Product Description

The second instalment in the Millennium Trilogy sees Lisbeth Salander wanted for murder while Blomkvist tries desperately to clear her name.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2 in Books
• Published on: 2009-07-09
• Released on: 2009-07-09
• Original language: Swedish
• Binding: Paperback
• 608 pages

Features

• New
• Mint Condition
• Dispatch same day for order received before 12 noon
• Guaranteed packaging
• No quibbles returns

Amazon.co.uk Review
Stieg Larsson gleaned a remarkable degree of success before his too-early death in 2004. He had delivered to his publisher three remarkable crime novels; the initial book in his ‘Millennium’ sequence, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, had enjoyed an unprecedented success in his native Sweden before the translation took the UK by storm. Larsson had made a considerable mark as a crusading journalist, with a speciality in tackling political extremist groups. But he offered assistance to many people and groups who he felt were vulnerable – something of a modern hero, in fact.

One of Larsson's key achievements as a writer was to create an innovative kind of heroine for the crime novel. His unconventional sleuth, the highly intelligent computer hacker Lisbeth Salander, is a confrontational young woman, whose Goth accoutrements sometimes alienate those around her (except the individuals she opts to have sexual relations with – strictly, that is, according to the rules she lays down). In the second book in the Millennium sequence, The Girl Who Played with Fire (as in its its predecessor), Lisbeth's closest ally is the older journalist Mikael Blomqvist, even though she has abruptly ended her emotional relationship with him. Lisbeth has left all she knows behinds her and has begun a relationship with a gauche young lover. But after a grim revenge run-in with a man who has abused her, she becomes a suspect in three murders, and is the subject of a nationwide search. Blomqvist, however, is convinced of her innocence (he has just been responsible for a blistering report on the sex trafficking industry in Sweden), and is determined to help her – whether she wants his help or not.

As with Larsson’s earlier book, this is highly compelling fare, with tautly orchestrated suspense; it's often grisly and uncompromising (not a problem for many readers), and the massive text may be longer than is good for it, but Larsson admirers won't begrudge the late author a word,and will be impatient for the third (and, regrettably, concluding) book in the sequence. --Barry Forshaw

Review
'Star of the show is, once again, the brilliant and misanthropic computer hacker, Lisbeth Salander, an eccentric and unique heroine...it is tightly orchestrated, with all the twists and turns of an old-fashioned spy novel, and the most jaw-dropping ending. It's a perfect summer read.' --Kate Mosse.

'Intelligent, complex, with a gripping plot and deeply intriguing characters' --Philip Pullman, Guardian.

'A frighteningly suspenseful mystery' Harlen Coben. 'Brilliantly written and totally gripping' Minette Walters. 'As vivid as bloodstains on snow' Lee Child. 'In her (Salander) Larsson has created a heroine unique to detective fiction. Where else can you find a bisexual female detective with punk-era fashion sense who just happens to be an expert computer hacker?' Independent. 'I was completely absorbed by the complexities of this Sweden-set page-turner with its unlikely heroine... the book is on one level a gripping thriller, on another a compelling morality tale about the abuse of power' Vince Cable, Guardian. --Reviews.

Pascale Frey, Elle
Warning - addictive thriller. All who taste it get hooked!

Customer Reviews

Amazing
An outstanding and dare I say superior sequel to "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". Having read the first story of the trilogy this summer I was eager to know how the sequel would compare. In the girl with the dragon tattoo, Lisebeth Salander is definitely an enigmatic character and there are subtle hints that there is a lot of back story to her character. Am I glad that this back story has been developed and interwoven into this sequel. Too often we say "I couldn't put a book down" but in this case it is definitely a book you will be glued to.

The story comes to life when Salander is wanted in connection with some murders that have been commited. From this point the story moves on at a frenetic pace with all characters connected to Salander such as Blomkvist the journalist and Armansky her former employer defending her and trying to get to the bottom of the case alongside a national police investigation.

Ultimately this book is about why is Salander the way she is. What drives her and what is she willing to do to get to the truth?

Enjoy and look forward to the third part of the trilogy which should hopefully be translated from Swedish before the end of the year. If you're lucky (not me) and can read Swedish then why not get the third installment asap. Having said that if you're Swedish you've probably already read it.

Shop at Ikea, says Larsson
Whilst I enjoyed the pace and plot twists of the first 'Girl...' book, as much as I enjoy any crime novel with a few too many one dimensional characters and a rather skewed view of the genders, this second book took far too long to get going. I couldn't see the point of spending nearly half the book following Lisbeth around, peering into her shopping basket and furnishing her apartment. I mean really, was the book sponsored by Ikea? (or perhaps Billy's Pan Pizza) I do hope there are no obsessive Salander fans out there who have recreated her apartment in every detail, but it wouldn't be hard to do so. You could also fill your wardrobe with the same clothes, your fridge with the same food and your brand new Ikea desk with the same computer equipment.
Once it got going the plot rattled along much better, there are plenty of bodies, but it was a bit of a shame that Lisbeth was able to so easily hide out in her (furnished by Ikea, don't forget) apartment and hack into the world's PCs, it almost made things too easy for her. I did think the link to the Bjurman murder was very slight, but that was only one of many rather implausible elements of the plot.
Having now waded through book 3, because someone bought it for me, I think 2 & 3 could easily have been one book had all the extraneous detail been chopped, which would have made for one tighter, pacier read.
And as for Mikael's mysterious sex appeal, I just don't get it. He attracts every conceiveable type of woman effortlessly, and the only one who seems to mind that he's got others on the go is Lisbeth. Larsson was obviously living out a fantasy here.
IKEA PRUTA Plastic Container 17 Piece Set

Brilliant again
This is a great sequel to "Dragon Tattoo", a definite must-read if you liked the first book.

This time round we finally discover more about Salander, she's slippery as an eel and so much smarter than any other character. It was a joy to have such a brilliant female protagonist, if only other books had strong women characters like her.

Blomkvist is again stubbornly digging away to find the killer, but now he's not so morally upstanding and he's willing to bend a few rules and lie to get what he wants.

The story moves at a fast pace, and it kept me turning the pages even at 2am. The blond hulk was an amusing character, in that he seemed out of this world - the boxing match was great!

Perhaps it's not a good idea to read this book without reading the first book, as there were quite a few references to the previous story and there was only scant information about the characters' relationships with each other.

I'm really looking forward to reading the third book, and it seems such a shame that Larsson only produced the trilogy - I would have loved to read more!