The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson
By Peter on Jan 16, 2008 in Crime Books, Excellent book, Stieg Larsson, Swedish crime book, Swedish writer, Thriller, bestseller, book review
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is the first book in a trilogy written by Stieg Larsson, often referred to as the Millennium trilogy (see also our book review of The Girl Who Played With Fire at ScandinavianBooks). The books in the Millennium trilogy have sold extremely well in Sweden, Denmark and Norway, and been on the top of the bestseller lists for months. Sadly, Stieg Larsson died a few years ago, just after his manuscripts had been accepted by the publisher. He was a journalist, and died at his desk.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is yet another great Swedish crime novel, with an intricate story and interesting, well developed characters. The book is the latest in the great Swedish fiction tradition that begun in 
Mikael Blomkvist, the main character in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, is an investigative financial journalist and publisher/co-owner of the independent magazine Millennium. In one of his stories in the journal, about the crooked and wealthy financier Hans-Erik Wennerstrom, he goes too far. Wennerstrom sues Blomkvist for libel, and Blomkvist loses and is sentenced to jail. Also, Millennium loses credibility and advertising revenue.
Karin Alvtegen
Ake Edwardson
Kjell Eriksson
Karin Fossum
Asa Larsson
Stieg Larsson
Henning Mankell
Liza Marklund
Jo Nesbo
Sjowall & Wahloo
Helene Tursten
However, wealthy Henrik Vanger offers Mikael a deal he can hardly refuse. By doing a job for Vanger that involves uncovering the truth of a disappearance that has been unsolved for 40-odd years, he will get access to evidence to convict Wennerstrom and thus ensure the survival of Millennium.
In examining the case, Mikael Blomkvist eventually teams up with Lisbeth Salander, a free spirited young woman with a dragon tattoo, who is also a drop-out from society, has been labeled dangerous by social workers, and is unable to control her own finances or to manage her own life. However, she has amazing computer skills, and is a very talented hacker. She is also a tough lady.
Together, Mikael and Lisbeth, a quite unlikely but very fascinating pair, manage to piece the case in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo together. And as the pieces fall into place, the pace of the book picks up. The suspenseful conclusion involves the fate of the victim in Vanger’s mystery, Wennerstrom’s power, the future of Millennium, the Vanger secret, as well as backdrops of a Nazi past.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is one of the best crime books written lately. It’s been a while since I enjoyed a crime book as much as this one. The characters and the interpersonal dynamics are highly interesting and well described by Stieg Larsson, and the investigation tickles your imagination. I often found I wanted Mikael and Lisbeth – the girl with the dragon tattoo – to find the next new piece of the puzzle. And the story is haunting. Like excellent wine, the taste of The Girl of the Dragon Tattoo will linger for a while after you have finished with it.
– Peter
Order The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
order The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Order the fantastic crime novels by Steig Larsson – The Girl with Dragon Tattoo and The Girl who Played with Fire – from your favorite amazon store: Stieg Larsson at amazon US
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