The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Title: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Author: Stieg Larsson

Release Date: June 23, 2009

Pages: 629

Source: Only $4 at Sam's!

I read this book on the recommendation of a coworker and based on the fact that I see it everywhere. After the first few chapters, this crime thriller picks up speed fast and keeps you turning the pages anxiously to see what happens next. However, this book is not for those with weak stomachs. There were many parts that were just too graphic for me.

The book follows the story of Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist and magazine publisher who is out of work after being wrongly found guilty of libel. Blomkvist is hired by the Vanger family for his research and investigative reporting skills to solve the long-ago disappearance of their 16-year-old niece Harriet. Blomkvist soon joins up with spunky computer hacker Lisabeth Salander (the girl with the dragon tattoo) to solve the mystery.

Right away I liked the book because it was about a journalist, so I could easily relate. However, the story takes place in Sweden and in the first few chapters there is a lot of talk about Swedish government, business investments and a lot of other stuff that bored me. The story didn't really get interesting for me until Mikael started working on solving the mystery of Harriet's disappearance.

Lisabeth is a great character and I really enjoyed getting to know her throughout the book. She's presented as an onion (or ogre for Shrek fans), and each new chapter pulls back more and more layers on who she really is. Lisabeth has a dark past and as she and Mikael get closer to solving the mystery, this comes out. The reader discovers along with the pair that the mystery also gets darker and more sinister with each new bend. I must warn you there is a lot of very graphic sexual violence which would not be appropriate for non-adult readers. It was almost too much for me.

In the end, the twists and turns leave you with a surprise ending and a nicely solved mystery. But the story and adventures of Mikael and Lisabeth continue in the next two books of the series. I enjoyed the first book enough to buy the second book in the trilogy but soon found it was even more graphic and disturbing than the first. I couldn't make myself finish the second book.

Book Rating: 3 out of 5: Maybe for some readers, but not for me.