The Girl who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

Basic plot

In this second installment of the Millenium Series, Mikael Blomkovist is on the trail of sex traffickers who exploit young women from Eastern Europe. Politicians, judges, security police and other powerful men stand to have their dirty linen washed in the public eye. When a young couple are found brutally murdered in their home, suspicion falls on a young computer hacker Lisbeth Salander. With a man-hunt on her scent, Blomkovist is the only one who believes that she is not the mentally disturbed and violent delinquent that everyone paints her to be. In order to clear her name, Lisbeth must face "All that evil" once more.

What I liked about this book

This book was actually a gift from my friend Dr Yati, who enjoyed the first book (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) so much that she offered to buy me the next two books in the series so that everyone can enjoy them. This book does what most sequels fail to do, it was even better than the original. The plot unravels at a much quicker pace. The mystery that surrounds Lisbeth's past (henceforth will forever be known as All that Evil) is dangled tantalizingly in front of the reader like that ever elusive carrot, just slightly out of reach, making the reader hungry to turn the page to find out more. It had just the right amount of action and suspense to keep the reader hooked.

What I disliked about this book

I did not find much about this book that I disliked. Larsson does tend to be too detailed in his descriptions but significantly less so in this book than the previous one. Blomkovist is probably the character I have the most difficulty empathizing with, seemingly comfortable being in multiple open relationships. The romantic in me demands that he forges more solid emotional ties with one, beyond the genuine fondness he has for his bed-mates.

A quote I liked from this book

There are no innocents, there are, however, different degrees of responsibility. 

Rating: 4.5/5

My review of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.