I rated this book 9/10...
A murder mystery, family saga, love story, and a tale of financial intrigue wrapped into one satisfyingly complex and entertainingly atmospheric novel.Harriet Vanger, 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 pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.
I waited so long to read this book and find out what the fuss is about and I was pleasantly surprised. Stieg Larsson has thrown together some fabulous characters at no cost to the winding plot. Let's face it, Salander is one of the most kick-ass female characters you'll find in a crime novel, she even rides a 125 Kawasaki. She refuses to be a victim, even when she is a victim.
I enjoyed the twists, and although it took a while to set the scene and the characters, it was worth sticking with through to the end. There were some very disturbing scenes to get through, so not one for the faint hearted, but they didn't seem to be put in place solely for the shock value. Unfortunately, Larsson didn't completely detach his writing from the popular 'woman as victim' theme - but that was my only gripe.
If you haven't already read this book (and I'm sure you have), it's worth putting on the TBR pile and getting stuck in.
A new book featuring Larsson's characters is due out in August 2015. That Which Does Not Kill has been written by David Lagercrantz as Larsson sadly died of a heart attack in 2004 aged 50.
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