The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson

The Girl Who Played with Fire is the second of the ten novels planned by Stieg Larsson.  Unfortunately, with his untimely death, it is the second of a trilogy.  The final installment, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, is due out in the US this year. I reviewed Larsson's first novel in my "Summer Reading" reviews this past summer -  see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

I will not get into the debate of whether The Girl Who Played with Fire is better than The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  I find those debates of little merit.  The first novel has the advantage of bringing all of the cleverness, intrigue, terrific character quirks, and everything else to the reader as new and fresh. Clearly that is never true of the second in a series which has the heavy task of carrying the load from the first novel and then has to reengage, re-energize, and renew the reader's relationship.  Larsson does this with terrific form, great excitement, and an electric story.

Quick synopsis:  A freelance journalist is about to expose some very important people involved in the sex trafficking trade.  The journalist and his girlfriend are found shot to death and Lisbeth Salander (our computer hacker, state monitored violent offender co-protagonist from the first novel) is the prime suspect as her fingerprints are found all over the crime scene.  The journalist Mikael Blomkvist (the other co-protagonist), who hasn't seen Lisbeth in quite some time, works to clear her.

There are plenty of twists, turns, and reverses.  There are multiple murders, multiple investigations, complications, and confusion.  Larsson's great prose and incredibly interesting characters will first spark, pique, and then continue to hold your interest. This guy could write a murder mystery...he can also write misdirection, sex, and action.  If for nothing else, read The Girl Who Played with Fire for all that.

However, I read Stieg Larsson for his absolute refutation of all those myths we are told about the wonders of the Scandinavian society.  You know, although they have higher taxes, they have a better health care system, more gender equality, better functioning government, more tolerance, cleaner cities, they are in better shape and they have better and more sex (ok, this last part appears that it might be true..but remember, this IS fiction).  Before you buy into all or any of that, read this. 

Stieg Larsson's Sweden is anti-all-the-hype, it is dark, it is scary, and it is bleak.  Not always, but often.  It strips bear the emotions, betrays the senses, and challenges the soul.  Punctuated by an occasional but always entertaining and quirky sense of humor, Larsson has something to say about what has happened in Sweden and what the human cost has been.  I find it fascinating.  Read anything that Stieg Larsson has written.

Comments

[Laura Greenland]

My boss ordered The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest from Amazon UK...I read it in one day...you will love it!!!!!