A decent story, enriched by enigmatic characters, devilishly good writing, and fiendish landscapes.
Swedish writer Stieg Larsson was a well known journalist, but is now a household name for his Millennium trilogy. The first installment, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is a dramatic murder mystery that combines excellent character development, with intriguing storytelling.
In the book, Michael Blomkvist is an editor who has recently been found guilty of libel against a financial business man called Wennerstrom. Blomkvist is jointly in charge of the magazine Millennium, which mainly focuses on corruption in the financial world, and revealing those guilty. However, after Michael's nemesis Wennerstrom beats him in court, the journalist resigns from his magazine, and ends up taking on a new project. This project involves working for the Vanger family, a successful group who own many different businesses across Sweden. Blomkvist is hired by Henrik Vanger, the aging owner of the Vanger corporation, to discover the mystery behind his niece's disappearance over thirty years ago.
Without revealing much more, it is important to say that this book is founded upon two extraordinarily compelling characters: Michael Blomkvist, and the girl whom he hires as a research assistant, Lisbeth Salander (yes...you guessed it, the girl with a dragon tattoo). These two protagonists are deeply interesting, acting in ways that are not predictable, and offer a fresh alternative to some of the lead characters in this genre of writing. Lisbeth is a troubled young woman, whose attitude towards life verges on the psychotic, however, her actions and behaviour seem justifiable. These two unlikely friends offer an exceptional viewpoint for a crime book that would otherwise fall into the irrelevant.
Larsson's writing can sometimes be a bit cold and drab, but his skill at winding story with character development is unquestionable. Throughout the book, readers will find a pace that does not falter, and enough twists and turns to satisfy.
Next time.....
The Girl Who Played With Fire.
