THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO by Stieg Larsson and translated from the Swedish by Reg Keeland

I had to wait two months for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo once I put it on hold.  Even now there are 31 holds on this book. This international best seller was published in 2009, so why all the interest in 2010? And was it worth the wait?

Mikael Blomkvist, a financial journalist who has just been found guilty of libeling a large corporation, agrees to investigate the disappearance of Harriet Vanger 40 years ago, in exchange for the real dirt on the libeled corporation. He has help from Lisbeth Salander, the one with the tattoo, who is a crackerjack investigator and computer hacker.

The book starts slowly as the many players connected to Harriet’s disappearance are described and as the scene is set in a small Swedish town. The pace picks up as the investigation progresses. Old photos of a traffic accident on the day that Harriet was last seen are used to identify suspicious characters. Harriet’s family is linked to a series of old murders. Mikael is attacked as they get closer to the answer. This is a well-written suspense thriller that kept me engrossed to the very end. 

However, Larsson continually points out Sweden’s bad track record with regard to the treatment of women. In fact, few men in this story are respectful or even kind to any of the women. Harriet’s disappearance and Lisbeth’s quirkiness are a result of being taken advantage of at a young age. 

So was it worth the wait? It is a good read, but why not try something by Henning Mankell?

SS