I got all three books in the trilogy as a present,
and read them all in less than a week (in Swedish), a personal
record.

The first book is now available in English.
(The literal tranlation would have been "Men who Hate Women".)

The books are complete page-turners, the suspense
keeps building. The author's death prior to publication
may have contributed to some minor errors of fact and
of internal consistency, but this does not detract from
the readability.

The background portrayal of a school system
gone haywire and of a mental health system out of control,
both violationg people that don't quite fit in with the
Swedish way resounds with its plausibilty. I am left with
the impression that the author has first-hand experience
with the horrors of the former, if not necessarily the
latter.

Curiously, the author fails to draw the conclusion that
it is the welfare state itself that is the cause, he clearly
embraces it - but then, he is a dyed-in-the-wool Swede.

A piece of advice to the reader: It is helpful to have a
physical map of Sweden handy; with the exception of one
of the main locations (Hedeby, which exists only unrelatedly
in Denmark) all the towns are real.

The "Millenium" magazine featured in the books exists
in the real world as "EXPO", and Mikael Blomkvist is
clearly the author's alter ego. I believe that somebody
familiar with the "in crowd" in Stockholm will find several
matches between the fictitious characters in the trilogy
and real people.


Nils Andersson

I bought this book because of its good reviews, because I love Sweden, and because I'd read about the sad and premature death of its author.

I don't often read mysteries, but this one had me hooked pretty quickly. You can't help being sorry that there will be no more new books from Larsson, but it's a relief to know there are two more books to come in this trilogy, because the characters he created are strong enough to carry that many and more. It's like having a wonderful first course and knowing there are still two to go.

Mikael Blomqvist is a complex protagonist, dogged, humane, flawed and sometimes insecure. His sidekick, the resourceful Lisbeth Salander, who hates to be compared to Pippi Longstocking (thereby making the comparison for us), is even more complicated. Personally, I liked her, and I'm intrigued to know more about her, which will hopefully happen in the next two books.

Plot-wise, this kept me guessing right to the end, with many satisfying twists and surprises. The writing is plain and unadorned, but with a story like this you really don't need lyricism.

All I can say is, I hope the translator is working fast on the sequels!

During a trip to Stockholm last summer, a friend urged me to buy this mystery when it became available in English, and I am so glad he made the recommendation. Larsson was 50 when he died on November 9, 2004. He was a journalist and editor of the Swedish magazine "Expo", who documented and exposed Swedish extreme right and racist organizations. He also contributed articles to "Searchlight", the anti-facist U.K. magazine. At the same time, he was writing fiction. Larsson left three unpublished thrillers which have since been printed. These books are all bestsellers in Sweden and in many other countries, selling millions of copies.

His first novel "Män som hatar kvinnor" (published in English as "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo") was awarded the Glass Key award as the best Nordic crime novel in 2006. It is the first volume in the Millennium trilogy, named after the magazine where Mikael Blomqvist, a Swedish journalist, works. The novel begins just as Blomqvist has lost a criminal libel case brought by a Swedish tycoon, the head of the powerful Wennerstrom Group, and faces a short prison sentence.

Henrik Vanger, a rival industrialist, who wants Blomkvist to find out what happened to his great-niece Harriet, who disappeared almost 40 years before. Blomkvist, an expert in detective novels, calls the disappearance "a sort of locked-room mystery in island format".

The Vanger family lives on Hedeby island, which is linked to the nearby town of Hedestad by a single bridge. A car collides with an oil tanker on the bridge, cutting off the island for several hours. Harriet was last seen shortly before the crash and several hours later her disappearance is discovered. Despite desperate efforts, her body was never found. Vanger agrees to back Millennium financially and give Blomkvist dirt on Wennerstrom when the investigation is successfully completed.

Three of Vanger's brothers were Nazis, supporting Per Engdahl's fascist movement, and the rest of the family have unpleasant histories as well. The Swedish title, literally "Men Who Hated Women", more accurately describes the unbelievable horrors described here; they are based in misogyny and in fascism. Blomkvist teams up with a damaged young woman - the girl with the tattoo - who has a genius for hacking into computers. Together they uncover 40 years of horror.

The novel is a triumph: well drawn characters, tight and twisty plot, and a black, haunting atmosphere. My friend who is fluent in several Nordic languages and in English says that the translation (other than the title) by Steven T. Murray is true to the original. I can hardly wait for the other two volumes in the Millennium series.

This is a multi-layered crime book that breaks several rules, all for the better. The title is a misnomer. The original title translates as "The Man Who Hated Women". It's complex, layered and endlessly engrossing. Every time you think it's coming to a conclusion, it moves to another rewarding track. It doesn't cheat but rewards the reader. Despite the book's relentlessly dark tone, the real sadness is in realizing that no more than the three books Stieg Larsson have written will be published. He died unexpectedly soon after submitting them to his publisher.

Yes, it's that good.

Journalist Mikael Blomquist is hired by a business tycoon to investigate what happened to his nice who vanished a long time ago. He teams up with hacker Lisbet Salander, who is a great character.

Imagine a story that diggs into the one family's darkest seacret. A story that makes twists and turns you wouldn't expect. And imagine a grown up Pippi Longstocking teaming up with journalist Blomquist to solve the mystery.

This is one of the best mystery books ever written. This is blockbuster material. Be patient through the first chapters, before the story really takes off. It will be well worth it!