The second installment of the Swedish phenomenon.
After the enthralling first book to the Millennium series, expectations were very high for The Girl Who Played With Fire. From the outset, it sets a pace that is far quicker than the first book, and the story gets going almost instantly. Because the main characters are already established, Larsson is able to move on much faster, which is useful to maintain the momentum.
The story is of a new book that Millennium wish to publish, after the success of main character Blomkvist's book which destroyed the enemy of the first book Wennerstrom. This new book is written by another journalist called Dag Svensson, in corroboration with his student girlfriend who is publishing a thesis on the same subject: sex trafficking. The book will expose many high flying citizens such as politicians, judges, police officers, and even fellow journalists, for their involvement in the sex trade. However, Svensson and his girlfriend Mia are murdered in their home one night. To make the situation even more intense, the police have a prime suspect almost immediately, Lisbeth Salander (the girl who owns a dragon tattoo).
Now, Blomkvist must do his own research and try to clear Salander's name, before Detective Bublanski catches the girl.
This book is a great story. In places there is a bit too much going on, but the majority is a brilliantly written, entertaining book. The characters are vivid and their interaction is humorous, tense, and engaging. Fans of the first book should not be disappointed. A word of caution however, you may get confused with all the Swedish place names in the book, but it is worth trying to remember them.
The themes of the book, such as female empowerment, and sex trafficking will always make for enigmatic discussion, and Larsson does well not to become preachy. For the most part, the book is just an entertaining story that follows on well from the first book, and leads excellently into the third!
Coming up: The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest...
