XLeptodactylous

Lisbeth Salander has cut off ties with everyone she knows and is travelling the world with a dead man's money, but when she returns home to Sweden she becomes embroiled in the murder of three people: two who were about to reveal some big names involved in illegal sex crimes and the third an old antagonist who apparently won't do as he's told. Blomkvist, one-time lover but forever a friend is famous for bringing down a corrupt business man and has time to bring down a few more...

Whilst this book was nowhere near as good as The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo in terms of plot, intrigue and general crime-thriller-murder-mystery type trope (I'd rate those at probably 2 or 3 / 5), it is still an almighty read. It made me even more angry than the first one did, not that I thought that was possible.

Again, it was Lisbeth Salander. There was less identifying here (as one would expect) but still there was a connection I could not fathom. Her morals are shaky at best and she is certainly infuriating and straightforward but there is just something there. Her past is brought hurtling in to the present in this second book and the two are colliding like the tornado and hurricane she experiences in the opening chapters.

Again, no comment on the writing since it's translated. There were a lot of typos in this book, actually, but it seemed to flow well and I'm sure the Swedish was no different.

I don't think people realise how important it is that a white man is writing about feminist issues with a tender touch and a hell of a lot of gumption thrown in. He's passionate about these things and it's obvious in these works. The only other author I've read who has taken such an interest in writing memorable, non-girly, non-stereotypical female characters is the late Sir Terry Pratchett.

I'm incredibly intrigued to see the film but I'll need to read the third and final book before I do that: if they so much as make light of any of the feminist issues in the books I doubt I'll watch another Hollywood film again.