The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo

The Elder Son recommended The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo to me, telling me the story of the untimely death of the author Stieg Larson. This book is the first in a trilogy Larsson left behind unpublished when he suffered a massive heart attack and died at age 50. I plan on reading the others as I come across them.

from the back of the book:

Dear Reader:

The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo is an international sensation. The novel has soared to the top of best-seller lists across Europe and arrives here on a wave of nearly unprecedented excitement and acclaim.

Deeply ambitious, insightful, and fiercely smart, it offers much more than the usual thriller - including one of the most original heroines to come along in years: Lisbeth Salander, a twenty-four-year-old pierced and tattooed genius computer hacker with a vulnerable heart and a terrifying capacity - if anyone tries to take advantage - for sudden ruthlessness.

By any measure, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an exceptional achievement, even more so when you consider it is Stieg Larsson's first novel....

The New York Times says, "The novel offers a thoroughly ugly view of human nature, especially when it comes to the way Swedish men treat Swedish women" and criticizes its lack of subtlety and poor characterization. The Guardian calls it "a striking novel, full of passion, an evocative sense of place and subtle insights into venal, corrupt minds." TimesOnline calls it a "memorable debut". The Independent closes by saying,

If Larsson's book feels just a little amateurish, then perhaps that works to its advantage. This never feels like a by-the-numbers thriller. The twists and revelations work all the better for being worked for, rather than flung at the reader, two to a page.

2/13/2010: Novel Destinations has info on a related walking tour.