Book Review - The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest by Stieg Larsson

Maclehouse Press (2009)

Translated by Reg Keeland

ISBN 978-1906694166

Well that’s it. I’ve read the final of the trilogy and I’m…well I’m not sure how I feel. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest is the longest of the three at well over 650 pages. It follows directly on from second one of the trilogy where we are left with Lisbeth Salander mortally wounded (one would be led to believe) from a bullet wound after a number of alarming, if not hard-to-believe events. I started this finale of the series thinking that the action would continue to happen from page 1. But it doesn’t. In fact, overall, I was quite disappointed by the lack of action from the main character. Well, I know she had been shot and all that brings to a human but she’s different isn’t she?

The pace did pick up in some areas, as the story line continued with Blomvkist trying to probe and find the truth behind the various plots to get Sanders committed for the rest of her life. He teams up with a detective (female, so you can guess what happens next) who is also investigating the secrecy behind Salanders father and the can of worms that his death uncovered. Berger, Blomkvists on/off lover from Millennium, has moved to the number one Swedish paper but is also having a hard time and we learn a lot about the politics of the time and that predating the current activities. Much of it wasn’t necessary and would be what I consider to be ‘back-story’. A lot of information overload which is essential for the writer, but careful selection is required for what and what not to include. Maybe it’s a special circumstance, maybe some of, a large part of this third book would have been edited to under the desk. I don’t know. But after a slow start, it did weave its magic in enthralling me though I longed for some more of my anti-heroine Salander. And I thought we might have met her twin sister… maybe that was for book number four. Who knows?

And I never found a reference to 'the hornets nest' but I guess that's something for the reader to decide. Let me know what you think it is...

Readability Rating: 8

Recommendation To Buy: Well, you can’t leave Salander hanging on the brink of death can you?