When Journalist Mikael Blomkvist loses his battle against corrupt financier Wennerstrom and is convicted of libel, he makes several decisions that will affect the next year of his life. He briefly decides to separate himself from Millennium, the magazine he publishes, and after much thought, agrees to sign a contract with octogenarian Henrik Vanger to pursue the cold case of his missing grandniece, Harriet. He goes to stay in a cottage on the island and family compound while he works.
More than thirty years before, Harriet had gone missing from the island where the family resides, and despite the efforts of the police, no trace of her has been found. There are many boxes full of files, however, which Mikael begins to sort through.
Meanwhile, in another story arc, a young woman named Lisbeth Salander has prepared an investigative report on Mikael Blomkvist for a client. A freelance worker for a securities firm, she is able to excel at what she does best—brilliant investigative work, utilizing computer hacking skills, while not having to deal with her issues with authority. She is a mysterious person with secrets of her own.
In the process of the “wild goose chase” of searching for new leads, Blomkvist decides he needs an investigative assistant to help him, and takes on Lisbeth Salander as his associate—after discovering that she prepared a report on him prior to Vanger’s offer to him. Her thoroughness impressed him.
The two of them soon find some leads, and a lot more clues that suggest a serial killer may be on the loose. Meanwhile, someone nearby on the island is sending very dark messages which suggest that the two may have zeroed in on some of the answers.
What thread are the investigators beginning to unravel, and how does it connect to Harriet’s disappearance? What unexpected danger lurks nearby?
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was a thrill ride that kept me reading late into the night. In the beginning, I was slow to connect with the characters and the story. A lot of initially confusing details kept me checking and rechecking to make sure I understood what was happening. The Swedish names and places were also difficult to distinguish from one another at times, but once I got past the first 50 pages (I am guessing, since it was on the Kindle), I was hooked. Now I am very eager to read the next book in the trilogy. I would love to discover the hidden layers of Lisbeth’s character, and I suspect there is a lot more to her story.
I’m choosing four stars for this one and plan to order the next one right away.
GO OUT ON A LIMB & COMMENT