The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

It has been several years since I read the first two instalments of Steig Larsson's Millennium Trilogy, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire. I had begun reading The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest but had always left it unfinished and only recently when thinking about unfinished trilogy's did it begin annoying me that never did I get round to following through the story of Larsson's alternative and feisty heroine Lisbeth Slander.

Although written as a trilogy I found that the first novel, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, could have been a standalone book due to the slightly isolated subject matter whereas books 2 & 3 were very definitely linked and followed on more directly from the other. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo reads as a murder mystery whereas The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest are more politically driven and seek to raise questions over the ethical dealings of the Swedish Government.

I'm not quite sure why I did not complete this book during my initial attempt at reading it some years ago, I was literally hooked on it this time around. I had to do a fair bit of reminding myself who was who and perhaps because of it's translation from Swedish to English I found many of the character names to be similar and I had to keep reminding myself who was whom and whether they were a good or bad guy.

That aside this is a wonderful novel. Picking up immediately after book 2 we find Lisbeth being rushed to hospital grievously wounded and facing several criminal charges against her, not to discount her psychopathic father being in the hospital room next door. Trying to help her, old friend and Millenium journalist Mikael Blomkvist begins to undertake all kinds of espionage style dealings and from there it's very much about mapping out who is going to be victorious in either destroying or saving Salander.

It is gripping, fast paced, engaging and although Lisbeth is in no way a traditional heroine we root for her the whole way through. Her lawyers examination of dodgy psychiatrist Telborian was one of the most gripping pieces of writing I've ever had the pleasure of devouring.

It's really no wonder this trilogy has become so highly regarded, it is collectively wonderful to read.