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Being the fan of thrillers that I am, I don't know why I kept putting off reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. It has spent week after week on the New York Times Bestseller List, mostly at number one. Last week I finished reading it and I'm glad that I did.

PLOT SUMMARY

Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist is hired by Henrik Vanger to investigate the disappearance of Vanger's great-niece Harriet. Henrik suspects that someone in his family, the powerful Vanger clan, murdered Harriet over forty years ago.

Starting his investigation, Mikael realizes that Harriet's disappearance is not a single event, but rather linked to a series of gruesome murders in the past. He now crosses paths with Lisbeth Salander, a young computer hacker, an asocial punk and most importantly, a young woman driven by her vindictiveness.

Together they form an unlikely couple as they dive deeper into the violent past of the secretive Vanger family.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo turned out to be a phenomenal thriller that really did keep me glued to the pages. Larsson's characters are amazing and force you to sympathize with them almost from the opening pages. Lisbeth Salander will probably go down as one of the greatest fictional characters conceived as you find yourself almost wanting to protect her but learn that she doesn't really need help nor would she ask for it.

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The plot and its stunning conclusion didn't disappoint as well. The twists, turns, and discoveries will have you dropping your jaw and turning the page at a breakneck pace.

The largest drawback I'd say the novel has is its length. It takes about 100 pages of back story and superfluous details before you really get into the heart of the story. The other negative is trying to follow the family members of the Vanger family. At times you feel like you need their family tree charted to keep up.

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A word of caution; there are some very graphic and disturbing scenes in this book so it is not for the faint of heart. However, if you're like me and tend to gravitate towards the graphic and disturbing in stories, then I highly recommend The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.