The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium Trilogy, #1)

by Stieg Larsson

Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared off the secluded island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger family. There was no corpse, no witnesses, no evidence. But her uncle, Henrik, is convinced that she was murdered by someone in her own family - the deeply dysfunctional Vanger clan. Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomqvist is hired to investigate, but when he links Harriet's disappearance to a string of gruesome murders from forty years ago, he needs a competent assistant - and he gets one: computer hacker Lisbeth Salander - a tattoed, truculent, angry girl who rides a motorbike like a Hell's Angel and handles makeshift weapons with the skill born of remorseless rage. This unlikely pair form a fragile bond as they delve into the sinister past of this island-bound, tightly-knit family. But the Vangers are a secretive lot, and Mikael and Lisbeth are about to find out just how far they're prepared to go to protect themselves - and each other.

Reviewed by Kim Deister on

4.5 of 5 stars

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In my personal opinion, Lisbeth Salander is one of the best FMC in literature. As a character, she’s been through hell, through more trauma than any one person should ever experience. It’s left her damaged but absolutely brilliant and with a moral code that is the foundation of everything she is. She is far from the typical FMC, in many ways more villainess than heroine, but the reader can’t help but be fully invested in her story, rooting for her every step of the way.

This is not a book for the faint of heart. It is deeply disturbing at times, very dark, and extremely intense. It does not shy away from the darkers parts of the world, nor should it. But it is highly intelligent, emotional, and incredibly engrossing.

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Reading updates

  • 7 March, 2023: Started reading
  • 13 March, 2023: Finished reading
  • 26 April, 2023: Reviewed