A marvellous end of a great series! ( )

The third and final book from the pen of Stieg Larsson successfully wraps up the multiple story lines he introduced in its two predecessors. When it opens, Lisbeth Salander is in hospital, with a gunshot wound to the head. The obstacles confronting her are greater than ever: even if she recovers, she will have to battle criminal charges AND renewed efforts to lock her away as mentally ill by an array of old adversaries. Her only allies are a motley crew of journalists, led by her old 'friend' Mikael Blomkvist, who recruits his sister to serve as Lisbeth's lawyer and sets out to put together a journalistic coup to expose the corrupt cabal at the heart of Sweden's security police. Success will free Salander completely; failure could doom her.
The suspense in this novel is less a matter of violent confrontation and heart-pounding confrontations; at its heart, this is a book about process (whether investigative, legal or journalistic) and the suspense is woven around those processes. That said, there's plenty of action: Erika Berger acquires a stalker, the reader gets more 'behind the scenes' insight into the Zalachenko club at the Sapo (Swedish police) and then there's the fate of Salander's father and brother...
This series stands as one of most creative works in the thriller genre I've ever read; the characters and the situations are completely fresh and very compelling. The action may be more muted than in the first two books, but that doesn't matter. it's so rare to find an author who can manage to weave such dramatic stories -- and manage so many different threads without losing their grasp on at least some of them -- that Larsson's early death becomes even more of a tragedy. Still, he's left quite an astonishing legacy.
One recommendation: If you're reading this, I suggest re-reading the prior book first. Reading them back-to-back will make sure you don't forget any of the important plot and character details from the Girl Who Played with Fire. In contrast to the first book (which can easily be read alone), these two are really two halves of the same book, with this one picking up immediately after the events in the previous one. ( )

THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE, the second book in Steig Larrson’s Millenium Trilogy, ended with publisher Mikael Blomkvist dialing for emergency help after he found a man with an axe in his head and fugitive-from-the-law Lisbeth Salander in extremely critical condition with a bullet in hers.

THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST begins with Salander in the Intensive Care Unit. Her father is in a room down the hall, reportedly shot by Lisbeth. She has three bullets in her, including one in the brain, and he has an axe in the head. How did this happen? Why are the Swedish Secret Service surreptitiously going in and out of his room? Why do we pick on those we do not understand? It is easier for us to believe those that are in power than to question the truth.

There are so many layers to this story though that it never devolves into a trite government-versus-them conspiracy story. That is one aspect but only one aspect. The mental illness issues remain terrific, including the testimony of Salander's former psychiatrist from St. Stephen's State Mental Hospital. The computer hacking by Salander remains top notch. How many people can hack while recovering from gunshot wounds? Blomqvist is back again too, trying to protect Salander and getting his sister to defend her in court.

There is no unnecessary overt sex and, even though there is violence, it is believable. Blomqvist is a hero, the main brains behind the investigation. He is out to assist Lisbeth Salander in becoming the woman she is meant to be instead of the woman who was looked at as the mad lesbian killer. He says, "When it comes down to it, this story is not primarily about spies and secret government agencies; it's about violence against women, and the men who enable it."

There’s no Deus-ex-machina here: Larrson ties up many loose ends throughout the book - and this is key - throughout the book, not all in the last few chapters like so many other writers. The behaviours of the protagonists and the political mysteries that were touched upon earlier come to life and are explained. Most of all, there is closure for the main character. This novel sums up the story of Lisbeth Salander, but leaves us wondering what is to be.

And that emphasizes the tragic aspect of this final book: knowing that we will never again be graced with Larrson's amazing storytelling talent. ( )

While not available in the United States for another 6 months, I bought this British version through Ebay and it was worth the extra effort and price. This book is the conclusion of the Millenium trilogy and was the conclusion of the Sapo conspiracy started in the second book. This book is a monster at 600 pages but it was a great read. By the third book you should be able to keep all of the Swedish names straight, though it certainly is a challenge. I don't want to give away anything for those yet to read it but Lizbeth Salander is amazing and really more like a superhero than a human being. What a tragedy that Stieg Larsson died before these books were published... and a tragedy for the rest of us that this third book concludes the Millenium novels. Highly recommended. Probably one of the best series of the decade. ( )

Compared to the two first books in the trilogy (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire) this one has much less action, and is almost completely focused on the duel of two groups: one, a rogue team embedded in the Secret Police, trying to put Lisbeth away as mentally incompetent to protect their secrets; the other a cabal of friends dedicated to thwarting those plans. The plot is believable but intricate and the cast of characters does require some attention. Lisbeth spends almost the entire novel in hospital and her character really doesn't develop any further from where it was. A couple of sidelines enliven the action (a cyberstalker of Blomkvist’s lover, Berger) but they struck me as gratuitous to the story line. All turns out well in the end and there is a nice demolishing of the evil psychiatrist in court. The trilogy is nicely wrapped up, though it does lay the ground for further adventures; Larsson was reportedly planning a 10-volume series.

Looking over the trilogy as a whole, I agree with Christopher Hitchens's comments (Vanity Fair, Dec/09) that in keeping with Larsson’s professional life as an investigative journalist, the novels confront questions dealing with immigration, gender, white-collar crime, and the Internet, to which I would add the exploitation of women in the sex trade, the possibility of the criminal abuse of state power and the seductive and pernicious influence of power married with paranoia and a self-serving certitude that brook no questioning or disagreement, all of which reinforces the concomitant need for eternal vigilance in protecting democratic principles and human rights, a role often played by an independent journalism (not TV) that spurs the system to action.