So almost two years ago I listened to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson on audio book and I really enjoyed it. Up until that point I had surprisingly avoided all the hype so I went into it with no preconceived notions of what it was about and I have to say that I was very surprised it was actually a crime/mystery novel. I don't know what I was expecting but a 'whodunit' was not on my list of possibilities. I was quite a fan of the story and the writing. I loved the characters, and maybe most of all I LOVED the guy that read the book on the audio version. So why did it take me so long to read {listen} to the next two installments? I really have no excuse other than the fact that my library never seemed to have them available. But now that everyone is clamoring for this years "Best Sellers" {click *here* to see what I think about that}, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl that Kicked the Hornets Nest were free for the taking! Oh, and a bonus for waiting 2 whole years to dig into these two books is that now I get to picture the oh-so-dreamy Daniel Craig as Mikael Blomkvist {*sigh*, but I digress} I thought about reading them the good ol' fashioned way, but I had such a audible crush on the reader Martin Wenner that I had to listen to them too {is there an award comparable to the Oscars or Tonys for people who read audio books??? Because I have their winner}
So when we left off on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Mikael Blomkvist has figured out the mystery, and Lisbeth Salander has done what she did and has left the country {sorry for being so cryptic but I don't want to spoil it for anyone!} The second book really is a completely different story but just using the same characters. Nothing from the plot of book 1 plays a big part in book 2 BUT book 2 leaves you in a cliff hanger and nothing gets tidied up until book 3 {are you following me?} I am not really going to give you a real recap of what happens because people! That completely defeats the purpose of a crime novel! Shame on you for trying to get it out of me {you know how I crack under pressure}!!!! You don't want to know what happens or you shouldn't even be reading it! So all I'll say is that someone gets killed while writing a book about sex trafficking and Mikael and Lisbeth are back at it {but this time not together} trying to figure out who, what, where, when, and why. The slight twist is that Mikael and Lisbeth are both searching for different answers to different questions so this makes the story all the more exciting! So come on people, if you haven't given into the peer pressure yet, please read these books {or listen to them preferably because you are going to love this Martin Wenner guy! Seriously! I swear it!} These books are worth your time and money {unlike another Best Selling Trilogy I know of}.
If you like to read, than you will like this book {that is my recommendation, readers}. The only warning I have is that these books center around violence toward women, and it can get a little descriptive when it comes to setting some of the more unsettling scenes. BUT, the heroine of the story is a VERY strong women that is fighting against the violence, so it is empowering really. No weepy co-ed, damsel in distress here. I hope you enjoy the series as much as I did. I don't know if the hype they made a few years ago was worth it, however, they are amazing reads and probably important in someway as far as modern fiction goes. They need to go on your "To Read" Bucket List for sure.
RATING: 4 stars {for the whole series}
2 More Reviews on The Millennium Trilogy:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
{Library Audio Book}
ISBN: 0307577580
16hours 19minutes
Read by Martin Wenner
The Girl Who Played with Fire
{Library Audio Book}
ISBN: 0739384171
18hours 38minutes
Read by Martin Wenner
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
{Library Audio Book}
ISBN: 0739384198
20hours 20minutes
Read by Martin Wenner
If you liked The Millennium Series then read In The Woods by Tana French.