New paperback edition published to coincide with the major motion picture. Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared from a family gathering on the island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger clan. Her body was never found, yet her uncle is convinced it was murder - and that the killer is a member of his own tightly knit but dysfunctional family. He employs disgraced financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist and the tattooed, truculent computer hacker Lisbeth Salander to investigate. When the pair link Harriet's disappearance to a number of grotesque murders from forty years ago, they begin to unravel a dark and appalling family history. But the Vangers are a secretive clan, and Blomkvist and Salander are about to find out just how far they are prepared to go to protect themselves.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
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Review
'I haven't read such a stunning thriller debut for years. Brilliantly written and totally gripping' Minette Walters.
'An intelligent, complicated page-turner with a wide-ranging plot and two of the most original sleuths I've ever come across' Daily Express.
'I doubt you will read a better book this year' Val McDermid.
'Blomkvist and Salander are vivid and complex creations who lodge in the hearts and minds of readers ... Larsson's books sparkle with wit and playfulness' Val McDermid.
'So much more than a thriller ... a dazzling novel' Harlan Coben.
'An intelligent, complicated page-turner with a wide-ranging plot and two of the most original sleuths I've ever come across' Daily Express.
'I doubt you will read a better book this year' Val McDermid.
'Blomkvist and Salander are vivid and complex creations who lodge in the hearts and minds of readers ... Larsson's books sparkle with wit and playfulness' Val McDermid.
'So much more than a thriller ... a dazzling novel' Harlan Coben.
Review
Brilliantly written...the characters are superbly drawn and the story grips from first to last - 5 stars
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By M Norman
Format:Paperback
Okay...I admit it...I just don't get the whole Stieg Larsson hysteria. After all the hype, I had been relishing getting stuck into this - but in the end I just thought it was a very average thriller. I've tried to be objective about it - maybe I was affected by the hyperbole, maybe I was in the wrong mood, maybe I expected too much, maybe, maybe, maybe...but when all's said and done, I don't think any of that was the case. At the risk of committing literary heresy, I just think this is a not-very-good thriller. There. I've said it.
I know it's a worldwide phenomenon. I know I'm in a minority. But I didn't like it. There are plenty of people who will disagree with me - and Lord knows, it's just one opinion - but I honestly can't put my hand on my heart and say it was even okay.
Whilst I thought the premise was promising (eccentric tycoon commissions disgraced investigative journalist to solve a 40-year-old mysterious disappearance), the plotting was leaden, most of the characters irredeemably unlikeable (with the possible exception of Salander) and the sub-plots completely detached and irrelevant.
I'm not going to be so crass as to suggest how the late Larsson might have written it differently - I'm not qualified to do that - but I do think I was forced to spend an unholy amount of time at the start being given reasons to dislike the central character Michael Blomqvist, finding out more than I needed to know (in the context of relevance to the core storyline) about how he came to commit the libel that will ultimately land him in prison and generally being taken through a series of scenarios and situations that, I discovered, have little, if anything, to do with the key plot.
It's not even as though the story (or finale) is remarkably unique. Whilst it's true to say the solution to the puzzle isn't obvious, neither is it so outlandishly surprising or shocking that it redeems the turgidity of some of what precedes it.
In truth, I feel somewhat silly writing all this. Surely I must be missing something? Talking to my father, who loved it, I can't avoid the creeping suspicion that I have overlooked some aspect or element of the book that has elicited the oohs and ahhs of appreciation that I have heard from so many others. If it's there, then I am either horribly under-appreciative, fiendishly difficult to please or simply stupid. Or perhaps everyone else is a gullible victim of publisher rhetoric. The only way to judge is to read it for yourself.
I know it's a worldwide phenomenon. I know I'm in a minority. But I didn't like it. There are plenty of people who will disagree with me - and Lord knows, it's just one opinion - but I honestly can't put my hand on my heart and say it was even okay.
Whilst I thought the premise was promising (eccentric tycoon commissions disgraced investigative journalist to solve a 40-year-old mysterious disappearance), the plotting was leaden, most of the characters irredeemably unlikeable (with the possible exception of Salander) and the sub-plots completely detached and irrelevant.
I'm not going to be so crass as to suggest how the late Larsson might have written it differently - I'm not qualified to do that - but I do think I was forced to spend an unholy amount of time at the start being given reasons to dislike the central character Michael Blomqvist, finding out more than I needed to know (in the context of relevance to the core storyline) about how he came to commit the libel that will ultimately land him in prison and generally being taken through a series of scenarios and situations that, I discovered, have little, if anything, to do with the key plot.
It's not even as though the story (or finale) is remarkably unique. Whilst it's true to say the solution to the puzzle isn't obvious, neither is it so outlandishly surprising or shocking that it redeems the turgidity of some of what precedes it.
In truth, I feel somewhat silly writing all this. Surely I must be missing something? Talking to my father, who loved it, I can't avoid the creeping suspicion that I have overlooked some aspect or element of the book that has elicited the oohs and ahhs of appreciation that I have heard from so many others. If it's there, then I am either horribly under-appreciative, fiendishly difficult to please or simply stupid. Or perhaps everyone else is a gullible victim of publisher rhetoric. The only way to judge is to read it for yourself.
792 of 829 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have just finished reading this book which was recommended to me by a friend. As someone who is not usually a crime fiction fan (I certainly never buy them), I was not very enthusiastic about it but had some curiousity because of the rave reviews it was getting in other areas also. I found the beginning of the book a bit tedious and was starting to think it was not for me, but, all of a sudden, it got a grip and I found that I was most reluctant to put it down! I have now had the satisfaction of finishing it this morning after a record reading time. I found the book most entertaining, evoking many differing emotions - suspense, disgust, intrigue, and some laughs also. The location being in Sweden was interesting and the translation certainly did not affect the impact of the storytelling. The two main characters were likeable and I grew fond of them and found myself caring about them. The author certainly can reach the reader and at the end, my main emotion was one of satisfaction. I certainly intend to the read his other two books.
Jean Ross
Jean Ross
73 of 76 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
My overall impression of `The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' is positive and I will remember a lot of the strong aspects of the writing, notably the unique characterisation and the Nordic backdrop described. Central to the plot are Kalle' Blomquist, a journalist convicted of libel who serves out his penance between jail and the isolated wilds of Norrland + Lisbeth Salander, an expert system hacker and all-round investigator. Blomquist is employed to investigate the unsolved disappearance of Harriet Vanger in the 1960's. At first he is not really interested but as Blomquist delves into the complex layers of the horrible Vanger dynasty he picks up clues that will ultimately lead to the truth, amid a Silence of the Lambs tale of horror. The social misfit Salander is the star of the book; a complex irrational character who joins up with Blomquist after originally being employed to investigate him. Together the expose the horrible truth and then set about taking down the corrupt businessman that Blomquist had supposedly libelled. It is a bleak tale with no clean cut heroes - Blomquist is clever but lacking in common sense and with awkward social skills in dealing with women. There is a struggle in reading the book where the narrative is over descriptive and long winded, particularly early on when adapting to the style. Sometimes you know what is coming but it takes five extra pages to get there through the extra unnecessary passages. Will have a break before reading the next book - The Girl Who Played with Fire (Millennium Trilogy)
I would advise persevering with the early chapters and wait for the hook the draws you into this harrowing tale.
I would advise persevering with the early chapters and wait for the hook the draws you into this harrowing tale.
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3.8 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Was i expecting too much?
It was ok. I honestly don't know what all the fuss is about. Maybe I was expecting too much. The narrative felt weighed down by unnecessary detail and unimportant characters. Read more
Published 23 hours ago by Graham J. Sharpe
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gets better as the book goes on...
After years of hearing about The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and even after watching the film, I finally got round to reading the book! Read more
Published 1 day ago by Beckie
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent thriller
Excellent story line I'm now reading the second in the trilogy. One of the best thrillers
I have ever read.
I have ever read.
Published 4 days ago by Val
5.0 out of 5 stars
brilliant read!
A real page turner. I was kept enthralled the whole way through it and couldnt put it down. I watched the film trilogy a few months later even though they were in swedishand was... Read more
Published 5 days ago by kathleen fagan
4.0 out of 5 stars
the girl with the dragon tattoo
slow start. didn't really get into this book until chapter 13. when you do get into it, however, it is a good read. didn't like the ending.
Published 6 days ago by verene langdon
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great
I really enjoyed this book like I enjoyed the film!
It was the film but in great detail!
Do it!
It was the film but in great detail!
Do it!
Published 8 days ago by Joseph Atkinson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well worth it
The book had a slow start but all of the intro was necessary for each turn to unfold. It was a very rewarding read.
Published 11 days ago by K. Webb
5.0 out of 5 stars
wow
such a shame that Stieg Larsson died and could write not more books like this series would read and re read. Film is rubbish compared to book
Published 11 days ago by madamcyn1
4.0 out of 5 stars
Difficult to track characters
Difficult to track characters at first,
gripping couldn't put it down,
glad I read it before watching the film
Am moving on to next one!
gripping couldn't put it down,
glad I read it before watching the film
Am moving on to next one!
Published 11 days ago by Avid reader
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stieg Larsson
I don't read trilogy type books easily but you did a great job in telling this story. Thank you Stieg!
Published 12 days ago by MR J CAMPBELL
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