TMC reviews… The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
As many of you will already have seen the movie, I fear this book review may come too late. Nevertheless awesomeness deserves recognition – and without the shadow of a doubt, this is an awesome book.
As crime fiction goes, I’m no expert. What I do know, though, is books. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is the first in a trilogy by Swedish author Stieg Larsson. In it, we are introduced to Lisbeth Salander, an extraordinary girl with a photographic memory, computer skills to outwit the best of them and the titular dragon tattoo adorning her back. Alongside our tattooed and heavily-pierced and disarmingly goth pixie of a heroin, we have Mikael Blomkvist, an intrepid journalist with polygamous tendencies and baggage of his own.
The story begins at the end of a libel trial. Blomkvist, celebrated journalist and part-owner of a famed investigative magazine, is found guilty of libel and decides to take a break from his work. Queue mysterious millionaire Henrik Vanger, who hires Blomkvist on his sabbatical to uncover the circumstances surrounding the decades-old mystery of a young girl and the identity of her murderer. Thirty years of history do not make it easy for him, but he is eventually joined by researcher extraordinaire Salander, who seems able to produce information from thin air. Friction exists at first, but as they get closer to uncovering the truth, and closer to a terrifying heart of darkness, the two find themselves getting more intimate.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is gripping stuff – lush, imaginative and descriptive without being an unbearable bit of tosh. The writing is tight and the plot is fantastic, keeping you guessing, literally, until the end. Above all, our heroine is the kind of kick-ass gem that draws you in from the start. Make no mistake – Conrad this is not. But rest assured it’s no Dan Brown either. Definitely a worthwhile read if you’re looking for something light but can’t bear to kill your brain cells with some hot-pink chick lit.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is £7.99 from most good booksellers.
Haven’t read the book, but the film was good despite the violent sex scene
The second film has a lesbian scene! Like a sex one!
Also, all three films are out on DVD, just download people.
WHAAAAT? Must. Be. Seen. I loved the books. And Miriam sounds hot, so uh, I’m gonna get on that one.
It’s hot. Get on it.