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Showing posts with label mystery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mystery. Show all posts

Monday, October 17, 2011

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More Sex & the Single Mom

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In this scintillating sequel to Sex & the Single Mom, mother Jess is bringing up her young son with a sweet new beau when her baby's daddy reappears to court her, not realizing he's the father. All the while, daughter Sarah, now 18, is obsessed with losing her virginity.

  • Directed by: A&E Television Networks
  • Runtime: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Studio: Lifetime

Product Details

Synopsis: In this scintillating sequel to Sex & the Single Mom, mother Jess is bringing up her young son with a sweet new beau when her baby's daddy reappears to court her, not realizing he's the father. All the while, daughter Sarah, now 18, is obsessed with losing her virginity.

Directed by: A&E Television Networks

Runtime: 1 hour 30 minutes

Studio: Lifetime

ASIN: B0051166N8

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

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Death by Honeymoon (Book #1 in the Caribbean Murder Series) [Kindle Edition]

Jaden Skye (Author)

3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (35 customer reviews) | Like(59)


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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

On the rugged, wild, eastern shore of Barbados, Cindy and Clint are enjoying their dream honeymoon, when paradise quickly turns into hell. Cindy finds her newly beloved taken away from her, drowned in a freak accident in the ocean. The local police are quick to declare it an accident, to insist that he was caught in a sudden riptide. But Cindy, left all alone, is not convinced.
Cindy must return to her and Clint’s now-empty home in New York and face her in-laws, who never wanted Clint to marry her, and who did everything to make her engagement and wedding hell. She must deal with all of these women’s backbiting, gossiping and unspoken accusations, while she tries to get a handle on her own grief and to get clear on what really happened to Clint.
Cindy is mailed an anonymous photo of a woman she had never met, addressed to Clint. As she tries to unravel the mysterious package, as she begins to dig deeper into Clint’s emails and files, she realizes how many secrets Clint had been hiding from his past. She realizes that she didn’t really know the man she loved. And she also realizes that Clint was murdered.
She digs deeper, into the depths of Clint’s massive corporation, DGB oil, and as she starts to unearth information she shouldn’t, she goes too far. Soon her own life is in peril. On the run, she realizes that the only way to get answers, and to save her own life, is to return to where it all began: Barbados. As she heads into the dark underside of the island, into the heart of the local villages, she is shocked to discover what really happened to her husband on their honeymoon.
But by then, it may already be too late.
Book #2 in the Caribbean Murder series (DEATH BY DIVORCE) is now also available.


Product Details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 228 KB
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0976585502
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
  • Language: English

Perfect Summer Vacation Read, August 25, 2011

By

Chris Brown "Chris Brown" (Brooklyn, NY, US) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

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This review is from: Death by Honeymoon (Book #1 in the Caribbean Murder Series) (Kindle Edition)

I loved this book. It was entertaining had also had depth. Well-written, excellent character development. A perfect summer read. I couldn't put it down.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

51gZvl1Bq9L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-41,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_

Burial To Follow [Kindle Edition]

Scott Nicholson (Author)

4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews) | Like(58)


Digital List Price:$2.99 What's this?

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Editorial Reviews

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"Like Stephen King, he knows how to summon serious scares."--Bentley Little
BURIAL TO FOLLOW
When Jacob Ridgehorn dies, it's up to Roby Snow to make sure his soul goes on to the eternal reward. The only way Roby can do that is convince the Ridgehorn family to eat a special pie. Lurking in the shadows is a mysterious figure named Johnny Divine, monitoring the crossroads between the living and the dead. Southern Appalachian funeral customs get crossed when Roby has to perform miracles...or else.
DRM-free and only 99 cents for a limited time. Novella of about 22,000 words. Originally published in the Cemetery Dance anthology "Brimstone Turnpike." Scott Nicholson is the bestselling Kindle author of the thrillers THE RED CHURCH, DRUMMER BOY, DISINTEGRATION, SPEED DATING WITH THE DEAD, and THE SKULL RING. Visit him at Author Central or www.hauntedcomputer.com
--------------------------
"Keep both hands on your pants, because Nicholson is about to scare them off."--J.A. Konrath, author of ORIGIN
"Scott Nicholson is the kind of writer who always surprises and always entertains."--Jonathan Maberry, author of Patient Zero and The Dragon Factory
"Lovecraft may have invented cosmic horror, but Nicholson brings it up close and personal."--Deborah LeBlanc, author of Morbid Curiosity
"Nicholson has moved into that literary shadow land between Ray Bradbury and Neil Gaiman."--Sharyn McCrumb, author of The Ballad novels


Product Details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 477 KB
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Publisher: Haunted Computer Books (December 22, 2009)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B0031RHNZY

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Suspenseful Awesome Read from Scott!,February 22, 2010

By Heather M "I'm not a fancy shmancy reviewer. ...

This review is from: Burial To Follow (Kindle Edition)

Awesome awesome book! Just what I've come to expect from Scott Nicholson.
I have this habit of trying to picture different scenarios in my head as I'm reading to see where an author is going with the storyline. Then I get my aha! I thought that was going to happen somewhere down the road.
I had no idea where Scott was going when I started this and I couldn't figure it out until I read it when I got to that point in the story. I hope Scott takes this as a complement when I say this book was so strange, but a great strange. I knew there was something going on with the food because Roby was fixated with food, but I never would have guessed what actually was behind the food. This was one of those, keep turning the page (or clicking the next button on my Kindle), don't put it down until you're done type of books.
This book starts out at the sitting for Jacob Ridgehorn and continues on through the viewing and the funeral. All of it revolving around Roby and the food and his thoughts on proper funeral procedure, which was actually kind of interesting. Tell me you haven't done it? Been in a somber situation, not able to believe the behavior of some who are there? He does give them leeway in his mind because they are grieving.
He sits through the bickering and manages to get everyone to eat the pie. What's in the pie? I can't tell you. You will never ever think of it yourself though.
I said this in my review of The Red Church, but I'll say it again. Scott Nicholson reminds me of some of the greats, Stephen King, Dean R Koontz, etc. This reminded me of some of Stephen King's shorter story. Not in the writing style, because that is all Scott's wonderful style, but in the suspense category. His stories are full of so much detail, you can easily picture it in your head, you can smell the food, see the congealed grease around the ham, the marshmallows on the sweet potato pie (I'm never eating pie at a funeral again, thank you very much Scott. :) ) This is just another great read from Scott Nicholson.

Fascinating, insightful, wicked, and humorous,January 14, 2010

By

Christa Polkinhorn (Santa Monica, CA, USA) -

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This review is from: Burial To Follow (Kindle Edition)

Burial to Follow is the kind of fascinating story I have come to expect from Scott Nicholson: intriguing, suspenseful plot, vivid details, and an insightful depiction of human motives, yearnings, and desires. The perfect blend of real and surreal elements, of the macabre and the humorous makes for a delightful read. Scott's stories and novels have a local, Southern flair (and if you are interested in delicious Southern food, this is the story for you) but speak to readers everywhere. The mixture of true sorrow, barely contained greed, and hypocrisy which is part of so many family funerals and inheritance battles rings true, no matter where you live. And what a surprise ending! But for that you have to read the story.

Scott is a writing machine..., July 15, 2010

By

Chris Meeks "Koontz Guru" (Gainesville, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Burial To Follow (Kindle Edition)

Literally. Scott reminds me very much of another author with similar work ethics. Hmmm. =) He is quickly becoming one of our most prolific authors. Keep it up Scott!

Sunday, October 2, 2011

51YalQhiJGL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-34,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_ Cell 8 [Kindle Edition]

Anders Roslund (Author), Börge Hellström (Author)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A cheap crooner by the name of John Schwarz earns his keep on a ferry between Sweden and Finland, singing evergreens for drunken passengers. One night, he loses his temper with a man harassing women in the crowd, beating him unconscious. As drunken brawls are commonplace on the Baltic cruising ferries, no one raises an eyebrow.
No one, that is, but Detective Superintendent Ewert Grens. Concerned by the details of the case report, Grens can't help but think someone capable of such violence must have a history of it. As a precaution, he orders Schwarz arrested: one that is seemingly justified when Schwarz provides such resistance that he has to be sedated.
Suspicion turns to shock when Grens discovers that John Schwarz does not exist. When he learns that the man in his custody is in fact John Meyer Frey – an American citizen from Marcusville, Ohio – he is even more astonished. John Meyer Frey cannot be sitting in front of him.
John Meyer Frey died on Death Row six years earlier.
This mystery will initiate the most remarkable criminal investigation of Ewert Grens' career, the reverberations of which will reach the highest tier of international politics, and blow the worldwide debate on the death penalty wide open.

Product Details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 465 KB
  • Print Length: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Quercus (September 15, 2011)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B005JCCHUU

Saturday, May 15, 2010

The Girl Who Played with Fire

The Girl Who Played with Fire (Kindle Edition)

by Stieg Larsson (Author)

Digital List Price: $15.95
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Part blistering espionage thriller, part riveting police procedural, and part piercing exposé on social injustice, The Girl Who Played with Fire is a masterful, endlessly satisfying novel.
Mikael Blomkvist, crusading publisher of the magazine Millennium, has decided to run a story that will expose an extensive sex trafficking operation. On the eve of its publication, the two reporters responsible for the article are murdered, and the fingerprints found on the murder weapon belong to his friend, the troubled genius hacker Lisbeth Salander. Blomkvist, convinced of Salander’s innocence, plunges into an investigation. Meanwhile, Salander herself is drawn into a murderous game of cat and mouse, which forces her to face her dark past. 
From the Paperback edition.


Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #6 in Books
  • Published on: 2010-03-23
  • Released on: 2010-03-23
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Dimensions: 1.17" h x 5.28" w x 8.14" l, 1.06 pounds
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 656 pages
Features
  • ISBN13: 9780307454553
  • Condition: NEW
  • Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.


Customer Reviews:

"Salander alone against the world",
Review Date : January 25, 2009
Reviewed By : K. M. "literary devotee" (California) -

This review is from: The Girl Who Played with Fire (Hardcover)

In THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE, the second volume in the late Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy, publisher Mikael Blomkvist and the police are conducting parallel investigations into three horrifying murders -- and their initial evidence points straight at young computer genius and social misfit Lisbeth Salander. Kalle Bastard Blomkvist (as Salander has begun referring to him) hasn't seen Salander in nearly two years, except for one night when he happened to witness a huge man attempting to kidnap her and both she and the attacker eluded him. He's bewildered about why she cut him off cold, but had accepted her decision -- until now. He doesn't believe Salander killed these victims. Well, at least not two of them. He has to contact her, find out how she's become embroiled in this, and help her. Salander, as usual, has her own ideas about who she'll see and when....

In THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, Larsson partnered Blomkvist and Salander as they unraveled a twisted tale of corporate greed, Fascist connections, and perverse sex and violence. FIRE highlights another subject on which Larsson wanted to shine light, namely the underbelly of the sex trade, a swill of human misery being forcibly imposed for money and simple loathing of women. Blomkvist's magazine, Millennium, plans an issue devoted to the subject based on the interviews and reporting of a criminologist and a journalist, and there follows much in-house discussion of the lurid material and how it should be presented to the public. But the three murders turn the magazine and its people on their heads.

Meanwhile, Salander travels, changes her appearance, and matures in the early chapters of the 569-page book that covers four months in total and is told in four parts. Among her pursuits: attempting to proof Fermat's Last Theorem in a way Fermat himself might have done, furnishing her new abode, and keeping tabs on Bjurman (whom, recall, she memorably tattooed in DRAGON). Then, she disappears for quite a spell as the murder investigation gets cranking, and finally, she regains the spotlight as the book rushes headlong into a heart-stopping denouement.
The last book in this series -- tentatively entitled THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNETS' NEST in its English translation -- is not scheduled for release until 2010. However, the entire trilogy has already been published in Swedish (naturally), French, and German. Larsson reportedly had planned a ten-volume series. He had written part of the fourth book and had outlined volumes five, six, and seven. Sadly, due to his early death, only the trilogy is complete and will, according to his father, be published. After reading FIRE, the thought creeps in that perhaps the trilogy will not provide closure, and that the reader could be left dangling, unsatisfied. That would be a crying shame because Salander and Blomkvist -- along with other continuing characters -- do burrow themselves deeply into the reader's (at least this reader's) affections. Fortunately, reviewers who have read, in the other aforementioned languages, the entire story arc, including the final novel, seem generally very satisfied. Some claim that the last book, also the longest, is a grand finale that answers all outstanding questions. A few are less effusive, stating that the last book can't meet the anticipatory heights set by the stunning, unusual first one.

This last criticism can be applied to the second book as well. FIRE does not pack quite the punch of uniqueness that DRAGON did. One can perhaps think of the movie trilogy THE MATRIX, MATRIX RELOADED, and THE MATRIX REVOLUTION as an analogy. The smash introductory film awed with its mind-bending perspective. The second and third passes were very solid, even amazing, partners, but they only reiterated the cutting-edge magic so novel in The MATRIX, building on it, not inventing something mind-blowingly fresh. Familiarity takes a bit of the bloom off the rose, but it certainly doesn't breed contempt in these instances. Larsson's FIRE lags a little during the mid-section in which criminal investigation procedure grinds along and the author belabors certain points, seeming to believe his readers novices at crime mysteries. But overall, FIRE accelerates the enthralling story of Lisbeth and Mikael with panache. One can't help thinking the world they inhabit is too slimy, too vicious, but Larsson was a man with many crusades and causes, and his trilogy vividly paints the harsh pictures of society that he hoped to reform. The Millennium Trilogy encompasses uncompromising social critique; prickling thrills; and curious, bittersweet romance. FIRE drew me like a moth, and I can't wait to get my hands on HORNET. 4.4 stars.


“Highly entertaining ... slightly flawed.”,
Review Date : April 13, 2009
Reviewed By : Nicole Del Sesto (Northern Cal) -

This review is from: The Girl Who Played with Fire (Hardcover)

I found this book to be a solid sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, in fact, I may have liked it ever better than the first.

In this book we learn more about Salander. Skillfully exposed throughout the course of the novel, bits and pieces of her background appear until by the end a full picture has emerged. Some satisfying, some not so satisfying. A couple points easily guessed early on.

She's a fascinating character, and the parts about her were my favorite in the book, (even the parts that were seemingly plot irrelevant and never resolved). She's a smart, strong, flawed underdog, and you can't help rooting for her.

This book tackles a lot of topics. Sex trade, the media, police corruption, authority abuse, on and on. I like it because it keeps it interesting, but sometimes it was all over the board. Especially interesting to me is learning more about Swedish culture throughout the course of the book.
What's best about the book is the pace. It kept me captivated throughout the 569 pages (in my copy), and I couldn't go to bed until I finished. It's a well-done thriller.

Incidentally, I didn't find that you needed to have read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo first, but certainly that would be preferable.

Looking forward to the 3rd, and sad that it will be the last. This is a really interesting series.


“'...Dragon' on Amphetamines”,
Review Date : December 28, 2008
Reviewed By : R. Bennett -

This review is from: The Girl Who Played with Fire (Hardcover)

This is the follow up to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I suggest you read that one first, though this novel is reasonably self-contained.

This book opens with Lisbeth Salander enjoying her newly ripped of wealth lazing in a hotel in Granada. No one knows where she is (as usual), and back in Sweden, Millenium magazine are preparing a an expose of the sex slave business in Sweden. The journalist who is preparing the expose is murdered, along with his partner, and Salander's legal guardian. Salander, now back in Sweden is the prime suspect, and the police hunt is on.

To say things get complicated from this point is an understatement. There are multiple investigations (Salander's of course, the police and Millenium's), multiple suspects, more murders, red herrings galore, and just general mayhem. Dark as all this is, it is actually quite funny in places: the police have no idea at all what is going on, despite a well meaning and competent detective in charge.

This is all tremendous fun for the reader. It is as anything remotely boring (and probably realism suffers) has been left out, yet despite the novels sheer page turning ability, (I read this too fast, I will need to read it again), it still has the power to inform.

So buy it, read it once, and then read it again.

Friday, May 14, 2010

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Kindle Edition)

by Stieg Larsson (Author)

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An international publishing sensation, Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo combines murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue into one satisfyingly complex and entertainingly atmospheric novel.

Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.

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Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #4 in Books
  • Published on: 2009-06-23
  • Released on: 2009-06-23
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Dimensions: 1.13" h x 5.17" w x 8.10" l, 1.00 pounds
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 608 pages
Features
  • ISBN13: 9780307454546
  • Condition: NEW
  • Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.


Customer Reviews:

“This Swedish bestseller deserves to be a blockbuster here too”.,
Review Date : August 25, 2008
Reviewed By : K. M. "literary devotee" (California) -

This review is from: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Hardcover)

A 24-year-old computer hacker sporting an assortment of tattoos and body piercings and afflicted with Asperger Syndrome or something of the like has been under state guardianship in her native Sweden since she was thirteen. She supports herself by doing deep background investigations for Dragan Armansky, who, in turn, worries the anorexic-looking Lisbeth Salander is "the perfect victim for anyone who wished her ill." Salander may look fourteen and stubbornly shun social norms, but she possesses the inner strength of a determined survivor. She sees more than her word processor page in black and white and despises the users and abusers of this world. She won't hesitate to exact her own unique brand of retribution against small-potatoes bullies, sick predators, and corrupt magnates alike.

Financial journalist Carl Mikael Blomkvist has just been convicted of libeling a financier and is facing a fine and three months in jail. Blomkvist, after a Salander-completed background check, is summoned to a meeting with semi-retired industrialist Henrik Vanger whose far-flung but shrinking corporate empire is wholly family owned. Vanger has brooded for 36 years about the fate of his great niece, Harriet. Blomkvist is expected to live for a year on the island where many Vanger family members still reside and where Harriet was last seen. Under the cover story that he is writing a family history, Blomkvist is to investigate which family member might have done away with the teenager.

So, the stage is set. The reader easily guesses early that somehow Blomkvist and Salander will pool their talents to probe the Vanger mystery. However,Swede Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is no humdrum, formulaic whodunit. It is fascinating and very difficult to put down. Nor is it without some really suspenseful and chillingly ugly scenes....

The issue most saturating The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is that of shocking sexual violence primarily against women but not excluding men. Salander and Blomkvist both confront prima facie evidence of such crimes. Larsson's other major constituent elements are corporate malfeasance that threatens complete collapse of stock markets and anarchistic distrust of officialdom to the point of endorsing (at least, almost) vigilantism. He also deals with racism as he spins a complex web from strands of real and imagined history concerning mid-twentieth century Vanger affiliations with Sweden's fascist groups.

But Larsson's carefully calibrated tale is more than a grisly, cynical world view of his country and the modern world at large. At its core, it is an fascinating character study of a young woman who easily masters computer code but for whom human interaction is almost always more trouble than it is worth, of an investigative reporter who chooses a path of less resistance than Salander but whose humanity reaches out to many including her, and of peripheral characters -- such as Armansky -- who need more of their story told.

Fortunately, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in English translation will be followed by two more in the Millennium series: The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Air Castle that Blew Up. I can't wait. Larsson also made a 200-page start on a fourth book, but sadly he succumbed to a heart attack in 2004 and his father decided the unfinished work will remain unpublished.

I recommend this international bestseller to all who eagerly sift new books for challenging intellectual crime thrillers, who luxuriate in immersing themselves in the ambience of a compellingly created world and memorable characters, who soak up financial and investigative minutiae as well as computer hacking tidbits, and who want to share Larsson's crusade against violence and racism.


“Best Book of the Year”,
Review Date : September 13, 2008
Reviewed By : R. Crane (Washington, DC United States) -

This review is from: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Hardcover)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a masterwork of fine craftsmanhip. When I reached the final page I was disappointed that there was no more to read. I did not want the story to end. The characters are too intriguing for this to be the end. Apparently this was the first novel in a trilogy by the brillant writer, Stieg Larsson, who unfortunately died in 2004: the book contains a tribute to him and his career. I cannot wait to read the sequels scheduled for release in the USA in 2009.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an international best seller and is set in Sweden. It takes a little effort to get accustomed to all the Swedish names and places but then the story moves with lightening speed. There are two key plots happening simultaneously. In one, a Swedish financial investigative journalist publishes a libelous attack about a powerful industrialist and is sentenced to jail, fined a ruinous sum, and has his career torn to shreds. Another industrialist, Vanger, hires the journalist to investigate the 36 year old disappearnace of his then 14 year old grand niece. There has been no trace of her in all these years and she is assumed dead. Yet, every year on his birthday, he receives a mysterious gift of a pressed flower, mimicking a gift his missing grandniece used to give him when she lived there. Vanger, an old man, is tormented by the flower gifts, and wants one more chance to find out what happened to her and who killed her. What the journalist uncovers about the Vanger family's hitherto unknown secrets and connections to the Nazis, will have you hanging on the edge of your seat.

The book is titled after yet another character, Lisabeth Salander, a societal outcast and social ward of the State, uncivilized without any desire to obey societal norms, and replete with piercings, tattoos, and a goth/biker appearance. In short, at first glance a totally undesirable and unsympathetic person. She is a researcher with a corporate security firm and ends up working with the journalist. In truth, she is a survivor of abuse in all forms with low self esteem, and an inablity to trust. She is a genius with Asberger's Syndrome, a form of autism, who sees patterns in things ordinary mortals miss and uses incredible computer hacking skills to accomplish her goals. She is fascinating: ruthless and tough to a fault, yet internally vulnerable, struggling to comprehend her own feelings. She has an appeal that draws you to her, rooting for her, and wanting to understand her. Lisabeth is unforgettable, unlike most characters that populate mystery thrillers. There is such depth here.

The book is a thriller on many levels: The story about the Vanger family itself, the journalist's crusade to redeem his reputation, Lisabeth's vendettas and development, and of course, the truth about what actually happened to the missing Vanger heiresss. This is a superb novel and impossible to put down. Utterly stunning. Probably the year's best book. SUMMER 2009: SEE MY REVIEW OF THE SEQUEL, "THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE", ANOTHER OUTSTANDING BOOK.


“Less than I expected but still interesting”,
Review Date : September 18, 2008
Reviewed By : Cowboy Bill "cowboybill" (Omaha, NE USA) -

This review is from: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Hardcover)

Henrik Vanger, an elderly Swedish industrialist, has long been receiving the same anonymous gift on his birthday: a single framed flower. He is convinced the series of flowers has something to do with his great-niece Harriet who vanished decades ago in mysterious circumstances when she was just 16.

Vanger coerces a disgraced and prison-bound journalist, Mikael Blomkvist, to do some research into the disappearance. In exchange for information on his niece, Vanger promises Blomkvist enough dirt to take down the rich man who is sending him to jail.

So begins "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," a blockbuster best-seller in Europe. As Blomkvist moves closer to the truth, he teams up with the titular character, a tattooed detective named Lisbeth Salander who's the real star of the show. Together they uncover things that stun even Blomkvist, a crusading financial reporter who thought he knew all there was to know about the rot of corruption, the myriad abuses of power and the darkest sides of ourselves.

The novel is long and sometimes feels even longer; it takes its time threading out the dense plot. There's a lot going on here. This is the kind of book that provides you with a family-tree chart upfront; by midpoint you may be wishing there were even more aids offered by the author to keep track of things.

There is a series of horrible crimes at the heart of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," but I hesitate to call this work a thriller. It's a crime novel, yes, but it has more on its mind than generic conventions. The author, the late Stieg Larsson, was a journo in the muckraking tradition, like his character Blomkvist. The book serves up a heapin' helpful of essay that tastes like story but isn't. And while the mystery element is shockingly compelling in spots, it's also surprisingly unsurprising in others.

A million Europeans can't be wrong, and I'd be dishonest to say there's nothing worthwhile about this novel that is so popular across the pond. Despite its stop-and-go pace and tortuous (and sometimes tortured) construction, there is a serious emotional undertone to the book that is undeniable.

If you're not yet bored with stories that present villains you've seen a hundred times before -- e.g., reactionaries, racists and capitalists -- you might just enjoy this. Me, I really wanted to like this book and I did, but just barely. It's a lesser "Smilla's Sense of Snow," and for many that's obviously enough.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Hardcover)

Stieg Larsson (Author)


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Product Description

The stunning third and final novel in Stieg Larsson’s internationally best-selling trilogy

Lisbeth Salander—the heart of Larsson’s two previous novels—lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She’s fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she’ll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of her friend, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revenge—against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life.

Once upon a time, she was a victim. Now Salander is fighting back.

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Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #2 in Books
  • Published on: 2010-05-25
  • Released on: 2010-05-25
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Binding: Hardcover
  • 576 pages


Customer Reviews:

“Beautiful Conclusion to an Almost Perfect Trilogy”,
Review Date : October 8, 2009
Reviewed By : J. Avellanet "author of Get to Market Now!" (Williamsburg, VA United States) -

This review is from: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest (Paperback)

Just as Tolkein's "Lord of the Rings" is held up as the trilogy to which all fantasy trilogies are inevitably compared, I've little doubt that Larsson's Millenium series will play that benchmark role for mystery thrillers over the next few decades.

"The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest" is an incredibly worthy successor to the previous two books in the trilogy. And toward the end, there will be moments when tears are brought to your eyes. Larrson knew precisely how to play with timing, rhythm, and wording to pace the story and its ending just right. I'm hard pressed to even guess how else he could have ended this series.
The story follows the natural conclusion of the events in the first two books as everything dovetails toward a "behind-closed-door" trial. Larrson did a very good job of the first part of this book that takes place in the hospital where Lisbeth is recovering. I really enjoyed reading things from her perspective, then spinning out to others involved and each of their limited pieces of the evolving puzzle. And things just get better as the book moves along.

Frankly, once you hit part three of the book, it's almost impossible to put down. I picked it up just once...just to read a chapter or two in the second half of the book...only to find that three hours had gone by and the book was over.

Larrson's tying up of many loose ends throughout the book - and this is key - throughout the book (not all in the last few chapters like so many other writers) is masterful. And that emphasizes the one tragic aspect of this final book: knowing that we will never again be graced with Larrson's storytelling mastery.


“A must-read for fans of this trilogy, but...”,
Review Date : December 28, 2009
Reviewed By : E. Jacobs -

This review is from: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest (Paperback)

For the ending of this book alone, it is worth reading. However, while I wish I could say that this book was of the same caliber as that of the prior two books, in my opinion it was not. The book picked up right where the last left off, with Salander in the hospital being treated for her injuries. Blomkvist continues to sleuth on her behalf in order to expose those who have made her life hellish and attempted to frame her for all manner of crimes. Of course, in his spare time he also still manages to attract every woman within a 500-yard-radius like a bee to honey, but I digress. All of the other familiar characters from the prior books return.

I don't want to spoil the plot of the book, so I will give a general review. The overall feel of the book to me is that it was the least edited and least considered of the three. This would make sense if Larsson had intended to go back and do some more tweaking and editing before publication, but he was obviously unable to do so after his death. There are entire sections of the book that meander on and on with no apparent purpose with regard to moving the story forward. These sections would have benefited greatly from some serious editorial paring.

To me, the plot did not at all move along at the same clip as the prior books. The suspense just wasn't there to the same degree. I recall that I simply could not put down the previous books, but I was nowhere near as riveted by this one. In addition, there were a number of somewhat annoying grammatical errors, sentence fragments, etc.

For the good points of the book, the ending (if that is what we can call the last 150-200 pages) is a very nice, tightly written section that ties everything together beautifully. Again, it struck me that perhaps Larsson had written the ending earlier than the rest of book three, as it appeared to be the best-constructed section of the entire book. For the ending alone, this story is worth reading. I wavered between a 3-and 4- star review for this reason. Ultimately, I considered whether the book, standing alone without the other two, would be a 4-star book, and I don't believe that would be the case.

As an aside, one minor issue is that on the book cover of the copy I picked up while in Belgium, the first blurb says "The Trial", as if the book is mostly about Salander's trial itself, which it is not. The trial itself takes up about the last tenth of the book. Whether this type of advertising will occur with the North American edition I don't know, but I write this warning simply so you might know what to expect.

In summary, anyone who has read the first two books simply will not be able to deny themselves the final installment, nor should they. Although I did not find the book to hold the same level of suspense and I sometimes found it rather dull, the ending of the book makes it very worthwhile reading. It is a great loss that Mr. Larsson passed away before he could really fine-tune the final book, and before he could write another.


“Complex, Satisfying, Clever, Moral; Evil Versus Good”,
Review Date : October 13, 2009
Reviewed By : prisrob "pris," (New EnglandUSA) -

This review is from: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest (Paperback)

For those of you who have not read the first two volumes of this trilogy, I urge you to start on Volume one and proceed. The characters are so complex and real that an understanding of their background seems to me to be a must. The first two novels set up the reader for this wonderfully clever conclusion. The tale of good versus evil is one that is a history in time, and Stieg Larsson has given us a treat to savour.

The first one hundred pages of the third novel brings us up to date, and then we start the real read. More characters are introduced and at times during this 600 page read, I wondered if I could keep them straight. For the last two hundred pages, this book is very hard to put down. This is a tale of a series of conspiracies and how they come to cloud the Swedish democracy. How did Lisbeth Salander become the abused young woman, and will the people and times trying to destroy her win? And, Mikael Blomkvist, the journalist, will he be able to expose through his words, the wrongs that have been done. Will he regain Lisbeth's confidence?

Lisbeth Salander is in the Intensive Care Unit, she has been shot in the head. Her father is in a room down the hall, reportedly shot by Lisbeth. How did this come to be. Why are the Swedish Secret Service surreptitiously going in and out of his room? Why do we pick on those we do not understand? It is easier for us to believe those that are in power than to question the truth. The theme of the trilogy is that women are equals. There is no unnecessary overt sex and even though there is violence, it is believable. Blomkvist is a hero, he is the main antagonist and the muscle behind the investigation. He is out to assist Lisbeth Salander in becoming the woman she is meant to be instead of the woman who was looked at as the mad lesbian killer. He says, "When it comes down to it, this story is not primarily about spies and secret government agencies; it's about violence against women, and the men who enable it." The characters who surround them are wonderfully sketched out. We can picture in our mind's eye their faces and their countenance. This novel sums up the story of Lisbeth Salander, but leaves us wondering what is to be. Unfortunately, Stieg Larsson. because of his death, won't be continuing the series, it is up to us to find her rightful place.

It is easy to understand why this trilogy of Stieg Larsson's has become such a phenomenon. The search for justice and truth from a young, abused woman who has the nerves and strength of steel gives us all hope. We can believe through this wonderful narrative that the world is indeed a good place.

Highly Recommended. prisrob 10-13-09

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