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.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo begins on the steps of a courthouse in Sweden after Mikael Blomkvist has been found guilty and sentenced to three months of prison for defaming the Wennestrom Corporation, Wennestrom is also his rival and competition for his magazine Millennium. After his conviction and his career as a serious journalist in the hole he is approached by Henrik Vanger the CEO of Vanger Enterprises asking Mikael to help him solve his forty year obsession, the unsolved murder of his niece Harriett. Against his better judgment, Blomkvist accepts the job.
Lisbeth Salander, a goth and introvert rarely, if ever talks about her past. She is a exceptional hacker and after preforming a background check on Mikael Blomkvist enlists herself to help in unraveling the families secrets.
Lisbeth Salander is the Nancy Drew for adults, she's quick on her feet using her intellect to solve crime and revenge those who have wronged her. She may not be as attractive as Nan is described with her piercings and tattoos but is beautiful in her own way. I see Lisbeth Salander as a hip heroine who like Nancy Drew will not easily be forgotten.
Believe the hype, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is riveting! This thriller had me reading late into the night, holding my eyes open with toothpicks when necessary. There are so many twists and turns that I never saw coming with each member of the Vanger enterprise having more secrets than the last. Harriett, Mikael and Lisbeth's stories cleverly interweaves bringing what can sometimes be a confusing plot to a remarkable semi happy ending. The first in the Millennium Trilogy is a novel that will stay with you long after the cover has been closed.
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11 March, 2012:
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11 March, 2012:
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