On a Clear Day I Can Read Forever

The appealing punk genius hacker Lisbeth Salander (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) literally clawed her way out of a grave in the second book in Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy, The Girl Who Played with Fire. Now, Salander, under arrest as a serial killer, clings to life with a bullet in her brain in the opening pages of the final thrilling entry, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest. But not to worry. Once she comes round from brain surgery and realizes her greatest enemy — her father — is two doors down in ICU, she drags her broken body out of bed and arms herself with a pencil. She may be down, but she’s not out — except for vengeance.

Meanwhile, investigative reporter/magazine publisher Mikael Blomkvist is out to convince law enforcement and the world that Salander is not guilty of the so-called “Lesbian Satanist murders,” and, indeed, is the victim of a complicated conspiracy involving her Soviet spy father, a maverick unit of the Swedish Security Services, a German killer with ties to outlaw bikers, and assorted psychiatrists and bureaucrats who want her either stashed back in a mental hospital or dead.

You really have to have read the first two books. Larsson, the activist Swedish journalist who died suddenly of a heart attack at age 50 in 2004, could have easily tripped over any one of the many complicated plotlines that make the series such a spider web. But he is a deft storyteller, and if Dragon dragged some and Fire was a bit frenetic, he almost perfectly paces Hornet. There is some narrative repetition as Salander’s past is replayed and the villains’ roles exposed. And Larsson piles on more story: Blomkvist’s mistress takes over as editor of a rival newspaper and his sister takes on Salander’s courtroom defense. Still, it’s hard to put down as it reaches its fierce finale.

Bittersweet, though, to bid farewell to Larsson and his compelling characters. I suppose Google could tell me the Swedish for goodbye, but I’ll stick to English: Thanks for the memories.

Open Book: I bought my copy of Stieg Larrson’s The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (Knopf) and stayed up way too late last night to finish it.