An Unstoppable Force in a Fragile Female Character

It happened every year. Was almost a ritual. And this was his eighty-second birthday. When, as usual, the flower was delivered, he took off the wrapping paper and then picked up the telephone to call Detective Superintendent Morell who, when he retired, had moved to Lake Siljan in Dalarna. They were not only the same age, they had been born on the same day—which was something of an irony under the circumstances. The old policeman was sitting with his coffee, waiting, expecting the call.
“It arrived.”
“What is it this year?”
“I don't know what kind it is. I'll have to get someone to tell me what it is. It's white.”
“No letter, I suppose.”
“Just the flower. The frame is the same kind as last year. One of those do-it-yourself ones.”
“Postmark?”
“Stockholm.”
“Handwriting?”
“Same as always. All in capitals. Upright, neat lettering.”
With that, the subject was exhausted, and not another word was exchanged for almost a minute. The retired policeman leaned back in his kitchen chair and drew on his pipe. He knew he was no longer expected to come up with a pithy comment or any sharp question which would shed new light on the case. Those days had long since passed, and the exchange between the two men seemed like a ritual attaching to a mystery which no one else in the whole world had the least interest in unraveling.


From The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson


Unraveling things is the genius behind Larsson's fantastic Millennial Trilogy, this book being the first in the series.

I saw the original Swedish movie with English subtitles first and I was completely captivated. I had never heard of Stieg Larsson and just happened one Saturday afternoon to wander into the Angelika theater here in Dallas and saw “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.”

The movies and the books became instant successes. How could they not have been? Larsson's skill as a writer was brilliance at work. The characters in this series come to life with amazing reality.

In this first book we meet a star, a heroine of such extraordinary strength, quirkiness, bad ass bravery, vulnerability and enthralling fierceness that she immediately wins our hearts. That is Lisbeth Salander, and her character carries all three novels and movies into monumental publishing and film history.

Actress Noomi Rapache played Lisbeth in the three Swedish movies and became overnight a celebrated new talent.

It has been written that Larsson based his character Lisbeth on the children's book character Pipi Longstocking imagining her now as a young woman, tormented, perhaps with Attention Deficit Disorder, failing to fit into regular society but unstoppable when confronted with a challenge.

Sounds about right to me.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the series. And I keep it in plain sight in my book stack to remind me of how entertaining and satisfying a read these books are.