I was not blown away by this novel. It is certainly not bad, and the pages keep turning because you want to see the resolution of mystery. The title of the book is alluring, sounds very edgy. However, this title is a bit misleading since Lisbeth who the girl with the dragon tattoo shares maybe less than half of the book with the character Mikael Blomkvist. In any event, Lisbeth is a interesting, enjoyable character. I can't get enough of books with a smart, tough-as-nails leading female protagonist (i.e., Tris from the novel Divergent). As for the other main character Mikael Blomkvist, I enjoyed learning about how a investigative journalist thinks and about a journalist's professional codes. I was impressed in certain parts, such as when he tracks down a woman from a photograph taken in the 60s. Similarly, the ways Lisbeth sees patterns and uses photographic memory to piece together relevant newspaper clippings is fascinating. Parts of the book I found a bit too disturbing for my taste, with scenes of incest and sexual violence. This is my first novel that I have read from a Swedish author, and the cultural aspect of the characters names and settings was refreshing. This book reminds me of the movie the TV show Criminal Minds (excellent show), the movie the Changeling with Angelina Jolie (pretty good movie). It also remind me of the books Da Vinci Code (So-So book) and John Grisham novels (excellent). SPOILER At the end, I did not understand how exactly how the Wennerstrom character operated his "mafia" organization. This aspect was not explained clearly enough for me and was not believable for me. I did not believe how nearly all the woman Mikael Blomkvist befriends want to sleep with him and end up falling in love with him. I do not see his attraction/desirability, so it was not believable.

i ordered the mass market paperback version of this book online and when i got it, it was very tall and narrow, i didnt like it so i returned it and got a normal sized version. i have yet to read this book but im really excited to

After a long time of having people ask if I had read this novel and hearing everyone talk about it i supppose I finally gave in to the buzz and borrowed it from a friend who had started it but not been able to get into it. The final decision to read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo came after watching the movie. The book is a quick-paced mostly easy read and at times I felt like I was just flying through the pages. Really good mystery, quite a few characters to get a handle on but the Vanger family tree at the beginning of the book is certainly helpful. I did feel that the story ran on a bit towards the end after the mystery of Harriet Vanger had been solved, i found once that part of the story was concluded I was mostly done with the book. Definately worth the read and the movie is worth a watch.

Although slightly confusing at first due to the vast amount of characters being introduced and dense storyline, I highly recommend this book to all who enjoy thrilling suspense and mystery novels. Due to the fast paced read and extremely well drawn characters all of which are forced to face the darker aspects of their world and of their own lives, it adds a constant sense of intrigue and attachment to every chapter. The constant plot twists also make for excellent cliff hangers nearing the end of almost each chapter. Personally, one of the best books I have had the pleasure to read.

I think I must be one of the last people to read this series…but there, now I’ve gone and joined the masses. "Men Who Hate Women" is the original title. Aptly titled as there is a lot of violence against both women and children in this book. Despite that, I enjoyed this book. The violence is not over the top and is essential to the plot. It’s a good, solid mystery with strong characters who are well developed. I was warned that the first part of the book moved along a bit slowly but didn't find that this was accurate...I zipped through this book as fast as I could. Am now tangled up in the second book in the series. Entirely engrossing and another great example of why I love European mysteries so much.

Truly the best "locked door" mystery I've ever read. I couldn't put the book down and it kept me guessing until the last page.

I was hooked. Couldn't put the book down. The first 80-100 pages were a little difficult to understand. The names of the characters and places. Once I kept reading I was sucked right in. Finished the book on the beach in the Dominican. As soon as I got back I rushed out to get the second of the trilogy.

Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist is hired to solve the decades-old murder of Harriet Vanger, member of one of the wealthiest families in Sweden. Aided by a tattooed, antisocial hacker named Lisabeth Salander, Blomkvist unearths horrible skeletons lurking in the Vanger family closet... For a few years now, I've been avoiding The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Since so many people told me I just had to read it, many of them non-readers, I assumed it was a lot of over-hyped, dumbed-down crap. Well, I may have been wrong. All hype aside, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a damn good book and I feel it goes beyond just being a mystery.

This book is fast paced and certainly holds your attention but some of the content is gruesome. It took a few unexpected twists that I could have lived without.

An intelligent, shocking novel about the margins of society. The author manages to create a story of an intriguing, original character, depicting her battles on a backdrop of Sweden's economic and legal system. This daring novel depicts the society as a whole - with all the dirty alleys and hidden crannies and people that live in the shadows. But most of all, it shows a different side to humanity - the side that most people seek to conceal. This novel deals with the worst sort of people - rapists, murderers, and thieves. And it forces us to care (when we hear about a crime, don't we all think, "Well, thank goodness that didn't happen to me" and move on?) because these people are hurting a character we care about. Even when I put this book down, it stayed nagging at the back of my mind. How could it not? The disturbing things happening in every civilized society were exposed and shoved in my face. But that doesn't exactly pull people in. The one thing holding us to this book is Lisbeth Salander. She is not a typical, hurt girl, hiding behind her piercings, tattoos, and bad attitude. And that is why so many people fell in love with this series. Lisbeth is extremely intelligent, brave and determined. She doesn't conform to society in any way. Even her sexual orientation - it doesn't matter to her, she refuses to be labeled. Most importantly, Lisbeth doesn't give up no matter how much the society is trying to pull her down. She perseveres - over and over again. But at the same time, she is real. She is three dimensional and honest and hurt and that makes her so appealing. She does make mistakes; she cries; she gets hurt. Everyone could relate to that. She is truly an inspiring character, one of the greatest to be ever created in modern literature. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is open minded enough and who is willing to get through a hundred boring pages of descriptions of Sweden's economy. I guarantee, this book will change the way you think about the world.