Mikael Blomkvist, crusading journalist and publisher of the magazine Millennium, has decided to run a story that will expose an extensive sex trafficking operation between Eastern Europe and Sweden, implicating well-known and highly placed members of Swedish society, business, and government.
But he has no idea just how explosive the story will be until, on the eve of publication, the two investigating reporters are murdered. And even more shocking for Blomkvist: the fingerprints found on the murder weapon belong to Lisbeth Salander—the troubled, wise-beyond-her-years genius hacker who came to his aid in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and who now becomes the focus and fierce heart of The Girl Who Played with Fire.
As Blomkvist, alone in his belief in Salander’s innocence, plunges into an investigation of the slayings, Salander herself is drawn into a murderous hunt in which she is the prey, and which compels her to revisit her dark past in an effort to settle with it once and for all. — Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
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As I read the last sentence of “The Girl Who Played with Fire,” I couldn’t help but scream in frustration. There’s no way Stieg Larsson would leave us hanging like that. But he does. He leaves us pondering the fate of our protagonists, Lisbeth Salander (computer hacker extraordinaire) and Mikael Blomkvist (journalist with Millennium Magazine). Though not for long. I forgot that at the end of my edition, there’s a snippet of chapter one of “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.”
But let’s start at the beginning. The prologue is excellent. It captures my attention, thrusts me into a mystery I know is bound to be solved, and makes me wonder just what Larsson has up his sleeve. Let’s just say I didn’t find out until quite a few chapters later. Almost near the end of the book, to be exact. I like that I never know what to expect when reading one of these books, but I do get a bit annoyed with Larsson’s need for an excruciatingly accurate detailing of certain elements. For example, Salander becomes involved with mathematical equations and seems to be consumed by one in particular. That’s all well and good. But Larsson goes into so much detail about the basis behind this, I felt like skipping over to the next chapter to get back to the action. And there is lots of action to be had here.
I loved the new secondary characters we are introduced (and re-introduced) to, Paolo Robert and Miriam Wu, respectively. Paolo is a surprising choice to thrust into Salander’s life and his sudden appearance is refreshing. He wasn’t what I expected as someone from Salander’s past, and I enjoyed learning what a stand up guy he is. Of course, I kept thinking I’d missed his introduction in a previous chapter, or previous book, but we find out why he’s important to the overall story. Miriam we know already as one of Salander’s sex mates and she gets tangled in the web created by Salander without meaning to.
“The Girl Who Played with Fire” is adequately titled. Not only does it refer to Salander’s literal dalliance with fire, but the game of life at which she has become an expert player. This book reveals just about all there is to reveal about her past, including the huge nugget of who her father is. I’ll be honest and say I guessed who he was before he was revealed, but it was still shocking. She’s smarter than we realize and a lot tougher too. Not only does she seem more mature this time around, she realizes she isn’t utterly alone. Don’t expect to see too much of a Salander/Blomkvist interaction much like we saw in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” But rest assured, they do reunite in a way which will leave you astounded, as it did me. That’s the WTF moment in the last chapter. Be prepared. And don’t say I didn’t warn you.
I highly recommend this book and am anxiously waiting to read the third and final installation of the Millennium trilogy, “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.” I can only guess what Salander does in that one, and I’m sure it’ll be a lot more than kicking.
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