Stieg Larsson

One of last summer's national favorites, now in paperback. This thriller by Stieg Larsson is perhaps most famous among a rash of recent Scandanavian crime novels to intrigue American readers. Journalist Mikael Blomkvist is struggling to keep his life and career upright after a devastating libel case, which came with the likelihood of imprisonment. Left with few options, he plummets into a family mystery at the appointment of the head of one of Sweden's wealthiest scions. Blomkvist's search leads him through the underbelly of Swedish industrialism, accompanied by an unlikely ally, a young pierced and tattooed genius hacker named Lisbeth Slander. Together, the two delve into a remarkable mystery, with sophisticated and dangerous depths.

If the plot sounds familiar, rest assured this is not your average mystery. The craftsmanship is impeccable. Larsson is careful with his characters. Each is believable, intriguing and pertinent to the authentic story, which simmered in the beginning, enticing us into the investigation, then engulfed us before we knew it. There was no putting this one down until its thrilling conclusion.

Paperback edition.