else, accepting that some people believe in life being a giant simulation. It helped that the author justifies all the elements with evidence, I was never lost in the hows and whys, you get all the information you need to make your own opinion on the theory.

Human beings are good at integrating inexplicable things into their world view.

Oh and don’t worry if you think your lack of knowledge will hamper your enjoyment of the story. I know nothing about programming or computer. I panicked when I had to add pages to my blog earlier this week, that tells you just how uncomfortable I am with technology. Yet I never felt at a loss while reading Delete. I got immersed into the story thanks to human feelings, and I was convinced by geeky but easy explanations of the unknown world of online gaming and all the complicated things that make the 21st century what it is.

On the other side, you have a police department. A very special one with big brains and fast fingers supposed to prevent crime before they happen. Yes, you read that right. Another theory you are not ready for. Eisenberg, the poor man newly in charge of this unit doesn’t believe in it either. But what if he could turn this department into something more? Like a super-team able to connect the dots on the online disappearance of young people?

People would rather look at cute cats on Youtube or watch other people playing computer games in ‘let’s play’ videos instead of engaging with what they call reality — to say nothing of what lies behind it.

Because the story is told through a split narration that fits perfectly, everything makes sense. What glues it all together are the characters, diverse and real, so very real. Mina’s determination to find out the truth is raw and palpable. Eisenberg’s struggles are a real and human as that cup of tea near you and his new assignment another trick of life to make you really earn your salary and your sleep at night. His team is talented but flawed, I couldn’t help but fall for those weird geek policemen, all here for different reasons, all essential to the world, real or not! Glimpses of their lives help you connect to them throughout the book, adding humanity to a cold game of cat and mouse. I would not have enjoyed Delete as much without its unusual casting of protagonists.

But here’s so much more than just a couple of crazy theories and nice geeks to Delete. You are in for a full investigation, the thrill of the chase, hidden bad guys, questionings and police tape. The steady pace that turns into a frantic race against time will make sure you don't even feel the need to check your phone.

This book masterfully plays with what makes our century special, with the changes in our behavior and the way we interact with each other and see the world. The easy and clear writing leaves room for interpretation and serves as a guide through a real exploration of what is real and just how far things can go. Don’t worry about reality, it is a character in itself in Delete. Don’t worry about theories, the investigation takes care of them.

Take the world, online and not, add a relentless pace and a frantic search for people, good or bad, and indulge in a gripping thriller that will make you think and turn pages faster than you can click on an Amazon deal link.

I would like to thank Carmen Jimenez for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Clare · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book started out well but for me there were just a lot of issues with the pace. I found myself nearly a quarter of the way through and not much had happened. I found it difficult to distinguish between the characters and it was for these reasons that I decided to put the book down.

[Maxine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many scientists and philosophers including Neil deGrasse Tyson have suggested that our universe could actually be a simulation in someone else’s computer game. German author Karl Olsberg has used that premise to very good purpose in his novel, Delete. A young gamer is worried when one of her fellow players stops in the middle of the game, makes a cryptic remark, then doesn’t move again. After she is unable to find him either on- or off-line, she contacts the police.

At the same time, Chief Inspector Eisenberg of the Hamburg police is looking into a human trafficking ring when he makes a decision that saves a life but sends the investigation pear-shaped. After being reamed out by his arrogant commander, he starts looking for a new job. He is offered the lead of a new unit set up to investigate and possibly prevent crimes using computer technology. Trouble is, he’s only one in a long line of people who have tried the job and all of the others quickly gave it up. The unit exists as a cohesive team in name only. They are a smart but uncooperative bunch of misfits who have managed to do little more than get on each other’s nerves and Eisenberg knows little about how to deal with their quirks and even less about technology. But it has been made clear to him and the team that if they aren’t able to find and solve a case and soon, the unit will be shut down.

One of the team is a gamer and he comes across not only the disappearance of the young girl’s friend but several other disappearances that seem to have nothing in common except they stopped suddenly in the game, made odd statements, then vanished both from the game and from their regular lives. The team must discover whether these are just random disappearances that have nothing to do with the game or each other or if it is something more sinister at work. And then the young girl who reported the first disappearance vanishes.

Although Delete is a police procedural, the added science and perhaps science fiction elements really made it a suspenseful and compelling read. Although we know what is going on, the idea that this is all just on the surface never goes away even at the end. The translation by Caroline Wright is excellent and keeps the story moving at a nice clip. I really enjoyed Delete and give it a high recommendation for fans of police procedurals especially those who enjoy a touch of the unusual thrown in. This was my first book by this author but it definitely will not be my last.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bonnier Zaffre for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever wondered if the world we live in and our own interaction in it is being directed by some unseen power? Not in a religious sense, but as if in a game? Think The Matrix.

That we are part of a virtual reality, a simulated computer game, is an actual scientific hypothesis and part of legitimate scientific research.

Excerpt from the linked article:
Researchers pondered the controversial notion Tuesday at the annual Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate here at the American Museum of Natural History.
Moderator Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the museum’s Hayden Planetarium, put the odds at 50-50 that our entire existence is a program on someone else’s hard drive. “I think the likelihood may be very high,” he said. (Source)

The article covers some of the thoughts of philosophers and theoretical physicists on the topic.

Delete begins with a strange prologue, but the first chapter moves into the story and introduces Chief Inspector Eisenberg, a member of the Hamburg police, when an attempt to end a human trafficking ring goes wrong.

Eisenberg's arrogant superintendent blames Eisenberg for the debacle, and Eisenberg eventually looks for a transfer. The opportunity that arises is to head a unit that focuses on pre-investigations and crime prevention using technology and the internet; the team, however, consists of brilliant, but fractious misfits.

One of the team members is a gamer, and when several strange disappearances occur in the online game, he is approached by a young woman who wants to find out what happened to her friend. Was he deleted?

An intriguing book with characters that hold potential for more episodes, but the pacing has some issues. The translation by Carolyn Waight is excellent.

NetGalley/Bonnier Zaffre

Mystery/Suspense. Oct. 25, 2015. Print length: 358 pages.

[Circlestones Books Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ein spannender IT Thriller und ein entsprechend ungewöhnliches Ermitterteam. Vier Personen verschwinden im realen Leben spurlos, die nur eine Gemeinsamkeit haben: sie alle haben das selbe Computerspiel gespielt, welches jedoch überaus erfolgreich ist und von Millionen Menschen gespielt wird. Es beginnt eine spannende Recherche. Da Karl Olsberg als Leiter dieser Sonderermittlungseinheit Internet einen Kommissar wählt, der sich selbst im IT Bereich nur marginal auskennt und sich daher von seinen chaotischen, aber liebenswerten Mitarbeitern manche Sachverhalte erklären lässt, ist der Roman nicht übermäßig technisch geschrieben und ist andererseits auch für IT "beinahe-Laien" nie langweilig und gut nachvollziehbar. Das etwas überraschende Ende ließ auf Folgebände schließen - was inzwischen erfolgt ist, es gibt einen zweiten Fall um diese spezielle Ermittlereinheit.

[Naike Le Normand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Neubewertung: Inzwischen ist mir egal, dass das Ende offen ist, der Roman ist für mich einfach perfekt gelungen, nur das Titelbild finde ich absolut unpassend. Was soll der Hund da, wo doch gar kein Hund vorkommt? Manchmal zweifelt man echt an den Fähigkeiten von Verlagen. Aber Herr Olsberg schreibt einfach klasse, die Charaktere sind so lebendig, die Story interessant. Ich wünschte, es gäbe um die SEGI mehr als zwei Bände. Ich lieb's!
**********

Ach Mann, beinahe 5 Sterne, der Roman war bis auf wenige Längen sehr spannend. Aber das Ende mal wieder – ich hasse offene Enden! Warum muten Autoren ihren Lesern das zu? Jetzt bin ich wieder frustriert statt zufrieden. :/

[Richard Turmel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ce livre m'a été recommandé par mon conjointe. Je ne suis pas amateur de "thrillers" mais j'ai trouvé ça amusant d'en lire un pour une fois. J'ai aimé le style d'écriture et la traduction française m'a paru très bien.

Les personnages étaient intéressants et l'intrigue m'a rappelé mes années de WoW. Ce serait agréable de retrouver le même groupe de personnage maintenant qu'ils forment une vrai équipe et de les voir à l'oeuvre dans un autre contexte.

[Gerrit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thriller, der aktuelle Themen wie künstliche Intelligenz und Computersimulation beinhaltet und abstrakte, philosophische Fragen stellt. Er ist leicht lesbar, spannend und interessant. Die Charakter und Vorgänge sind meistens gut beschrieben. Manchmal geht's etwas schnell oder die Beschreibung ist zu oberflächlich. Etwas negativ ist mir sonst nur die wiederholende Beschreibung "angenehm fester Händedruck" aufgefallen. ;)

[Liedzeit Liedzeit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ein Hamburger Kommissar lässt sich zu einer neuen Sondereinheit nach Berlin versetzen. Vier Menschen verschwinden, die alle ein Online-Spiel World of Witchcraft spielen. Der Mörder und Entführer glaubt in einer “Welt am Draht” zu leben und möchte, dass die “Admins” ihn abstellen. Flott ohne literarischen Anspruch geschrieben. Gar nicht doof. Auch wenn der Kommissar fragt was ein Paradoxon ist.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever felt like the whole world is fake, like you’re living in one massive simulation? Like the matrix for example? Well if so, this genre mash-up, sci-fi-meets-crime-fiction, might just be for you.

Delete starts off with online gamers, in particular Mina who plays an orc in World of Wizardry, an MMORPG, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game. Think World of Warcraft, which it’s obviously based on. These are games which people from all over the world log into and play out their Dungeons & Dragons fantasies for hours on end. So, Mina is playing this game and another player acts weirdly, talks about how “it’s all true” and “World on a Wire”. He then stops playing, his avatar falling still and Mina’s character is killed as a result. Her death leads to her character losing all her hard-earned loot - magic armour, swords and the like. She’s pretty pissed off and goes looking for Thomas, the other player, in real life. Only to find that’s he’s gone missing in the real world too. She soon discovers that other players have gone missing too. Eventually she brings her concerns to the police.

Enter Chief Inspector Eisenberg who has just taken charge of an experimental unit. It comprises a programmer with severe Asperger’s, an obnoxious hacker, a police officer and a forensic psychologist. They have nothing better to do as the police don’t know yet what to do with the unit, in part because it has been plagued by internal disputes. As the crimes may have something to do with the MMORPG and their focus is cybercrime they begin to investigate.

This is a book of two halves. The first half is the much stronger. Here Eisenberg and his team are forced to grapple with the notion that perhaps the world is just a computer simulation. The author, Karl Olsberg, is a computer scientist and so this part of the book is quite unnerving. Apparently, there are quite a few physicists who take this idea seriously. This part of the books is like an entertaining, and to the author’s credit, not too heavy, philosophical treatise. Unfortunately to my mind, the second half of the book reverts to a traditional crime novel. Readers of my reviews might know that there is a certain strand of crime fiction that I can’t abide (no, not domestic noir, that’s the other strand that leaves me cold). I won’t spell it out in this review as it would in effect be a massive spoiler, but needless to say I was a little disappointed to find the author taking this path.

But then, just as the book comes to a close, there is an almighty twist, which to my mind salvages it once again. Really, it comes at the 11th hour, but is well worth it. It rounds the novel off nicely. Again, I can’t even give a hint as to what it is as I don’t want to ruin the fun, but it does do the trick.

[margaret holmes-middleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delete ..proof gone

A bit slow to start and the are we just a computer simulation tedious but then it develops into much more ....great story with challenging supposition s ...kept me reading

[Kuhn Jessy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Der Klappentext hat sich spannend angehört.
Leider konnte mich das Buch nicht überzeugen.
Es war mir n bisschen zu viel Scfi.
Auch das immer wieder in der "Du-Form" geschrieben wurden, hat mich gestört.

Das Team fand ich aber ganz amüsant.

[Justin Sarginson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not sure why I was so surprised with this book. It’s taut, well crafted and a joy to read, an old school page burner.

[Wal.li · Rating 4 out of 5]

Auf welcher Seite

Nach einem aus Sicht seines Vorgesetzten missglückten Einsatz zieht Kommissar Adam Eisenberg in Erwägung sich versetzen zu lassen. Als er mit einem alten Studienkollegen über seine Unzufriedenheit spricht, schaut der, ob er was machen kann. Und tatsächlich ergibt sich ein ungewöhnliches Stellenangebot. In Berlin wird ein Gruppenleiter gesucht, der aus vier zusammengewürfelten Spezialisten ein Team machen kann. Die Abteilung hat bisher noch nichts vorzuweisen und unter Eisenberg soll sie die letzte Chance wahrnehmen nicht aufgelöst zu werden. Gleichzeitig beginnt die Studentin Mina Hinrichsen nach einem Kommilitonen zu suchen, den sie eigentlich eher aus einem Online-Computerspiel kennt, aber eben auch in der Realität.

Ein Spiel mit oder in verschiedenen Realitäten. Der Autor greift die Thematik des Buches Simulacron 3 auf, das schon Grundlage für die Filme „Welt am Draht“ und „Matrix“ war. Denn in den virtuellen Welten, in denen sich Mina und viele andere bewegen, streut jemand das Gerücht, die reale Welt sei nur ein virtuelles Experiment. Geschickt werden dabei Zweifel an der realen Welt gesät und mit wissenschaftlichen Begründungen untermauert. Kommissar Eisenberg und sein ungewöhnliches Team untersuchen allerdings sehr reale Vermisstenfälle, wobei die Ermittlungen doch sehr irdisch ablaufen und die Polizei dem Täter immer näher zu kommen scheint. Es verdichten sich Hinweise, dass es sich um einen psychisch Kranken handelt, der meint, er lebe in einer virtuellen Welt und müsse, um die reale Welt kennenzulernen, unbedingt aufwachen.

Vor dem Hintergrund der Vorlagen, wobei ich persönlich nur die Filme kenne, von denen mich „Welt am Draht“ beeindruckt und die Vorstellung, eine von anderen gelenkte Marionette zu sein, irgendwie schockierend war, während ich "Matrix" eher als spannenden Sci-Fi Thriller empfand, entwickelt der Autor seine Story. Doch wie schon bei den Vorläufern löst die Lektüre dieses Buches einiges Unbehagen aus. Könnte es tatsächlich möglich sein? Die Welt wie wir sie uns denken, ist nur ein Abbild dessen, was wir uns denken? Die echte Welt ist eine andere? Der Gedanke in dieser Welt zu verlöschen und in einer anderen aufzuwachen, kann zwar tröstlich sein, doch ist er nicht auch erschreckend? Was ist wahr und was ist eingebildet? Werden wir alle von fremden Einheiten gelenkt? Kann die Evolution nur durch Zufälle geführt worden sein oder muss es nicht etwas gegeben haben, das einen Plan hatte? Eine zwar anregende Thematik, über die man sich allerdings nicht allzu viele Gedanken machen sollte, da es keine neutral wahre Antwort geben kann. Die Antwort kann immer nur ein Abbild der eigenen oder ein Konglomerat vieler Gedanken sein. Da genieße ich doch lieber den spannenden Thriller, der schließlich einige Möglichkeiten offen lässt.

[Inga · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audiobook Rezension:

Karl Olsberg hat mit Delete einen Thriller verfasst, der Wirklichkeit und virtuelle Realität miteinander zu verweben sucht.
Hauptkommissar Eisenberg übernimmt den Chefposten in einer Sonderermittlungsgruppe in Berlin. Das Team besteht aus verqueren und sonderbegabten Charakteren, die Eisenberg nur mühsam dazu bringt, wirklich miteinander zu arbeiten. Ihr erster Fall ist der Gruppe wie auf den Leib geschrieben: Vier Studenten werden vermisst, die alle dasselbe Online-Computerspiel gespielt haben. Es finden sich Hinweise, dass sie zudem die reale Welt, in der sie leben, für eine Simulation gehalten haben - ähnlich wie in Fassbinders Film Welt am Draht von 1973. Während die Ermittler noch überlegen, ob wirklich ein Verbrechen vorliegt, entführt der Täter eine weitere junge Frau und wir erleben den Wahnsinn des Täters aus dessen und ihrer Perpektive.
Was sich zunächst als gut konstruierter Krimi mit interessanten Einblicken in internetbasierte Ermittlungstätigkeit anlässt, wird zunehmend zum Seelenspiegel eines paranoiden Schizophrenen, die Ermittlungen erscheinen beiläufig und schreiten meist dann voran, wenn der Täter Fehler macht und in seinem Wahnsinn selbst den Kontakt zur Polizei sucht. Am Ende des Romans entscheidet sich Olsberg außerdem für zwei Epiloge, beide wirken gewungen. Im zweiten und letzten stellt der Autor dar, wie Wissenschaftler bzw. andere Autoren die Wahrscheinlichkeit einschätzen, dass unsere Welt genau das ist, was der schizophrene Täter im Buch annimmt, nämlich eine Fiktion, eine (Computer-) Simulation, vielleicht erdacht von anderen Computern oder anderen Wesen.
Für mich war damit das letzte Quentchen des Krimierlebnisses zerstört, das gewollt Mysteriös-Verschwörerische funktioniert für mich nicht, sondern wirkt abwegig-abstoßend - Delete konnte mich nicht überzeugen.

[Lilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je suis tombée sur ce roman par hasard en flânant dans le rayon des nouveautés à la Grande Bibliothèque de Montréal. Une belle trouvaille !
Le roman se lit très vite, une belle plume, une intrigue intéressante et des personnages très colorés. Il faut cependant être un peu familier avec le côté informatique (jeux en ligne, réseaux sociaux...) pour être captivé, quoique les explications sont assez précises pour les moins initiés. J'ai aimé aussi l'incursion dans le monde des personnes touchées par l'Asperger.

En somme une lecture enrichissante et rapide pour ceux qui s'intéressent aux domaines et thèmes explorés. La fin n'apporte pas toutes les réponses attendues mais c'est une forme d'ouverture qui peut correspondre au sujet même du roman, donc on peut dire que le voyage vaut le coût. Ma curiosité a été éveillée pour lire un peu plus de cet auteur.

[Landpomeranze (so much to read - so little time) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 Sterne
Die Handlung war spannend, der Kommissar glaubwürdig, das Buch flüssig zu lesen. Das spezielle Polizeiteam allerdings war ein bisschen sehr klischeehaft besetzt ;-)

[Halalilodri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Irr-real
Das offene Ende und die Epiloge passen zum Thema.