The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

Wow. I just finished the third and final (unless the 4th manuscript gets finished by someone else) book by Steig Larrson. I'm actually really sad about it ending. I could stand for a few more Lisbeth adventures and to see Berger happy. Ahh well, I guess that just shows you the effects of good writing.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest picks up right after the last book ended. Lisbeth is in the hospital 2 doors down from her father Zalachenko. (Seriously, hospital they try to kill each other and you put them two doors down from each other. I would HOPE the Swedish government in real life would not be so stupid.) They both immediately realize this and both try to work out ways to kill each other. Like father, like daughter. However, Zalachenko has played his last card on the Section and he pays. (Finally.)

This leads to the Section taking a deep dark turn into very very very bad decisions and into very murky water. Where at the beginning, they could have made somewhat of an argument for the existence of the Section, how they deal with Zalachenko and Salander are their downfall and the proof that any government or government agency should always include checks and balances.

There are sooo many details to this story that need the build up of the actual reading to reveal, so I am very hesitant to recap it here.

Excerpt of a Description about the book: A young girl lies in a hospital room, her tattooed body very close to death -- there is a bullet lodged in her brain. Several rooms away is the man who tried to kill her, his own body grievously wounded from axe blows inflicted by the girl he has tried to kill. She is Lisbeth Salander, computer hacker and investigator, and the man is her father, a murderous Russian gangster. If Salander recovers from her injuries, she is more than likely to be put on trial for three murders -- the authorities regard her as a dangerous individual. But she won't see the inside of a courtroom if her father manages to kill her first.

However, my thoughts I will share, but they may not make much sense until you read it yourself. I found this book, as the others, fascinating. First, in the instance of learning about Swedish history that I will admit to not knowing much about, but now am fascinated in reading up on their political parties. It piqued my interest, just as the German political parties piqued my interest back in college. But then again, I am a nerd. I also found it interesting that a man, would take it upon himself to right books about violence against women and not make it into a piece of crap with unbelievable weak women characters. He gives his books incredibly strong and out spoken female characters and I really enjoyed that. I like how the book works out the mystery and while some pieces aren't revealed at the beginning they are as more scenes unfold. Specifically, at one point I was wanting to say, "Um why don't we suggest the obvious and shoot him." But it didn't come out until a scene later. I like when books don't reveal everything at once.

I found his works to be incredibly well researched and relayed. I found it interesting he referred to everyone by their last names, including the women. I also like that even as anti-social as Lisbeth was, she still had people who stood up for the injustices against her. It would have been easier to forget and let things happen, but they fought for her. This last novel was a little slow in parts, but I think that was because of all the Swedish names for things and some explanations of certain things that made me skim them, but the action was amazing.

Basically, the first book started out slow and turned out pretty darn good. The second book was SOOOO amazing and by far my favorite. The third was also very good and made me very sad to have it all over.

So, in conclusion you should probably read all of them. ;)

I do believe I will be watching the movies with the Swedish sub-titles and then the Hollywood versions though unless Archie Panjabi is playing Lisbeth my visions in my head won't be true. ;)