The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson

The Girl Who Played with Fire (a sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) is the second novel in the Larsson "I will soon be dead so i better crank out some international best sellers that i will never see a dime for" trilogy. Larsson wrote all three manuscripts before he died and did not get to see how popular they would become.

Like its predecessor, Dragon Tattoo, I inhaled this book. Larsson wrote modern, hard-boiled detective novels that you literally cannot put down. Both books have incredibly intricate plots spread over so many characters that it takes about half the novel to keep track of who is who. They center around an idealistic magazine editor and a socially awkward girl (who happens to be a genius) who unravel mysterious crimes, corruption, and government conspiracies. They are set in Sweden which can be a little confusing. Names are different and so is money. I still cannot tell you how much a kroner is worth. Every other page will say something like, the detective found 4000 kroner in her wallet (and you wonder is that a lot to be in a wallet, or not much at all...noooo idea), but once you get into the style and rhythm of the story it really hooks you.

Are these novels perfect? Absolutely not. I've actually never loved the incredibly observant free-wheeling hard boiled detective character who follows his own moral code while sleeping with every dame that crosses his path. And this is definitely that "hero", but there is something really enjoyable about the way Larsson tells his story that keeps me coming back for more. Both novels were great. I actually thought The Girl Who Played With Fire was better than the first novel, because it knew where its climax and ending was. A warning: if you choose to read these books, you do have to start with dragon tattoo to understand the plots of Fire, and Dragon tattoo does trail off a bit at the end. Everytime you think youve reached the dramatic conclusion its like BUT WAIT theres MORE. All in all, i would definitely reccommend these books for anyone who enjoys fast-paced thrillers.