After being packed into several beach bags, I finally finished all 650 pages of Stieg Larsson's thriller "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." I first heard of the book on a friend's blog and was anxious to get my hand's on it. Just as I began reading it, it seemed to be getting covered in every magazine, morning TV show and popular culture blog as a summer must-read.
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" tells three stories: the fall from grace of financial reporter Mikael Blomkvist, the mystery behind the disappearance of young, Swedish girl Harriet Vanger, and the tortured life of computer hacker Lisbeth Salander.
Larsson's writing style literally grips you, shakes you from side to side, smacks you across the face and leaves you with your heart pounding and palms sweating. His ability to reel you in and carry you along through mind bending twists and unthinkable violence is unparalleled.
The first 100 pages of the book are dense, but if you can make it to page 101 there is a moment where you read the final sentence of the chapter and shout out loud, "Oh snap!" Larsson frequently ends a chapter on major game changer that forces you to stay awake and keep reading.
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is the first book in a three part series. I am going to take a break from the trilogy to read something more light hearted, but will definitely read the following two books.
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" was already made into a movie in Sweden and an American film version is currently being cast.
If your reading taste is mystery, thriller or crime novels, this is an absolute must.
