Okay, so I just finished reading Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo on my Nook and by in large it was a very good read full of interwoven plots with layers in each, creating a lot of depth in the story. It starts out when one of the main protagonists Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist who has been recently convicted of libel and is on the skids so to speak, is hired by Henrik Vanger, a retired wealthy business tycoon to investigate the disappearance of his niece Harriet Vanger on a fateful day more than 40 years prior. Blomkvist finds help in his investigation from Lisabeth Salander, an emaciated girl with tattoos and piercings who is cunning and gifted when it comes to finding out what secrets people harbor.

I won’t get much into the plot details but I liked it and it reminded me a lot of Gosford Park and Clue. Because the Vanger family is about as dysfunctional as it gets, the list of possible suspects, most of which are wretched family members, who could have played a part in her disappearance is far-reaching and constantly changing with plot twists throughout the progression of the story. What I found unenjoyable was how graphic some of the story elements were at times primarily dealing with violence against women, including instances of rape and assault. It’s not for younger readers and it was a little unsettling to say the least.

All in all though, if you enjoy mystery-thrillers with a vast amount of developed characters and changing plot twists, you’ll probably like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I intend on reading the second book in the series The Girl Who Played with Fire in a couple of weeks or so.

Book via Barnes & Noble

Film via Apple Movie Trailers