Wednesday, April 10, 2019

The Girl Who Played With Fire by Steig Larsson


Things are going better in Lisbeth Salander's life these days.  After her work with the journalist Mikael Blomkvist that resulted in the expose of a major criminal, she finds herself wealthy due to her hacking skills.  She leaves Sweden for a year, traveling around the world.  When she returns, she buys an expensive apartment and renews contact with the few people she allows into her world.

But things never go well for Salandar very long.  Two people are murdered, a journalist and his girlfriend.  They are about to expose a major sex trafficking ring in Sweden with their vehicle Blomkvist's magazine, Millennium.  The same night, a lawyer is also murdered.  Blomkvist believes the murders are tied to the expose but the police have other ideas.  The murder weapon is left on the scene, and it has Salandar's fingerprints on it. 

Suddenly, she is the most wanted person in Sweden.  The police storm every place she is associated with and bring in every person she is known to have associated with.  Her picture and her life story are splattered across every news outlet.  Even worse, not only the police but individuals from her past are trying to find Salandar.  Can she escape her pursuers long enough to solve the case and will this bring Salandar and Blomkvist back into each other's lives?

The trilogy of novels featuring Salandar were a huge hit.  This one is the second in the series and the reader will be drawn into Salandar's world.  More of Salandar's background is revealed here and there is exposure to the world of computer hacking as well as the inside workings of a media outlet.  It is also an intricate police procedural.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.

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