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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | 
| Author: Stieg Larsson Creator: Reg Keeland Publisher: Knopf Category: Book
List Price: $24.95 Buy New: $14.97 You Save: $9.98 (40%)
New (43) Used (19) Collectible (1) from $13.70
Rating: 123 reviews Sales Rank: 58
Media: Hardcover Pages: 480 Number Of Items: 1 Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.8 Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.6
ISBN: 0307269752 Dewey Decimal Number: 839.738 EAN: 9780307269751 ASIN: 0307269752
Publication Date: September 16, 2008 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description productE description
Amazon.com Review Amazon Best of the Month, September 2008: Once you start The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, there's no turning back. This debut thriller--the first in a trilogy from the late Stieg Larsson--is a serious page-turner rivaling the best of Charlie Huston and Michael Connelly. Mikael Blomkvist, a once-respected financial journalist, watches his professional life rapidly crumble around him. Prospects appear bleak until an unexpected (and unsettling) offer to resurrect his name is extended by an old-school titan of Swedish industry. The catch--and there's always a catch--is that Blomkvist must first spend a year researching a mysterious disappearance that has remained unsolved for nearly four decades. With few other options, he accepts and enlists the help of investigator Lisbeth Salander, a misunderstood genius with a cache of authority issues. Little is as it seems in Larsson's novel, but there is at least one constant: you really don't want to mess with the girl with the dragon tattoo. --Dave Callanan
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| Customer Reviews: Read 118 more reviews...
A crime novel that isn't just your ordinary pulp fiction. December 1, 2008 Merlin (Readalot, US of A) Lots of interesting characters and plot developments and twists with a roller coaster ride end that while quite satisfying also leaves the reader thirsty for more.
Tragically for him and his readers the author has passed away before seeing his work published.
Fortunately for us readers there are still two more books to come in this trilogy.
heartbroken December 1, 2008 dawny The best book in ages. Tragedy that he is gone: blessing that there are a few more. Heart is broken over ending: must repair!!!!!!!!
Terrific Mystery November 29, 2008 Elizabeth Hendry (New Jersey USA) 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a terrific murder mystery/corporate intrigue thriller that keeps the reader guessing. So many novels like this start out strong, for me at least, and then, somewhere in the middle, the ending will become predictable, but not this one. Larsson had me guessing and surprised at where he took the narrative. This is an enjoyable read that will not disappoint. Enjoy!
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo November 29, 2008 In Vino Veritas (Rehoboth Beach, DE) 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
"Among the best crime novels ever written" (from the back flap)? I don't think so. Somewhere in there (538 pages, import paperback) there was maybe 200 pages of good crime/mystery. Blomkvist and Salander are both engaging characters, and when they finally meet (at about page 300) the story takes off and doesn't let up until the resolution of Harriet's disappearance. BUT, weighted down with the entire Vanger family history, way too much info about Wennerstrom (whom we never meet), all those Vangers who ultimately have no impact on Harriet's story (not even as good red herrings, e.g., Harald), the terrific but totally wasted Dragan Armansky, and Salander's ridiculous "mission impossible" trip at the end, this story drops from a possible 4-star to 2-1/2 max stars for me. Let's hope for a little tighter editing on the next installment.
A Good Read Notwithstanding November 28, 2008 D. A. Hermann (St. Louis, MO USA) 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I must agree with a majority of the reviews here and admit that this is a remarkable novel with a lot of drive and vigor, few paragraphs of filler, and a wild read. Larsson is an intelligent writer, and the continuous feel of his story and characters demonstrates a heightened skill level and the translation seems to be transparent, but as I cannot read the novel in its native tongue, I guess I'll never know. It is with a heavy heart that I downgrade my opinion from four stars to three: the book's shortcomings are tough to ignore. I wish there were a three and a half.
First, I'll go ahead and toss in my "ignorant American" commentary and say that the proper nouns in their original Swedish were distracting at times. The author assumed that I knew that this name was feminine or this place was affluent, whereas I had to draw those conclusions in context. My own shortcomings, you shout? Possibly, but I would have thought a more skilled translator to be able to fix those references. Most notably: "gaol" is a prison referenced several times throughout the book, though I have no idea what it meant. At first the term seemed to be interchangeable with "jail" but then I got the impression that it was simply a forced boarding house, or "minimum security" prison, but as it was never explained, I still have no idea.
Second, I will admit that I am a stickler on plot holes and Larsson has very, very few. I did note, however, that Blomkvist and Salander seem to find each other in a very forced way: Frode needs to find a biblical researcher and thinks of the woman who performed a background check? It seemed a little contrived. I also thought Bjurman might make another appearance after his paralyzing thought, "I have to get that video", but he did not rear his ugly face (and tattooed torso!). It lead me to believe that Larsson left that door open but ran out of time to include him back into the story.
Most severe, however, is clearly the denouement. After the climax, things started to drop out of sight quickly. Personally, I didn't understand why Salander didn't want to involve the police, but I guess that's her call. I thought the plot against Wennerstroem was far more elaborate than it needed to be, and focused a lot on the procedural process of publishing, which I gather is what Larsson really enjoys. The whole thing seemed too long, except for the final few paragraphs, which gloss over the relationship between the two main characters and rather obviously prepare Salander for the sequel.
Where Larsson really lost the fourth star, however, was putting no effort into making Blomkvist a full character. Mikael appeared to be a narrator at times, observing and deducing, but rarely acting. He drudged up a little anger at Frode after the climax, but even that dissolves after a pleasant paycheck. Lisbeth is definitely the highlight of the book and makes it worth reading, but she can't save the sinking ship after it has sprung a leak.
Overall, I recommend reading it and think you'll like it, too. But I can point you to countless titles I think you'd enjoy better.
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