THOMP
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The book is long and took a bit of getting into.
The middle part of the book was fairly interesting, about financial fraud and family feud and disfunction, with some middle aged sex fantasy thrown in for good measure.
The climax was ultimately disappointing unless you are deeply into "high finance" or a financial journalist.
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Girl with Dragon Tattoo lived up to expectations
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This thriller encouraged me to abandon my computer and read again...
I was intrigued by the title and soon became absorbed by the the plot and colourful characters until eventually could not put the book down.
Recoiled in horror at some parts of the unfolding mysteries but it seems normal for today's warped & bored rich when viewing present day news.....
the book is well worth the read I enjoyed the style and the pace.
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Agatha Christie with pickled herring
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I don't read many thrillers and this book reminded me why. The narrative at first was quite compelling and I enjoyed the Swedish setting but once we arrived at the island I was forcibly reminded of Agatha Christie but with more gore. The corrupt family - the hideous secrets - ho hum yawn - and could anyone find Salander at all plausible?
Maybe I'm too squeamish but I'm also tired of novels which purport to condemn violence whilst describing it in all too much sickening detail. I will allow that the part in Australia was quite original but having ploughed my way to the end ( with numerous checks on the width of the pages that remained...)I've no intention of reading the two further parts of the trilogy.
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What a Carve Up meets Day of the Jackal
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A quirky and engaging cast of characters combine with a suitably sinuous plot in this tale of shenanigans within the Swedish corporate scene. The initial scene setting is a little clunky and protracted, but this is partly explained by this volume's role as the first in a trilogy. Once the young tatooed hacker-ess Salander is introduced the action intensifies and I, for one, was hooked.
Some of the techno-speak is rather detailed and hence immediately dated, but forgivable when the elaborate sting towards the end of the book is so well contrived, (in a rather Forsythian Day of the Jackal manner.)
An above average thriller and a compulsive read.
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Excellent book - appalling publishing
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I gulped the 500+ pages of this book in 24 hours. It's a highly intelligent and enjoyable thriller.
The publisher, though, should be taken out and shot. First, the choice of cover, and the title change from Men Who Hate Women, is just vulgar sensationalism. Why was there a need to titillate potential buyers when dealing with an international multi-million seller?
Second, the copy editing is a disgrace. Again, with a huge best seller, couldn't they have taken more care? Other reviews have given examples of poor grammar, so I won't reproduce them. But in three places the translator uses 'anon' where the correct English would be 'then', 'later', or similar ("they got married and anon were divorced"). It's minor, but jerks you right out of the story. I gather there were feuds about the English translation, but nevertheless, good copy editing could have made the difference.
I suspect they wouldn't have got away with this had the author still been alive.
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