Very readable. Author died unexpectedly. Only 3 books. 2 published so far. Will be getting the other 2 for sure. The Minnenium books were recommended to me by Cindy, my sis-in-law, and she could not recommend them highly enough. I can see why. And it is a shame (for him too of course) that Stieg Larsson passed away before he could witness his well-deserved international acclaim and for us readers because it seems very hard to find authors who are "just right" and when we do, they cannot produce fast enough for our rabid eager consumption. With S. Larsson, there will sadly be no more apart from the 3 he handed over to his publishers before his demise.
Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pieced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.
Stieg Larsson was the editor in chief of the magazine Expo. He was a leading expert on anti-democratic, right-wing extremist organizations. He died in 2004, soon after delivering the manuscripts of the novels The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and its sequels.
“Larsson has up his sleeve two extremely engaging protagonists. Once these characters have appeared, our surrender to the novel is guaranteed . . . This is classic English mystery territory. But what follows is much darker and bloodier–more Thomas Harris than Dorothy L. Sayers.”
—The Independent
“The ballyhoo is fully justified . . . The novel scores on every front–character, story, atmosphere, and the translation.”
—The Times
“This is a striking novel, full of passion, an evocative sense of place and subtle insights into venal, corrupt minds . . . The journalist and the hacker are ingenious creations.”
—The Observer
“One of the greatest crime-fiction novels I have ever read . . . As mesmerizing as it is insightful . . . The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a multi-layered, multi-character tale by a writer of some considerable power. Full of social conscience and compassion, with insight into the nature of moral corruption, it knocked me out . . . Mikael Blomkvist and his partner, the enigmatic and deeply troubled Lisbeth Salander, will soon join the pantheon of greatest crime-fiction characters that populate the genre at its apex.”
—Shots Magazine
“A blockbuster story . . . The plot is interesting and credible but above all the heroine is splendidly original . . . An extraordinary book.”
—Literary Review
“An absorbing and idiosyncratic crime novel.”
—Daily Mail