It's rare that one reads a page turner that is also intelligent and unique. This book and both its sequels fit the bill on all counts.

I finished this book last month, but wanted to reflect a bit before writing this review. Sure enough, the book really stayed with me, so here I am at my keyboard recommending it to others. What I loved about this book was its multilayered and original (even quirky) plot. This is an unconventional book, and as I was reading along, I wasn't sure where it would go; in fact, I wasn't even sure who the protagonist was. There's a whodunit in here, but that's not really the book's focus or (in my opinion) its strength. Rather, the real pleasure of this book is just letting it carry you along in a journey through some unusual (but still believable) lives. I'm glad I didn't judge this book by its title, which seems just as quirky as everything else in the book (although I suspect the significance of the title may become clearer once I read the second and third books in the series, which I now intend to do). No matter how you feel about tattoos, don't let the title turn you off; this book quickly draws you in and doesn't let you down. And even though this offbeat Swedish thriller is a runaway bestseller, it still makes you feel kind of cool (the way that seeing the movie "Diva" felt back in the 80s).

Stieg Larsson's Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is a delight to read. With a nod to the translator, Reg Keeland, the pages flow together seamlessly and create an absorbing and fresh style that demands your attention. The characters are remarkable, the plot is suspenseful, and after it's over, you find yourself incapable to stop yourself from reading the first few pages of the sequel that is included with the book.

Larsson's writing is humble, a refreshing break from other best selling authors. The style is straightforward, but Larsson's control of description transports you to a distant world, which doesn't seem that far from reality. The treatment of corporate corruption, sexual assault, and prejudice all combine together, creating a sense of morality that encompasses every aspect of modern day culture without sounding preachy.

For me, this story is an encouraging sign for readers: fiction can be entertaining and brilliant. This one should stay on the charts for years to come.

Intrepid journalist, recently indicted on a Libel charge, is approached by the aging/ailing Head of a noted/notorious Family of Industry..to solve the "mystery" of his Granddaughter's 40-year-old Murder...Let the Games begin.

Mikael Blomkvist is, in fact, an intrepid journalist...albeit on the moody/sexy/nerdy side...which leads him down many a garden path, and through many a bedroom door. LOTHARIO seems to be his second name..distracting to a point...

The VANGERs....give "family values" a bad name..turning said values on their head with a few slaps, punches, whip strokes, and cigarette burns. These people are not Nice, but neither are they truly repulsive. No Borgias here...just wealthy people too accustomed to getting their own way. Poor Grandpops Henrik is both clueless regarding the foibles of the Rest..and all too aware. Which gives his concern regarding dear Harriet's 'murder" an odd flavor..Murder? Disappearance? It seems that he's the only one to care..about anything other than himself. But his approach to Blomkvist...and the whole Family History assignment, is a smokescreen...for the destruction of a dishonest Financier (this part of the book..the Very End..was the best)...Harriet? yes, well......

I'm not squeamish regarding violent subject matter..but one can read only so much about torture/rape..before it becomes laughable...The "villain" in this case (Martin the Pathetic) was merely his father's son (Gottfried the Insane)...and Harriet (the little sister) would have paid if not for.......
but enough of the Vangers..

I love Liz(abeth) Salander..the anorexic, tattooed girl of the title. Wunderkind researcher, consummate computer hacker...Little-Girl-With-A Heart-Of-Ice...She's the only one who emerges from this book with a "clue" and a plan....to destroy those who have tried to marginalize/"destroy" her. The result of a Horrid Childhood, Liz doesn't let that stop her in her quest for Justice...I wish her well on her journey...she can stay with me any time...

I bought this book truthfully not expecting much but wanting something to read. From the first page I enjoyed the book immensely and am looking forward to reading the other two books written by Larsson. I passed the book along to my dad who while an avid reader, tends to be a little pickier than me and he enjoyed the book as well. I thought the plots were well written and believable and the characters were very interesting. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to those who enjoy murder mysteries with a nice touch of suspense.

I loved it from the get go. It was captivating with humor and great descriptions.Very easy to read and held your attention. As soon as I finished it I wanted his other book, The Girl Who Played with Fire. So sad that author died young. What made it a bit different is that it is set in Sweden. You learn alot about Sweden and the culture there.

I thoroughly enjoyed Larsson's first novel, however I laughed until my stomach hurt over Blomkvist's visit to Australia. Did he get his research off an Aussie who was having a lend of him? As far as I know, only cattle are run on stations close to Tennant Creek, its too rugged and too hot for sheep. As to the chickens and pigs, there are no commercial chicken farms in the Northern Territory. The only pigs around are dangerous feral monsters that would happily eat any of the chickens that weren't taken by the feral dogs and cats. Most of the locals don't drive jeeps - they prefer helicopters, motor bikes and horses to round up the cattle. The preferred vehicle, at least when I lived there was a Landcruiser. The scene where they are shooting the sheep was just hilarious- and seemed so wrong. There is no mention of working dogs or Aboriginal jackaroos. Blomkvist eats a meal of mutton at a local pub(maybe he had a lamb roast) and drives on a back road to the station)they are pretty much all backroads or the one main road, the Stuart Highway.) Then there was the name of the local area - Muckawucka? (Or was it Wuckawucka- I listened to an audio book so I don't have the text to check.) I may be the ignorant one, but I can't find a place of that name on any map. It just sounds like a joke. I was just waiting for a mention of drop bears to complete the gag.

While this was very amusing, it did impact a little on my appreciation of the novel. From that point, on I wondered about the legitimacy of the details given in the rest of the book. However, I still enjoyed the novel very much and recommend it. And to any Australians who read it, expect a good laugh towards the end.

The first book in Stieg Larsson's Millenium Trilogy is many things: a murder case, a financial intrigue, a family saga, and an (ersatz) feminist revenge fantasy. Its extraordinary popularity is almost certainly due to its partaking of the last category. Larsson's tale dwells uncomfortably on the horrible things that can be accomplished by "Men Who Hate Women" (the transliteration of the work's original Swedish title), and then tries to balance the score by offering elaborate retaliations visited upon the misogynists by the novel's avenging angel, an antisocial young woman named Lisbeth Salander who works as a researcher for a security firm. The novel tries to have it both ways: it offers Old Testament-style atrocities committed against women for us (and the novel's soft hero, Mikhael Blomkvist) to cluck over, and also to titillate us; then it offers Salander's vengeance schemes ostensibly to balance the injustices committed against women but really to titillate us even further. It's like "Inglourious Basterds," but imagined in terms of gender politics. Unfortunately, Salander is not as imaginative a creation as many fans of the book have proposed, and seems all too reminiscent of the many fabulous femmes fatales with attitude and technological know-how who have become archetypes of postmodern espionage stories, from Modesty Blaise to Sydney Bristow to La Femme Nikita; moreover, her willingness to sexually please her partner and only friend Blomkvist without him ever asking complicates any claims some have made that this novel truly champions feminism.

The novel works best in its central section, a complex mystery involving the disappearance of an industrial heiress on her family's private island more than thirty years previous to the main events of the novel: the sinister secrets of the Vanger family make the novel work here as a very gripping and dark family saga. Unfortunately, this plot is book-ended by a subplot involving financial intrigue that almost bored me into giving up the novel initially, and that I couldn't wait to get through in its final one hundred or so pages. The international success of the novel is undeniable, and at the very least the work is worth picking up just to see how Larsson can strike so many chords that resonate with a contemporary readership.

Everyone I knew was reading "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo". None of them could put it down. They devoured it. I was intrigued by the spell this author cast on these readers. What's his secret? I had to know.

So I read it myself. Surprisingly, I couldn't seem to get into it until about the 200-page mark. And, no, not because he spends a lavish amount of time on the legal troubles of the magazine and the perils of financial journalism. (I rather enjoyed that part.) I just found all the principal characters . . . well, unlikeable. Lisabeth Salander is anti-social at face-value. The writer presents her as hard-to-like. (So I don't count that against the novel.) But Mikael Blomkvist, the main character--the man through whose eyes we experience the story--is an unscrupulous scoundrel. He sleeps with another man's wife, immediately cheats on her with an older woman, and then--for no reason whatsoever--sleeps with Salander (a rape victim, young enough to be his daughter). He's an exceptionally sleazy guy with absolutely no conscience--so it's particularly grating when he hypocritically rants on about morality when it comes to the financier Wennerstrom. Likewise with his soapbox (and paternalistic) preaching about violence-against-women.

The guy is as amoral as they come, yet he demands morality from others, without the slightest moment of cognitive dissonance (or self-awareness) on his part.

Additionally, Larsson makes rookie mistakes as a writer when he takes things too far. Like when he cheesily makes Salander have a "photographic memory". Anyone conversant with the subject knows that only about 3 people in all history have had a documented "photographic memory". It's extraordinarily rare. So when he gives the attribute to Salander, it just comes off as silly. (We already liked her at that point. So he should have left well-enough alone. But he threw in that cheese, and added a blemish to an otherwise wonderful character.) Likewise when he has her mention her habit of finishing equations in astrophysics (after dozens of references throughout the book where people assume she's mentally disabled). We get that she has a mind. You don't have to throw in embarrassing stuff like "astrophysics". Reminded me of an axiom from film-making. When a famous director saw a ham over-acting, he'd simply say "Less!"

At those moments when Larsson did that, I felt like saying, "Less!"

But this is all mere quibbling. The story itself is wonderful, gripping and fresh. (I just wish I liked Blomkvist more and didn't find him to be such an obnoxious moral hypocrite and self-righteous prig.)

The translation is TERRIBLE, with poor word choices, hackneyed phrases, and mixed metaphors. Changing the title from the original Swedish "Men Who Hate Women" is a bad mistake. AND the book needs some serious editing, to excise an overly long and uninteresting beginning and to punch-up the story when it degenerates into a lazy list of email exchanges toward the end.

But even with these flaws, I found "Dragon Tattoo" an interesting enough read to justify my time.

For me, much of that interest comes from the female protagonist in the story, who might be severely emotionally damaged but is also strictly moral and thus strangely appealing. She seems to be just about the only character that's well developed in the novel. And even for her, the author clearly doesn't think we're smart enough to figure out the genesis of her underlying quirks by ourselves, as he feels compelled to explain to us about mid-novel that she suffers from Asperger syndrome. Duh! Really? What a shock, NOW her behavior all makes sense (sorry, that was sarcasm there).

While I enjoyed the book enough to give it 3 stars, I don't understand all the enthusiasm and praise that the book has gotten. You want a quirky, broken, female protagonist and a ripper of a who-done-it story? Read "Dark Places" by Gillian Flynn, which I found to be a similar yet FAR superior novel.

If you're looking for a relatively interesting read, that WILL get you guessing about "who-done-it"... or you want to know what your friends are talking about when they discuss Lisbeth Salander... go ahead and read The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Just be ready for some uneven patches, and an annoyingly bad translation (have you dictionary ready to look up "gallimaufry", when you encounter it).

The book can easily be divided into 3 parts: slow, fast and back to the future. Be patient while you read the 1st 3rd of the novel as events tend to be unfolding so slowly and they are not easily linked. Then, almost suddenly, the pace accelerates so fast you are practically breathless (and sleepless). Then it slows down to end with a feel good ending that ties the story to the (slow) beginings. At the end, it all makes sense and starts to feel coherent. It leaves you wanting (wishing?) that the heroine will return.

Rarely do I stay up late reading. In this case, I did. The case is an intriguing who-done-it, wrapped up in some historical information (Sweden, nazis, etc) and an interesting, entertaining, beguiling view of the high tech world. Good character development, rarely seen in who-done-its. I look forward to reading the next book.

This book was chosen for a book club choice so that is why I started reading it. We realized it was part of a trilogy but were only going to read the first book. It took me a bit to get into the book but once I got past about 40 pages I was hooked. We have now decided to read the second book for another month's book club choice. I would recommend this book highly!

Salander, the transcendent female character created by Steig Larson, is a breakthrough for female literary protagonists. What's more - she's really fun to read about. Larson tells an compelling story in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. The story is set in Sweden amidst the financial & magazine publishing world. Blomkvist, a most likable reporter, has been recently busted for a journalist no-no. Apparently, he wrote an article full of charges against a formidable company that he simply can not prove. In his despair, he takes an unlikely job, working for the head of a major corporation who wants Blomkvist to write his family's memoirs as a ruse to uncovering some family secrets long since buried.

As Blomkvist starts to make progress on the mystery, upsetting the extended family in the process, and finds himself in need of the very specific skills of Salander. They meet, they work together and they tussle a bit. Read the book to see how this unlikely pair attempt to solve the mystery and turn their own personal and professional lives around in the process.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is perfectly paced and painstakingly developed mystery complete with suspense and romance. You are going to love it. Luckily the Salander character makes a reappearance in Larson next two books. Lucky us!

This book was a bit slow starting up but then I couldn't put it down. My book group read it and everybody commented that the book was addictive. People found themselves sneaking off to read it at 2 in the morning. I found Steig Larrson a very appealing writer. In fact, I got a crush on him as I was reading. The book is more than just a thriller; the characters have some real depth. And I love all the Swedish places and names. The book makes you want to take a vacation in Sweden. I'm now in the middle of the second book, "The Girl who Played with Fire," also terrific.

I am 160 pages in at the moment, but just can't go any further. Based on what's happened so far I should be about 30 pages in. A boring, cliche-ridden book that creates no suspense and needs a good hard edit. I get more excitement from reading Spot's First Walk with my daughter for the 100th time.

It's too bad that Stieg Larsson could not have believed in his own talents enough to avoid appealing to the basest of human instincts to sell books. I bought Girl with the Dragon Tattoo to read for book club. But I'm sorry I spent one penny on it or read one word. Men's brutality to women is not a subject that I care to read about. How could the author look his own mother in the face after conceiving and writing of such brutality. Not that the entire book is trash. There is worthy material there, enough to keep me reading beyond the point where I should have bailed out. But I did bail out long before the end and only wish I had done so sooner.

The depth and detail in the book is exceptional. The mystery was so well developed and the various angles were linked. Flowing from beginning to end without that typical brief wrap up in the last few chapters. Well written and very interesting.

For some reason, a number of people have hyped "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" as anything more than a thriller, as some book that tackles broad ideas regarding society. While Larsson does present a fairly cynical view of the world, I'm not sure that there's any great social commentary to be made. In the end, this is just a crime thriller. Don't expect Tolstoyian philosophical details, no matter how some try to present it.

As far as the crime thriller part goes, it's fairly good. It's hurt by the lead character (at least in terms of page time) being a rather dislikable and dishonorable character. The title character (who serves more of a supporting role in terms of page time) is a far more compelling and interesting one, although Larsson seems to take pleasure in making her life as rough as possible.

The resolution to the main mystery comes a bit early; the resolution to the lead character's predicament is achieved later but in a far less satisfying manner.

Finally I was able to land my hands on a good thriller and once I finished this book I bought its sequel (girl who played with fire). Full credits to the author. I am taking away one star because at times it gets verbose (so you need to be know how to skim) and that the last 50 pages of the book are really a stretch since the mystery was already solved.

As said before the synopsis has been reviewed on enough here, I will just write about my personal impressions. As well as a couple of counter arguments that were mentioned the in negative critical reviews.

Our girl with the dragon tattoo is anything but a one dimensional character. She is very complex with her own demons driving her. She has as extreme anti-social personality disorder with tendencies bordering on psychopathy. But with some very important personal traits that exclude her from being a true sociopath. She does have empathy towards others like her that have been abused or misused as well as a driven need for vengeance towards those that have forsaken the trust that may have been invested in them. But she does have a learned (as opposed to a inherently ingrained) sense of what is right and wrong. She is NOT a peripheral character. The novel goes back and forth between her perspective and that of an investagative reporter that she finally hooks up with about half way into the book. Even thought the book spends more time with him in that first half, it is her portions, though, that really grab your attention. When I finished the book, I had a hard time starting my next one as I kept thinking back to "The Girl" and hoping the best for her. I will be reading the other two books in this series.

As far as being a slow read, maybe a little in the beginning, but this is not some mindless Dan Brownesque page turner though. It is a well thought out story with some really involving characterizations, you will know these people and have a good chance (if you are paying attention) to come up with some good ideas as to the solution. There is also a totally essential genealogy chart at the beginning of the book to help you keep track of the players. You will be referring to it often so you might as well bookmark it.

I enjoyed this book beyond just a temporarily entertainment. I will be thinking about it for some time.

===
Don Freeman
[...]

As others have mentioned , there is a twinge of sadness that goes along hand in hand with the Millennium Trilogy of which this is the beginning. As the books and characters captivate heart and imagination the thought that they will have died with their author continues to grow until the last page has been turned.. Such a shame... Stieg Larsson's untimely demise has deprived us of much pleasure... While this is perhaps the slowest of the three novels making up the trilogy , it has a momentum that rolls along quietly until its sudden ,shocking and violent climax.. These are much more than crime novels.. They are fine entertaining reads that transcend the genre over and over again ... Such a shame that we will have no more.....

I love knowing there is a series to follow when I start a new book because if I've loved the book I don't feel
bereft at its end. The characters in this novel are ones I want to know better, so I'm hopeful I meet them again
in the following books whose titles are reminiscent of this one.
The girl with the dragon tattoo, the narrator and the other characters are very interesting and unique. I liked how the
story unfolded.

Steig Larsson's "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," is the very
best mystery novel, I have read in many years.Fast paced,complex,
with welldrawn characters,I could not put this book down with
ease.I made sure we ate and I cleaned up the kitchen every night,
and then I ran back to my novel.It required some heavy thinking on my part...plus I liked the fact it was long.
Lisbeth Salander,the main character,a goth like looking girl with
the tatoos fascinated me.I was especially intriqued with how
she worked diligently with the computer in the last section.
This is all I can say about the book...I do not want to spoil
a mystery for other readers.I have already pre-ordered the second
and third novel.I only hope I can wait until March 23rd.
It too bad Mr. Larsson passed away before he enjoyed his success.
K.Hemmer

I was alerted to this author through a review I read in a magazine. I loved it and so did my husband. What a thrill ride.

Wow, what a strange, riveting book...plot and characters all deliciously complex and the pace quite galloping. At least two nights, I stayed up way past my bedtime because I couldn't put it down. Intrigue, dysfunction, macabre scenarios, religion, sex, occult, murder, fraud, high level electronic espionage...amazing.

This book is engaging enough that most readers will probably enjoy it, but it left a lot wanting for me. I'll try to do a spoiler free critic.

There are two main characters in this story: Mikael Blomkvist, the honorable middle-aged journalist who is forced to take a job playing super-sleuth, and Lisbeth Salander, a social outcast and brilliant young hacker. Almost inevitably these two meet up and work together to solve a decades old mystery concerning the disappearance of a young woman and to bring down a powerful, corrupt businessman. The mystery they must solve was the highlight of the book for me. It was at times intensely interesting, but at other times extremely frustrating and ultimately anti-climactic. I stopped reading the book for a few weeks after the mystery was solved, partially because I was let down by the resolution and partially because I was not terribly interested in the secondary storyline of the corrupt businessman. I had to push my way through to the end. While the ending is an obvious segway to the next book, it left me with no desire to continue reading the series.

My biggest criticism of the book is how arranged everything feels. The characters came off as rather two-dimensional and more like puppets being set up and moved around for the sake of the story. A lot of horrible things happen to a number of the characters in this book, but I felt the author did not fully explore the effects these events had on the characters. Another problem I had was that there are too many convenient characters and situations to allow for anything interesting to happen.

In the end I'd say that I left this book feeling shocked by the events in the book, as well as shocked by the character's actions and reactions relating to these events. I wouldn't particularly recommend this book to anyone, but I think readers who enjoy a good mystery and thrills without any emotional depth will probably really like this book.

For Kindle readers: There were a few mistakes, but overall the formatting is good. No problems reading this on Kindle.

This is the first new book I have read for several years - terrible I know, but it really has shown me what I have been missing out on. This is a great story, written in in a very straightforward style, I find all to often the writing style gets in the way of a great story, this is spot on. I had to read this book every spare minute I could find, and I have a feeling the remaining millennium books will be just the same (I hope so!)

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo has received some new attention in America cause of the imminent release of a very well regarded film adaptation. The book has seemed dimilarly well regarded. However, I found it to be something of a disappointment.

At the heart of the book there's an interesting mystery. Harriet Vanger, the young member of a family of industrialist misanthropes with Nazi tendencies, disappears off of her families isolated island home in the midst of a family retreat, her body is never found. Forty years later her aged uncle hires disgraced journalist Mikael Blomquist to make a last stab at finding out what happened to her. He eventually comes to be helped by a young punk hacker and freelance private investigator, Lisbeth Salander. The mystery is an interesting one, although the general solution to it will be an obvious option for most readers. Blomquist describes it as a "locked room murder mystery on an Island" since a series of events prevented anyone from getting to or from the island at the time the girl disappeared.

Unfortunately, Larson isn't a very good writer. Perhaps some of this is simply a fault of the English translation. The Swedish version may be far more lyrical in presentation. However there are other problems. One of them is the framing device. It takes over a hundred pages before Blomquist really begins to work on the case of the missing girl. Much of this hundred pages is spent delving into minute detail about Blomquist's fued with a corrupt industrialist. A feud which resulted in Blomquist being convicted of criminal libel. Furthermore the fate of Harriet Vanger is revealed with about another hundred pages to go. Those pages are used in a very boring and self congratulatory telling of how Blomquist resolves the feud. Larson is a journalist, a magazine editor like his hero Blomquist, and it's clear that he's living out some of his own fantasies here of the crusading journalist who makes good and changes the world. These sections also serve as a clearinghouse for some of Larson's gripes about the nature of the media, particularly financial reporters, in Sweden. All of this makes for rather boring reading. If Larson wanted to write a story about financial journalism then that is one thing. The mini series State of Play did a fantastic job of delivering an engaging story about newspapermen at work. Yet here it comes off rather dull, tedious, and over detailed.

Furthermore many of the characters are very thinly sketched. We learn a little bit about Blomquist, but not too much. Other than his on-again-off-again relationship with his married publishing partner there's nothing unusual about Blomquist. We're not shown that he's particularly brilliant or talented or diligent and we're not given access to any real hopes, desires, dreams or demons he might have. He just seems to exist. In the hands of a more skilled and thoughtful writer this might be workable as a theme. Various stories have involved discussions of very ordinary and uninvolved people. But that doesn't happen here. Blomquist has a desire to see his magazine return to profitability and respectability and would like to get revenge on his rival Hans-Erik Wennerstrom, but it doesn't seem to dominate his life. The apparent destruction of his journalistic career seems to inspire neither rage or nor any great sadness in him. He merely accepts it. At his libel trial Blomquist never puts up a defense, something that a number of characters ask about, and this is indicative of the character as a whole. He never seems to do much or react to much. Again, in more skilled hands this might mean something as we might explore a Blomquist who is dead but comes alive over the course of the novel. But this doesn't exist.

Lisbeth Salander, the second protagonist, is more thoroughly sketched. A punk computer hacker, she is a ward of the state who makes her money doing freelance private investigating work. Salander, while a talented hacker, is antisocial in the extreme, and filled with rage at the world around her. She's described by one character as being "the perfect victim" and clearly was the victim of some sort of horrible mistreatment. The problem with Salander is that she's too well sketched. Or rather, that Larson spends enough time describing her antisocial side and no time describing any other side. I found myself coming out of the novel with a deep loathing for Salander. For instance, she is someone who is fanatical about her own personal privacy, erecting boundaries that she refuses to let others cross, but who thinks nothing of snooping into the lives, and computers, of others. Larson also portrays her as a complete misanthrope, and yet there's the sense that we're supposed to agree with her when she thinks other people are idiots for wanting to do things differently than her. Inexplicably a number of characters also seem attracted to her, either romantically or paternally, or, creepily enough in a novel that has major themes about sexual violence against women, both. Yet we're never shown why anyone would like Salander or tolerate her presence for more than a few minutes. The only times I felt any connection to her was when she violently punished some rapists. Finally, there's another creepy aspect. Salander ends up in a sexual relationship with Blomquist, a man many years her senior and who is obviously a stand in for the author. In a book which deals with themes of the sexual exploitation of, and violence against, women, it's rather creepy that the author would involve a fictionalized version of himself in a relationship with a rape victim who is young enough to be his daughter. And the relationship with Blomquist seems to be based on nothing. Salander is portrayed as a thorough misanthrope who hates most people instantly. Yet she likes Blomquist for no real reason. There's no clear indiciation of why we, or Salander, should consider Blomquist any different from anyone else whose path she has crossed, especially her boss Dragan Armansky who is portrayed as nearly identical to Blomquist in that he has both a fatherly and a sexual interest in Salander.

There's also things that get left out. The pacing of the mystery is a bit off. When it begins to get cracked open it cracks open very rapidly. At the same time there's extended passages about rather mundane things. Do we really need to know every step Blomquist takes and every person he talks to in tracking down someone who took a picture on the day the crime took place? Also, we don't get a lot of development of the victim herself. Despite being the center of the novel, and the obsession of her uncle for forty years, she's pretty much a cipher. The novel also, by casting a serial killer as one of the main players, ironically perhaps gives a distorted impression about violence against women since most women who are subjected to violence are not the victims of sadistic strangers, but rather men who they know. Finally, there's an interesting thread that Larson doesn't really do anything with. Both Blomquist, Salander, and the killer who they track down, are investigators of a sort: Blomquist a reporter, Salander a private investigator and personal snoop, and the killer a serial kidnapper who methodically stalks and investigates his victims. Yet this idea is left unexplored. There's no real investigation of what investigation means to these people. Of why they feel drawn to finding things out and solving mysteries. Also, for a book which is, on many levels, fundamentally about violence against women (the original Swedish title is "Men Who Hate Women", the novel doesn't really discuss much about the nature of violence against women or patriarchy in society. It's presented more as a catalog of horrors.

This is a really terrific book. I had pretty well stopped reading mysteries, since they can be hackneyed and easy to guess. Not this one! I want to read his other books as well. This was a excellent read.

Enjoyed this very creative story and the character development. Was surprised by the twists and turns taken in the book. Had hoped for a different or more full ending. Oh well. There are always several ways to end a story.

Fresh, easy to read, a true insight into the workings of the human mind...a brillant mix of agatha christie and faulkner...a book that entertains and fosters thought, a feel good experience, elegantly wraped in wry humor.

As the start of a "thriller trilogy," The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo does an excellent job of introducing and developing characters, telling one rather interesting tale of a twisted, dysfunctional family with a host of dirty secrets, and lassoing readers into the world of Swedish intrigue. Before I read this novel (which, in the original Swedish, is actually entitled Men Who Hate Women--a much more accurate title), I knew the basic elements of the main story, and Larsson does a great job of building suspense as he tells the story of the Vanger family and its dark history. The resolution of that story is something of a disappointment--it's plausible and well-plotted, but in terms of dramatic payoff, it's decidedly anticlimactic. The weakest part of the novel, however, is the framed story that's wrapped around the Gothic tale of the Vangers--Larsson's inner story competes with his framing story of journalistic integrity and corruption in the world of international finance. BIG YAWN. The two stories are connected tangentially, but the framed structure of the novel saps almost all of the inner story's intensity, and the book ends on a rather flat note. I am, however, eager to read the sequel, as well as the third book in the trilogy.

The original Swedish title of this book is "Men Who Hate Women." If you ask me, it suits this story much better than catchier but less relevant "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," because it is in fact about men doing all kinds of horrid things to women. So here is the first warning to you, if you don't handle violence against women and children well, skip this novel.

It's hard to give a short synopsis of the book. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" starts off as an investigation of a 40-year old disappearance of a teenage heiress, but gradually morphs into a tale of serial murder and corporate trickery spanning several continents and later takes in complicated international financial fraud and the buried evil past of a wealthy Swedish industrial family.

I found this book extremely engaging and full of action and came to regret many times that I had an audio version instead of a regular paper book. I also enjoyed immensely the amount details about everything - the publishing business, twisted Swedish family, corporate crime, history and political order of Sweden, etc. I am guessing if you don't care to read about any of this subjects, this book is not for you, because it is packed with this information.

My only qualm about this book, a small one, was the characterization. The character of Mikael Blomkvist smelled of a male wish fulfillment fantasy, the one where a man is adored by all women, gets laid all the time and always gets lauded for his stellar bedroom skills. Lisbeth Salander also felt a little shaky and I thought Asberger's decease didn't quite account for her strange personality. I thought her antisocial behavior was inconsistent.

This however didn't spoil my reading experience. I am eager to move on to the next book and see what Mikael and Lisbeth are up to next.

Just a fantastic book - Larsson had fantastic judgement for descriptive narrative, and knew how to move a story along without sacrificing atmosphere and detail. Wonderfully written - one of the most compelling novels I've ever read.

I regret to say I really did not like this book. First of all, I saw the movie at a screening at the Palm Springs Film Festival in January. The movie, made by Swedish film directors, was gripping and well done. Even tho subtitled, there was no discontinuity to the story or plot. The acting was superb. I had not read the book, but many people in the audience were "buzzing" about how the movie was great, but the book was better. So I purchased a copy of the book. Quite frankly, about 2/3 through, I put it aside and decided not to finish reading. I found it much less gripping than the movie, and also much more graphically disturbing. It seems odd that I found the visuals in the movie less disturbing than reading about them, but that is the case. In the book, the character development also seems flawed. We find out what makes Salander tick, but we really don't find out much about Blomkvist. Eventually, I just got bored reading, and somewhat disgusted by the misoygny. The denouement is very slow as a read, and not that well done. Truly, I have to say, I find the book disappointing. See the movie.

Stylish and engaging neo-noir novel. English is my second language, but I find this book is really to follow, yet complex enough to think about. The writer had a unique style that I can't get enough. Love it.

Larsson has created a masterpiece that will save him a place in the pantheon of mystery and suspense novelists. It is rare that a novel of such richness, complexity, and sheer readability graces this bookshelves of genre literature. That this very satisfying read is part of a trilogy is more good news. The sequels merely expand and improve on this first installment.

With all that unreserved praise I am still even more awed with his creation of characters, with his "Girl" protagonist easily the most memorable character in suspense fiction since Hannibal Lecter.

The world lost a masterful novelist before we knew he existed, but we have his three great novels to remind us of his talent.

I saw this book EVERYWHERE when it was in hardback, and although it intrigued me, I didn't pick it up. Once it hit paperback I did, and I'm glad I did, as I really enjoyed it. It's a bit weighty; I saw another review that talked about how super-detailed Larsson is with his descriptions of actions the characters take and that's true. But it kept my interest the entire way.

At its core, this is the story of Mikael Blomkvist, a disgraced journalist who agrees to invesitgate the disappearance of a wealthy businessman's niece some 40 years ago. Neither expects any real results. Along the way, Blomkvist crosses paths with Lisabeth Salander, the tattooed girl of the title, who happens to be an almost savant-like investigator. The two of them uncover some pretty bizarre things have gone on...

If the book had kept its focus on only this thread, I would have liked it better, but the mystery was "solved" with about 120 pages left, so the focus switched back to the original case for which Blomkvist ran afoul of another Swedish magnate. And I didn't care about that storyline so much.

Great book all in all. I'll definitely pick up the next one soon!

As I was reading this, I was continually surprised that this was the blockbuster read that it was. The build up was painstakingly slow at times, and I remember thinking at one point, "I'm 200 pages in. When is the story going to come together?" In the end I was pulled in properly, as one should be when reading a mystery, and all the build up did have a purpose of sorts. The characters are many, and if this the first in the series, understanding the main characters as well as we do will serve us well in future books.

However, as much as I finished this book with a satisfied feeling (and stayed up half the night for the last 100 pages or so), I would warn any readers who are familiar with the usual clip of mystery books to adjust their expectations. This one is easily twice as long as the normal mystery I've read, and you notice. I am curious to see if the second book is as sluggish in the beginning, or if, with most of the back story explained in this one, it can move at a faster pace.

Excellent book! I highly recommend. Extremely well written, exciting and not your ordinary mystery story.

best book of the year. I read girl who played with fire first and was enthralled. I then read dragon tatoo next and was equally amazed. I can't wait for the third in the series, girl who kicked the hornets nest out in may.Too bad Larsson died. He is brilliant

This was the original title, in Swedish, of 'the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' and when I found that out, it made a lot more sense to me. The 'girl' in the title is just one player in a beautifully written, at times disturbing, multi-layered crime novel. The only reason I give it four stars instead of five is because I found nearly all the characters - especially the main protagonist - to be so unsympathetic. I'm glad I read it and look forward to the second one, which a Swedish friend tells me is the best.

I read this book on recommendation, and while it was well written and fun to read, and the mystery was intriguing, I really did not like the tone of the background of this book. For example, the main character is supposedly a man of high moral standards and integrity. He writes a book aimed at financial reporters, urging them to investigate the financial giants of the industry as if they were political candidates, and not take their lies as gospel. He also basically sacrifices himself in a trial for libel, theoretically for truth and integrity. However, he sees absolutely nothing wrong with a intensely physical relationship with his partner, spanning 20 years, including his failed marriage to another woman (because of this relationship) and hers (ongoing marriage, where the current husband doesn't seem to "mind"). What??? Granted, I may be old-fashioned, but to me, integrity and honesty span all aspects of one's life, not just professional career. So, the fact that these two don't hide their relationship, does that make it honest and honorable? I hope not.

Although the protagonist seems charming and oh so likable, I find it disturbing that he sees his daughter maybe once a year. The author simply says that he leaves the meetings up to her (the daughter), but since the one or two meetings described in the book are not destructive and perfectly amicable, I find this explanation just too shallow. What kind of a man allows his marriage to fail because of adultery and then does not even make an effort to be a part of his child's life? Does that describe someone with honor and integrity? I doubt it.

So, basically, I didn't like this book. Yes, the story is interesting. Yes, the mystery is clever. But, the character are shallow, one sided, and if you think about it, mostly despicable. There is no one in this story that makes the reader want to be a better human being. There is nothing in the book that educates or edifies. It's basically a story about mostly demoralized and base humans, who have no notion of true honor and integrity, thinking dirty thoughts and doing dirty deeds, while fooling themselves into thinking that they are basically "good". I was disappointed.

I cannot for the life of me understand the numerous accolades this book has received. I thought that I must be the only person who found this a tedious, boring and inane read. My dental assistant ( an avid reader) found it equally ridiculous. This could have been reduced to half the amount of pages and I still would have found the story mundane.This ranks up there with one of the worst books I have ever read. Save your money.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more. I found it to be an excellent page-turner with great characters. I enjoyed it in the same way I enjoyed The Da Vinci Code.

YOu can get the third from AmazonUK now and not have to wait til June/USA.

There is a lot of rape, and sexual violence, with no warning. It starts out as a mystery and turns into something wrong.

An amazing book--wonderful characters and a fascinating mystery, two actually. The book is a little long in a few spots, but the overall story more than makes up for it. Reminded me of a Caleb Carr novel, but in a modern setting. Highly recommended, can't wait to read the others in the series.

At first I thought this book was boring but as they got more into the girls character I became curious. It turned out to be a great book . So good in fact I bought the next one and found it just as good. I would highly recommend this book. A great mystery!