Book Review: The girl with the dragon tattoo

INTRODUCTION

This book is the first installment in the Millennium series. The book is set in the early 2000s in Sweden (mainly Stockholm and a village called Hedestad).

One of the best things I liked about reading this book is its setting. The way the author describes the environment is apt and visually appealing. The general pace of this book is fast, and it is essentially a classic page-turner mystery novel that you simply can’t put down.

PLOT SUMMARY

Lisbeth Salander is a girl in her mid-20s, a hacker by passion and personal investigator by profession. She is a troubled girl but tries to find her way throughout the book by analyzing the consequences of her actions. Basically a recluse, she has a hard time connecting with folks at work or outside. But she is an absolute badass. She doesn’t fear speaking her mind and following through with her decisions.

Mikael Blomkvist, on the other hand, is a financial journalist in his mid-50s. Having moved on from a failed marriage, he is a bit of a ladies’ man. Though unlike some other characters who are deeply misogynistic, Mikael is a good person who genuinely cares about people in his life.

Without reading this book, I would have never known that Sweden has such high sexual abuse rates. The author highlights this in multiple places in the book, and the moments were graphic enough to make smoke come out of my ears. Upon reading about this online, I found that the original Swedish title was “Men Who Hate Women,” which definitely seems more apt.

The book starts off with a bit of turbulence in Blomkvist’s life when he is being sued for one of his articles on business magnate Wennerström. Trying to mitigate the situation, Blomkvist decides to take some time off. But Henrik Vanger (ex-CEO of the multi-billion dollar Vanger Corporation) has some other plans for him. He wants Blomkvist to solve a family mystery.

SPOILER: He wants Blomkvist to investigate the murder of Harriet Vanger in 1966, almost 40 years after it happened.

Initially reluctant, Mikael sets out to solve the mystery. He is later joined by Lisbeth Salander, and the roller coaster journey of how they attempt to solve one of Henrik’s greatest personal mysteries begins. Piece by piece, they begin unraveling the truth, but not without consequences.

The story continues at a fast pace with lots of twists and turns, making it a must-read thriller.

CONCLUSION

Overall, the book hits all the perfect spots for someone wanting to read a crime thriller. I would highly recommend this to readers who enjoy dark, gritty thrillers and can handle graphic content. If you’re new to Scandinavian crime fiction, this is an excellent starting point.