Stieg Larsson's crime thriller, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, has received what seems to be nothing but praise. It reached the "acclaimed" number one spot on the New York Times Bestsellers List. I'm so tired of that marketing gimmick.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is not a life-changing novel. It's not the greatest crime thriller. It's nothing more than an enjoyable read and a commentary about violent crimes against women in Sweden.
There isn't much thrill in Dragon Tattoo until about halfway through. Much of the first half is buildup, back story. Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist convicted of libel, is hired by Swedish economic powerhouse Henrik Vanger to investigate the 40-year-old case involving the disappearance of Henrik's then-16-year-old niece Harriet. He spends the first half of the book working on the other part of his contract: a chronicle of the expansive Vanger family.
On the sidelines, we meet Lisbeth Salander, a social outcast decked in tattoos and piercings. She's a hacking prodigy, putting her natural talents to use at Milton Security. Hired to perform a background check on Blomkvist, Salander eventually becomes involved in the Harriet investigation.
It's at this point that the book takes a decidedly dark turn. The duo uncovers decades-old grisly murders of women throughout Sweden that seem to be connected to the final diary entry of Harriet Vanger. After that, it's connection after connection, a confrontation, confusion, and then finally clarification and comprehension. The mystery seems to be solved and ended so quickly, that it ends up being rather unsatisfying in a way.
While there are some foibles in Larsson's characters, he is a master at making the reader fall for them. I found Mikael Blomkvist inspiring and Lisbeth Salander enticing. When sparks started flying between the two, I was rightly pleased.
In the end, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is slow then fast then slow, hard to get into at first then hard to put down, boring then thrilling then interest-fading. It's unfortunately inconsistent at holding my attention. It might have better luck with you, but for me, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was a solid but unsatisfying thriller. I still plan on reading the next one as I've become quite invested in the life of Lisbeth Salander.
This book goes back to the library.
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