The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Authors:
Stieg Larsson
Translated by Reg Keeland
Retail Price (Softback): £7.99
Retail Price (Ebook):
ISBN: 978 1 84724 545
First Published: 2008
Description:
On the Cover
Book 1 of the Millenium Triology.
The Industrialist
Henrik Vanger, head of the dynastic Vanger Corporation, is tormented by the loss of a child decades earlier and convinced that a member of his family has committed murder.
The Journalist
Mikael Bolmkvist delves deep into the Vanger's past to uncover the truth behind the unsolves mystery. But someone else wants the past to remain a secret and will go to any lengths to keep it that way.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Lisbeth Salander, the enigmatic, delinquent and dangerous security specialist, assists in the investigation. A genius computer hacker, she tolerates no restrictions placed on her by individuals, society or the law.
FIRST LINE:
It happened every year, was almost a ritual.
Added note: A film version (in Swedish) was released early in 2010 and expected to be available on DVD with English sub-titles in the Autumn. I missed the film and can't wait to see the DVD and how they manage to maintain the quality of the book within the film's confines. The clips I have seen on YouTube look promising. If you have seen the film please post a short review to let us know what you think of it.
Quercus
Your Opinions and Comments
Two stories are interwoven around these characters as they delve into solving a disapperance of a young girl some 40 odd years earlier.
Well written and beautifully translated the novel retains a sense of Swedish culture. I felt as if I were out in the countryside experiencing the quiet and darkness as well as the cold of the Swedish winter. Lurking in the background, as well as the foreground lies references to the social background where there has been, and may still be, mistreatment of women and a Nazi influence that many may wish had been forgotten.
I liked the attention to detail. Blomkwist refers to three authors Elizabeth George, Sue Grafton and Ake Edwardson. These references have encouraged me to follow these up to see why they were mentioned.
The computer equipment used by the main character included a Micortek Scanner, Minolta Digital Camera, Sanyo tape recorder
displaying an attention to detail that adds to the reality of the story.
And what a cracking story it is. One I couldn't put down.