The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo & The Girl Who Played with Fire - Stieg Larsson

[Bern]

Political activist, crusading journalist and best-selling author... dead before his time. And that's just the author. Everything about this series hooks you in.

The first novel - 'Men who hate women' in its original Swedish - starts strong but then explodes half-way through. I couldn't put it down and went straight on to the second book that was just as gripping.

The final novel in the trilogy - The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - will be published in September 2009.

The setting is contemporary Sweden, with a memorable cast of characters. Lisbeth Salander is a classic hero - complex, moral, tragic - and a strong female figure. I'd like to know what women think of her. Peter Corris thinks she's a "complete male fantasy"! The English cover and the title as translated don't do justice to Salander or what's within - too anodyne... obviously a marketing decision.

But the story doesn't need any assistance. A real thriller from Scandinavia.

[MLB]

Agreed agreed Bern !
Once I got my head around the wealthy Vanger family members (helped by the genealogical table at the front of the book) and the shifty dealings of the corporate world the stage was set for a thrilling page turner. Unlikely coupling of good looking investigative financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist and young punk disturbed childhood computer hacker Lisbeth Salander as detectives in a family mystery that spanned forty years made for a story that kept you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. And Bern, as a woman, I agree with your description of Lisbeth but I would add that you only need to scratch beneath the surface and you will find a fragility she so desperately wants to hide.

[Jenni Wong]

It was a great book. No wonder the title was changed for the English translation (Swedish: Män som hatar kvinnor, also known as Men who hate women).
Check out the discussion on ABC's Tuesday Evening Book Club

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/firsttuesday/s2871243.htm

[Bern]

yeah, good story from Lee Child there! "...it was to do with him being dead..."

[Alycia Bailey]

I listened to the audio books, so unfortunately I had to remember the names myself without the benefit of the family tree. I imagine it would have been exceptionally useful.

I too saw aspects of myself in Lisbeth, her strengths as well as her fragility. I couldn't recommend the books more highly.

[Bern]

Jenni, Alycia - have you read/heard the third in the trilogy? I'd like to read it but it always seems to be out at the library!

[Alycia Bailey]

I have listened to it, and it was immensely satisfying! There were quite a few points where I had to pause it, then go and tell my housemates about some great new plot development.

Admittedly, the final book in particular doesn't give us as many red herrings as your typical crime fiction thriller, and I always felt like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop and it never did.

[Thursday Mens reading group]

This one is pretty hot right now but when it cools down Ill give it a whirl!