The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest by Steig Larsson

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest by Steig Larsson is the 3rd and last book of the Millennium trilogy. I really do not know how to start about it. I am kind of sad that we won't be able to read anything else by the author and that the millennium trilogy is over. It is indeed sad and a rather cruel turn of destiny that the author died shortly after writing the phenomenal series.

 

The story starts right from the point it was left in the 2nd series. Lisbeth is badly wounded with severe injuries and a bullet lodged into her brain and has been rushed into a hospital. So, also is the man who tried to kill her, her father, Zalachenko, a Russian gangster. She is fighting for her life and even if she recovers her worries are far from over. She has been charged for a number of crimes in Sweden and after recovery she has to stand her trail and fight not only to prove her innocence but also to bring to light those in the government who misused their power and did injustice to vulnerable people like her. Her journalist friend Blomkvist is more than ready to help her but there are forces that are constantly working against them. Whether and how Lisbeth would be able to free herself from the charges and bring down the criminals behind closed doors is a thing to read in the novel. Take my words for it, you won't be disappointed.

Crime fiction is not a genre I usually read and it was only after one of my friends told me about how fabulous the series is, I picked up the first book and the second and then the last. As a reader, I can appreciate how the author has structured the story and brought about to the reader. One of the main strength of the series is the characters. They are so plausible, believable and real that even if they are doing things that seems unbelievable, you are inclined to think that, yes it is possible. The ingenious hacking skills of Lisbeth for one thing, is an important aspect of the story on which depends how the story is going to take shape. The story seems very straight forward at first and you feel as you can guess what is going to happen next. But, wait! It takes a totally unexpected turn. That is the quality that keeps the readers hooked to it till they have turned the last page. There are some sub plots, like Berger getting anonymous threatening mails, which does not have much to do with the main story line and still it is accommodated so well that it actually works for the story.

At one point when the trail of Lisbeth was over, I really thought that this was it. But, no, there is more - that is Larsson for you! The novel has all the ingredients from the first and the second series, namely child abuse, sex trafficking, financial fraud dealings, misuse of power by the ones in power etc etc. The author has provided us with a story has a good balance of all these and it is indeed thought provoking. The only thing that didn't work for me was when the author goes into minute political details of Sweden at times. But all in all an excellent read, one of the kind that will be in your memory forever. I am kind of at a loss that it is over.