The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson is the first book in the Millenium trilogy of books. Frank Rich's article in the New York Times describes the financial industry corruption and incompetence as a theme in the book and that resonates so much these days.

I found the book easy to put down at first. After reading a dozen or so fantasy/scifi books in a row I thought it was time to touch base with more mainstream fiction. The Millenium series seemed to show up on many best-seller lists so it seemed like a good candidate. By the time I has half way through I could not put the book down; and after staying up all night to finish the book I was cracking the next book while the birds outside were greeting the new day.

Financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist investigates an old missing person case that leads to uncovering a number of gruesome murders. He and his magazine, Millenium, provide insight into Swedish culture, politics, and economy. Blomkvist is a normal man put into an unusual situation. His partner is another matter.

Lisbeth Salander is a four foot eleven, 90 pound, misanthrope who truculently and sometimes violently deals with the obstacles set before her. She is hired by Blomkvist to do research for him and they soon settle into a friendship of sorts. Salander is not a the sort of character one warms up to. Her past is wrapped in mystery. She has been dealt a bad hand by life yet refuses to be a victim. A complex character, the reader is left wanting to know more about her.

Definitely worth reading.