The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
5 stars to Stieg Larsson‘s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. You heard all the hype about the author who died and his books weren’t published. You heard that they were translated into English. You heard they were great and both Sweden and Hollywood were making a movie of it. Well, it’s all true. So is the fact that this is a must read for every mystery fan!
Story
So many plots, so little time. Basically, the primary plot is about a missing girl. A relative wants to find out what happened that mysterious day decades ago. Enter a flawed newspaper report. Enter a troubled hacker. Enter a few romances. Mischief. Confusion. Alliances. Enemies. And none of that includes the rather extensive family of the missing girl — some who believe she died, some who couldn’t even care more.
The story weaves in and out telling the various plights of the hacker, the newspaper man and the family with secrets. It comes together in an explosive way — every plot twist imaginable all combined into one. The description of the death scenes are so vivid that feel like you are there! By the end, I wanted to meet these people… and so will you.
Strengths
1. The characters are just a force not to be reckoned with. You will have strong feelings towards ALL of them.
2. The plot and the way in which Larsson weaves the sub-plots together. It’s genius and it’s captivating.
Weaknesses
1. Really none… it’s not for the easy reader or one who wants a straightforward, simple story. You have to want the complexity.
Final Thoughts
Get it now. Don’t watch the movie. Maybe learn Swedish so you can read the story in it’s written language. But to be honest, the translation hardly misses a beat.
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