Author:Stieg Larsson Binding: Hardcover Published: 2008-09-16 ISBN: 0307269752 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
"Crept Right Up On Me"
"Takes Some Effort"
"Slow start but great second half... left me wanting more"
"Good Story"
Ready to buy?
Price: $14.97
List Price: $24.95 You save: $9.98 (40%)
Editorial Review:
A sensation across Europe--millions of copies sold A spellbinding amalgam of murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue. It's about the disappearance forty years ago of Harriet Vanger, a young scion of one of the wealthiest families in Sweden . . . and about her octogenarian uncle, determined to know the truth about what he believes was her murder. It's about Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently at the wrong end of a libel case, hired to get to the bottom of Harriet's disappearance . . . and about Lisbeth Salander, a twenty-four-year-old pierced and tattooed genius hacker possessed of the hard-earned wisdom of someone twice her age--and a terrifying capacity for ruthlessness to go with it--who assists Blomkvist with the investigation. This unlikely team discovers a vein of nearly unfathomable iniquity running through the Vanger family, astonishing corruption in the highest echelons of Swedish industrialism--and an unexpected connection between themselves. It's a contagiously exciting, stunningly intelligent novel about society at its most hidden, and about the intimate lives of a brilliantly realized cast of characters, all of them forced to face the darker aspects of their world and of their own lives.
Amazon Best of the Month, September 2008: Once you start The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, there's no turning back. This debut thriller--the first in a trilogy from the late Stieg Larsson--is a serious page-turner rivaling the best of Charlie Huston and Michael Connelly. Mikael Blomkvist, a once-respected financial journalist, watches his professional life rapidly crumble around him. Prospects appear bleak until an unexpected (and unsettling) offer to resurrect his name is extended by an old-school titan of Swedish industry. The catch--and there's always a catch--is that Blomkvist must first spend a year researching a mysterious disappearance that has remained unsolved for nearly four decades. With few other options, he accepts and enlists the help of investigator Lisbeth Salander, a misunderstood genius with a cache of authority issues. Little is as it seems in Larsson's novel, but there is at least one constant: you really don't want to mess with the girl with the dragon tattoo. --Dave Callanan
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Crept Right Up On Me It was a bit slow moving out, but once the characters, the atmosphere, and the growing story line were fleshed out this book took off for me! Delightful and wicked! As it grew closer to the end of the book I found myself not wanting it to end. When it did "finish up" I only wanted more! I want the author to explore, further, the irresistible interplay between Mikael and Salander. Lisbeth Salander is unconventional, extremely bright, intriguing and a nice complement to Mikael's practicality. The Vanger... more info
Takes Some Effort One real problem with this lengthy novel is that it encompasses a multitude of characters--most of whom have exactly the same surname! Hence, you really need to invest a lot of effort and valuable time referring back and forth to the expansive genealogical chart conveniently placed in the opening pages. Another difficulty lies with the occasionally awkward translation which, I thought, was a tad shaky with some foreign sounding naratives that seem odd to American ears. However, if you stick with it,... more info
Slow start but great second half... left me wanting more I don't do many reviews but I felt compelled to write a review of this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it overall, and give it 5 stars. Pros:
* Interesting to get exposed a bit to swedish culture.
* Great characters. Lisbeth Salandar particularly interesting.
* Great multi-threaded storylines.
* Good blend of mystery and thriller
* Exciting ending Cons:
* Started slow for me. First chapter or two discusses a corporate corruption story the main character (a reporter)... more info
Good Story It has been a couple of months since I've read this book, so I don't remember what I liked about it so much. I did enjoy the book and thought that it was an enjoyable read. I am looking forward to the sequel.