Helpful Score: 22
I was prompted to read this book because I became intrigued by the unusual way in which this book got published. The author had waited until all three books in the series had been written before submitting them. I'd never heard of anything like that before and, adding to the intrigue was the fact that he died shortly thereafter. So I picked up a paperback at the grocery after reading the inside back cover about him.
It took me awhile to get into this first book, but once I did, I was mesmerized. The characters are fascinating, and the story is compelling. When finished, I was thrilled to find book #2 in hard cover, and I didn't want it to end. It is even better, and the characters gain even more depth. When I finished book 2, I sat there saying, "Wow. Wow. Wow." My husband looked at me oddly, and I said, "What an ending!" I'm grateful Book #3 is due out fairly soon, but I know I'm going to be deeply saddened by the thought that it will be the last we will hear from this amazing writer.
To honor him and his achievement, I ordered a hard cover copy of book #1, so that eventually I will have all three in hard cover.
I hope before he died that he knew his books were going to be published - and that he has family who are able to see how his writing has impacted readers around the world. A thousand gold stars!
It took me awhile to get into this first book, but once I did, I was mesmerized. The characters are fascinating, and the story is compelling. When finished, I was thrilled to find book #2 in hard cover, and I didn't want it to end. It is even better, and the characters gain even more depth. When I finished book 2, I sat there saying, "Wow. Wow. Wow." My husband looked at me oddly, and I said, "What an ending!" I'm grateful Book #3 is due out fairly soon, but I know I'm going to be deeply saddened by the thought that it will be the last we will hear from this amazing writer.
To honor him and his achievement, I ordered a hard cover copy of book #1, so that eventually I will have all three in hard cover.
I hope before he died that he knew his books were going to be published - and that he has family who are able to see how his writing has impacted readers around the world. A thousand gold stars!
Laura P. (hemmputnam) reviewed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, Bk 1) on + 1160 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 18
My experience of this book was colored by the exuberant reviews on the cover. It may be considered "wildly suspenseful" because I had to read to the end to find out what happened. However, I wouldn't use the word "sexy" unless you like reading about the graphic, violent rape and murder of women. Portions of the book are about convoluted financial dealings of Swedish corporations, and the family in the story has so many characters that there's a family tree graphic for you to refer to at the beginning of the book - not my idea of "mesmerizing." That said, I love the character of Lisbeth who refuses to be a victim. She earned the 3 stars I gave this book.
Helpful Score: 11
Compelling murder mystery. Gripping, this book kept me up long into the night reading. Mikael Blomkvist is a journalist with a conviction for libel. He is approached by Vanger, a wealthy industrialist to write a detailed family saga. The Swedish setting of Hedestad and the names took a little getting used to. One of the most suspenseful books I've read in a long time.
Helpful Score: 11
I was prompted to read this book because I became intrigued by the unusual way in which this book got published. The author had waited until all three books in the series had been written before submitting them. I'd never heard of anything like that before and, adding to the intrigue was the fact that he died shortly thereafter. So I picked up a paperback at the grocery after reading the inside back cover about him.
It took me awhile to get into this first book, but once I did, I was mesmerized. The characters are fascinating, and the story is compelling. When finished, I was thrilled to find book #2 in hard cover, and I didn't want it to end. It is even better, and the characters gain even more depth. When I finished book 2, I sat there saying, "Wow. Wow. Wow." My husband looked at me oddly, and I said, "What an ending!" I'm grateful Book #3 is due out fairly soon, but I know I'm going to be deeply saddened by the thought that it will be the last we will hear from this amazing writer.
To honor him and his achievement, I ordered a hard cover copy of book #1, so that eventually I will have all three in hard cover.
I hope before he died that he knew his books were going to be published - and that he has family who are able to see how his writing has impacted readers around the world. A thousand gold stars!
It took me awhile to get into this first book, but once I did, I was mesmerized. The characters are fascinating, and the story is compelling. When finished, I was thrilled to find book #2 in hard cover, and I didn't want it to end. It is even better, and the characters gain even more depth. When I finished book 2, I sat there saying, "Wow. Wow. Wow." My husband looked at me oddly, and I said, "What an ending!" I'm grateful Book #3 is due out fairly soon, but I know I'm going to be deeply saddened by the thought that it will be the last we will hear from this amazing writer.
To honor him and his achievement, I ordered a hard cover copy of book #1, so that eventually I will have all three in hard cover.
I hope before he died that he knew his books were going to be published - and that he has family who are able to see how his writing has impacted readers around the world. A thousand gold stars!
Anna S. (annapi) reviewed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, Bk 1) on + 334 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 9
The first word that comes to mind when describing this book is BRILLIANT - absolutely brilliant. It starts out slow, and I struggled with the first hundred pages or so that introduce the main characters, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, and title character Lisbeth Salander, the anti-social computer hacker. Blomkvist is hired by Henrik Vanger of the dynastic Vanger Corporation to look into the mysterious unsolved disappearance of his niece 40 years ago. He does not really expect to do any better than the police that have diligently and thoroughly investigated, but when an attempt is made at his life he realizes he has uncovered something - but how is it connected? The story really picks up the pace and becomes totally engrossing as we follow Mikael's and Lisbeth's separate paths that slowly intertwine, and the last two hundred pages are un-putdownable - and here I am at 1:30 in the morning writing a review. This is so different from your typical thriller, and the characters are wonderfully drawn and completely fascinating. This will definitely make my top 5 of the year!
