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.

#21 Teaser Tuesdays~ The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

Before sharing today's teaser, I would like to tell you about a meme I have started, Lucky Library Picks which happens every alternate Friday. Do check out the details here and see if you are interested in participating. It is very simple. Do check out Lucky Library Picks #1 and #2. Thanks.

 "She opened her eyes to narrow slits. She saw the face of a complete stranger and memorized every detail."
Page: 75

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Share the title & author, too, so that others can add the book to their TBR Lists!

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

The Girl Who Played with Fire is the second book of the much acclaimed Millennium series by the Swedish author Steig Larsson. I had read the first book of the series - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo last year and ever since had been meaning to read the rest next two novels and finally I laid my hands on this.

The second book is almost a continuation of the first book and the story starts from where it was left. It touches most of the loose threads left in the first novel and leaves some more loose ends which I presume will be addressed in the next book of the series (which I can't wait to read).The suspense and thrill factor is huge and the readers are hooked right from the beginning. The author makes you believe the unbelievable. The computer hacking and internet jargons went above my head and I wondered if such feats are actually possible. The story has all the elements that were there in the first and the plot is even more gripping than the first one.

The story starts with simultaneous stories from Lisbeth Salander i,e the girl with the dragon tattoo and the lead character of the novel and Mikael Blomkvist, the investigative journalist and the publisher of the magazine, Millennium. Lisbeth is taking a tour round the world while indulging in her interest of mathematics. Mikael is working with a young journalist couple, Dag Svensson and his girlfriend who are working on a sensational subject on sex trafficking in Sweden which if published will shake the roots of the so called elite section of the society. Blomkvist plans to run the story on an upcoming issue of Millennium. But things goes absolutely hay ware when the the couple are found dead in their apartment. Things get more complicated when Lisbeth's guardian, Nils Bjurman is found murdered in his apartment with the same weapon. All evidence points at one direction- Lisbeth Salander. With her disturbed past, vengeful and unpredictably violent behavior, she is declared to be a threat to the society. But, the problem is no one can locate her. Hence, begins a search to find and locate her and in the process the story unfolds unraveling the dark secrets that had been long sealed behind closed doors.

This book is just un-put-down-able (if there is a word as such). The author has carved a story so addictive that you keep reading till you have turned the last page. A first rate crime novel, a fast paced page turning story that will be in your thoughts long after you have read it, not just for the story but for the meticulously etched characters and the message the author has tried to convey through the series. A must read!

Stieg Larsson was a Swedish Journalist and one of the world's leading experts on anti democratic, right wing extremist and Nazi Organizations. He had died unexpectedly in 2004 soon after delivering the manuscripts for three crime novels - The Millennium Trilogy to his publisher. All of them have been posthumous best sellers and have been made into movies.

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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson | Book Review

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" 

by Stieg Larsson 

#BookReview

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson is a sensational thrilling and a complex crime novel that deals largely with a murder mystery, financial fraud, sexual abuse of women and the darker aspects of the life of the privileged echelon in the society.

What is better than sinking into a cosy blanket with an interesting novel on cold wintry days? Well, I believe nothing like that! I finished reading this interesting novel, 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'. By the name of it, I was under an impression that some magic and occult practices might be involved in the story. But, I was wrong.

This is the first novel in the author's 'Millennium Trilogy' series. Stieg Larsson was a Swedish Journalist and one of the world's leading experts on anti-democratic, right-wing extremist and Nazi Organisations. He had died unexpectedly in 2004 soon after delivering the manuscripts for three crime novels - The Millennium Trilogy to his publisher. All of them have been posthumous best sellers and have been made into movies.

The novel story has roughly 3 plots of story entwining intricately and culminating into a spelling binding saga. The story starts with the octogenarian industrialist - Henrik Vanger, head of Vanger Corporation - currently run by his great-nephew Martin Vanger, receiving a frame of pressed flowers on his 82nd birthday. It had been a ritual receiving them for the past 40 years on his birthday. He had received it from his granddaughter 'Harriet' for the first time. The later year Harriet had disappeared mysteriously without a trace and all the following years he had received the frame of pressed flowers from some anonymous sender. It intrigued him and tormented him. He had spent his life trying to discover what had happened to Harriet and was obsessed with it. He believed someone in the family had murdered her.

In the second plot, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, a partner in the publishing firm, 'Millennium' loses a libel case against Billionaire Industrialist, Hans Erik Wennerstrom. Mikael is sentenced to 3 months jail and fined with a huge penalty. Faced with a prison sentence and a professional disgrace he chooses to take a break in his career and decides to resign from the magazines' board. His decision is met with resistance from his other partner-Erika Berger, his longtime friend, confidant and occasional lover. Dismissing all disapproval, he stands by his own decision which he thinks is good for him and for the magazine's survival.

The third plot is about, Lisbeth Salander- the girl with the dragon tattoo, who is a security specialist at Milton Security. She is an ingenious hacker and uses her skills in her assignments at Milton Security. She has a disturbed past and that has followed her all her life. She is introvert, has a bad temper and keeps her life largely to herself. She is given the assignment to dig into Mikael Blomvist's life by Vanger's longtime friend and faithful lawyer, Frode.

Mikael is summoned by Vanger to his house in Hedeby. Very inquisitively, he visits him and is offered a rather unusual assignment. Vanger asks him to officially write a book on Vanger family but his real assignment would be to dig into Harriet's case and possibly find out what happened to her in a year time. He promised him a huge financial reward and a solid evidence against Wennerstorm that would help him fight back in the court. Mikael agrees to do the task.

Mikael delves deep into the Vanger's past to uncover the truth behind Harriet's disappearance. He begins analyzing the information compiled by Henrik Vanger for over 40 years. He carries both real and official assignments simultaneously. The Vanger family is one large family with lots of relations and Mikael also finds it hard to remember who is who for the first few days. After months of futile hard work, Mikael makes some advancement and finally sees a ray of hope. At this stage, he requires a research assistant to help him. Frode suggests Salander's name and eventually, she is involved in the investigation.

They make some serious progress in the investigation to find out that there is someone who does not want the past to be revealed. Facing all deterrence, they continue to find out one of the darkest secrets of the Vanger family and the mystery into Harriet's disappearance in a very dramatic way. Finally, he cracks Harriet's mystery only to find out that Henrik's promise of a solid evidence against Wennerstorm had been mostly a bluff to lure him take this assignment. On top of that Henrik requests him not to publish the dark secrets of his family, he has come to know out of Harriet's case investigation. As a journalist, he is in a great dilemma and gives in to it. Lisbeth comes up with the idea of helping with evidence against Wennerstorm and together they work out a plan to expose Wennerstorm and save Millennium from collapsing.

The story in the novel after Harriet's case breakthrough becomes monotonous. The author in his childhood had been a witness of child abuse and sexual assault and that has a lot of influence on the storyline. The story offers a very ugly view of human nature and in particular how Swedish men treat Swedish women. The actual title of this novel in Swedish was' Men who hate women', which to me seems apter rather than this one. Most of the part of the novel had been about Harriet and the title does not seem to do justice to the content of the story. The character of Mikael also seems to fall for any woman in its way. Maybe the writer is trying to portray another Swedish man. 

Overall, the story begins on an exciting and high note, carries it to a considerable length and then suddenly falters a bit. None the less, it is an interesting novel with a gripping plot and deeply intriguing and varied characters. If crime fiction is a genre you enjoy, this should definitely on your to-read list.

Want to grab a copy, you can buy it here.

I have also read the next two books in the Millenium Trilogy series. You can check out their review in the links below.

The Girl who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

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