The Girl Who Played with Fire (Millennium Trilogy Book 2) - Softcover

Larsson, Stieg

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1906694184 ISBN 13: 9781906694180

Publisher: MacLehose Press, 2009

Synopsis

Lisbeth Salander is a wanted woman. Two Millennium journalists about to expose the truth about sex trafficking in Sweden are murdered, and Salander's prints are on the weapon. Her history of unpredictable and vengeful behaviour makes her an official danger to society - but no-one can find her. Mikael Blomkvist, editor-in-chief of Millennium, does not believe the police. Using all his magazine staff and resources to prove Salander's innocence, Blomkvist also uncovers her terrible past, spent in criminally corrupt institutions. Yet Salander is more avenging angel than helpless victim. She may be an expert at staying out of sight - but she has ways of tracking down her most elusive enemies.

About this title

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.

About this edition

• Publisher: MacLehose Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1906694184
• ISBN 13: 9781906694180
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 608