The Girl Who Played with Fire (Millennium, #2) in mystery lovers

Dec 28, 2008

Bernadette rated it:

(review of isbn 1847245579)

bookshelves: crime-fiction

Read in January, 2009

The Girl Who Played With Fire starts about a year after the events in the first book in the series. Lisbeth Salandar has cut off all contact from Mikael Blomkvist for reasons he cannot fathom. While she travels the world Mikael faithfully but fruitlessly visits her apartment regularly and, at the same time, becomes something of a celebrity as everyone wants to interview him about the explosive events known as the Wennerstrom affair. As Mikael becomes somewhat jaded by the attention he's asked to...more The Girl Who Played With Fire starts about a year after the events in the first book in the series. Lisbeth Salandar has cut off all contact from Mikael Blomkvist for reasons he cannot fathom. While she travels the world Mikael faithfully but fruitlessly visits her apartment regularly and, at the same time, becomes something of a celebrity as everyone wants to interview him about the explosive events known as the Wennerstrom affair. As Mikael becomes somewhat jaded by the attention he's asked to consider a proposition from a young journalist: publish a well-researched book about the awful trade in the trafficking of teenage girls into the country. The journalist is prepared to name names of powerful people in Sweden but before the book can be published events take a dramatic turn.

Larsson is a first rate story teller. He spins a page-turning, edge-of-your-seat yarn and has, if anything improved since The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (his first book in this series which was no slouch in the great story stakes). In this outing there are still multiple threads but he seems to have a better handle on them all and he connects them better than in the first book. There are, again, stories within a story, but they're satisfyingly resolved and don't detract from the overall novel even when they have little to do with the main events (such as Lisbeth's adventure on the night a tornado levels a tropical island at the beginning of the book). The best thing of all is that he doesn't take the predictable course of action and for that I, as a reader, am eternally grateful.

However, no matter how good the stories, I'll always remember this series for the characters. Lisbeth Salandar again features as the troubled young woman with disconcerting, sometimes downright abnormal, social skills. She's also intelligent, determined and highly moral. She's quite unforgettable. But the other characters too are well depicted. It doesn't matter if they've a bit part to play or a starring role, whether they're bad guys or good they are believable and complex and rounded rather than the caricatures that appear in a lot of fiction.

Importantly, for me anyway, Larsson has a much better control of his social conscience in this book. My only big criticism of the first book was that he stepped outside the narrative more than once to lecture readers about his undoubtedly important message. Here though that message is in some ways stronger it is far more delicately incorporated into the story and, consequently, packs a more powerful punch. I have no objection to an author with a message, especially not one as close to home as the ongoing mistreatment of women across the world is to me, but I hate being badly preached at in my fiction.

I'm glad I read the book with as little expectation as I could achieve by not reading reviews or any of the chat that's been clogging up the corner of the internet where I hang out. I started the book with a tingly anticipation of re-visiting characters I'd enjoyed but no more than that and was able to dive right into the book and appreciate it on whatever merits I could find. For the record I don't think it's perfect. The first 100-150 pages could easily have been more tightly edited for example. But I don't care. I love it despite, or perhaps because of, its flaws. As I raced towards the end I started experiencing that internal conundrum where you want to keep reading because you have to know what happens but you don't want to finish because you don't want to say goodbye. I am quite inconsolable that I have to wait 12 months for book three in the series.(less)

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Sep 27, 2009

Jeffrey rated it:

bookshelves: mystery, read-in-2009

Read in October, 2009

recommends it for: mystery fans

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

This is a very good mystery novel that takes a little time to get going. The first 150 pages are so is just a lot of background on the main character Lisbeth Salander and her friend the journalist Mikhael Bloomkvist, but also on other people in the story, but after that first say 20% of the book, wham it moves fast like a roller coaster.

The story is a little complicated. To summarize, Salander is under the guardianship of Bjurman, who decided to rape Salander in book 1 because he t...more This is a very good mystery novel that takes a little time to get going. The first 150 pages are so is just a lot of background on the main character Lisbeth Salander and her friend the journalist Mikhael Bloomkvist, but also on other people in the story, but after that first say 20% of the book, wham it moves fast like a roller coaster.

The story is a little complicated. To summarize, Salander is under the guardianship of Bjurman, who decided to rape Salander in book 1 because he thought she was docile and had a lot of money and had no place to turn. In other words she would take it because if she complained no one would believe her over a lawyer and she was psychotic. He seriously misjudged Salander as she taped the session, then beat him up and threatened to expose him if he didnt do what she wanted.

Now a year has past and Bjurman has contacted someone to get rid of Salander - to kill her that is. The people who he has talked to work for a mysterious figure known only as Zala. Coincidentally, Zala is being investigated by two journalists, who are working on a book and an article for Millenium, the news magazine where Bloomkvist works. The article and book are about the sex trade and who in this country are involved, the johns and prostitutes and the men who bring in the girls and facilitate it. Zala has come up in the investigation as a gangster, supplier of the girls and others are fearful of him. Unfortunately, Bjurman, and the two journalists are killed and Salander is suspected of the murder because of some forensic evidence.

After this point, the book involves three separate investigations to find Salander and/or the murderer. There is the police investigation, Bloomkvist investigation and Milton Security's investigation. For about 100 pages after the murders we do not even hear anything from Salander as the author concentrates on the various investigations and how no one can find Salander. Meanwhile there are two different tales of Salander circulating. On one hand is the official version mostly talked about by her psychologist (a sadistic guy) who claims she is a psychotic and a destructive, but fails to reveal some interesting information about why he was treating her. On the other hand is the people who know Salander and uniformly say, while different, she is very moral and would not have done this crime.

The murder investigation proceeds at a breakneck pace and the last 200 pages of this book are great especially as Salander is back on the case investigating.

All in all a great read.

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Jul 15, 2009

Bill rated it:

(review of isbn 1847245560)

bookshelves: foreign-mystery

Owns a copy — Read in July, 2009

I got this book in London - the British paperback edition. Couldn't wait for the American release. Found the experience of reading it similar to the first book. Very slow to get started (and that's why I can only give it 4 stars), but about half way in (which is quite a ways in) the pace picks up and the last half is a unput-downable page-turner. The characters are very complex and it's a pleasure to read a thriller/mystery like this where the police are not plodding and just out to get the m...more

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Oct 20, 2009

Sebastien rated it:

Read in October, 2009

Couldn't put this one down! very brisk, exciting, ending was lots of fun.

I'm also pleased to report that chainsaws and axes figured (somewhat prominently) in this book. Cool.

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Sep 09, 2009

Jim rated it:

Read in September, 2009

overall I think the book was OK and good in the beginning but didn't keep interest up

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Oct 26, 2009

BobbiJ rated it:

Read in November, 2009

WowX2!! So many twists, suprises. Can't wait till June for the last of this trilogy.

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Jun 02, 2009

J.R. rated it:

bookshelves: thrillers

Read in June, 2009

A worthy sequel to "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo." See my full review on Amazon. I'm eagerly awaiting the next and, regretedly, final novel in Larsson's trilogy.

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Mar 30, 2009

megan rated it:

(review of isbn 9113015303)

Read in March, 2009

Those who loved the first in this translated series will not be disappointed. We get to learn even more about the fascinating girl with the dragon tattoo.

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