When I heard that The Girl of the Dragon Tattoo was being made into an American movie and that there were other films before it, I knew I wanted to read Larsson's novels. Watching movies always spoils the enjoyment of a book for me, so print comes first.

A friend told me that the books were possibly overhyped, and that's a fair assertion. But aside from a terrible first chapter, which plunged me head-first into a well of financial jargon that I didn't begin to understand, every subsequent chapter of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was excellently paced and accessibly written. Whatever Larsson may lack in actual literary prowess, he amends for with a wide scope of narrative detail and believable, down-to-earth characters. In some cases Larsson gives readers more information about the setting and persons involved than they'd care to know, but much later on I realized that this diligent approach was how the author managed to create such an engrossing story and carefully concocted murder mystery. Every inch closer to the truth came as a revelation not because it was an outlandish twist, but because Larsson had filled in the remaining cracks with so much of the ordinary.

But don't let that fool you into thinking that Larsson's pages are a waste of time. The characters make the story, no matter how mundane or riveting its plot, as special as it is. They're given flaws and attributes that are fascinating, and it's a rare occurrence to feel so close to fictional characters as I did—especially Lisbeth Salander. She's like looking into the rabbit hole and wanting selfishly, gluttonously to see more.

The book also contains one of the most powerful, unsettling uses of juxtaposition I've ever seen put to use.