Crime Thriller At Its Best

A political activist, photographer and an editor, Stieg Larsson brings together a crime thriller combined with investigative journalism in the first of the Millennium trilogy The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. No, the tattoo doesn't have much to do with the story line other than adding the oomph value to the book cover. However, it's the girl's role in the crime thriller that makes this book 'unputdownable'.

Eighty-two-year-old Harold Vanger, industrialist and former head of the Vanger Corporation, has been receiving framed, dried flowers on his birthday from a mysterious admirer for 40 years. He, along with his trusted friend-lawyer Dirch Frode, is on a search for someone who will solve the mystery of a missing family member and the gifts he has been receiving. Miles away, publisher and editor of Millenium Magazine Michael Blomkovist is found guilty of libel of businessman Hans-Erik Wennerstorm – a case against Wennerstorm for international finance fraud which has gone awry. Blomkovist silently accepts the verdict, but has emerged stronger and is hoping to find better evidence against Wennerstorm. So, despite pleas from his staff and editor-part owner Erika Berger (also his 'part-time' lover) Blomkovist refuses to continue to be the editor of Millennium "to maintain the magazine's credibility".

Vanger, however, has another plan for Blomkovist. He asks Blomkovist to help solve the mystery of his missing granddaughter Harriet Vanger and, in turn, promises to offer evidence against Wennerstorm, besides paying a hefty fee. Blomkovist is jobless, has to serve a temporary prison sentence. Staying at the sleepy town of Hedestad for a year's time and solving the mystery is a sensible option, or so he thinks.

Lisbeth Salander is the girl with the tattoo. She works at a high-end security agency and lives life by her rules, something which her employer Dragan Armansky has gotten used to. She leads a queer life, doesn't believe in displaying emotions, resorts to any technique, mostly hacking computers, to find even a bit of information that's not in the public domain. Her emotional quotient is as low as a quintessential investment banker. Her analyses are black and white. And there simply is no room for grey in her life.

Vanger, who has hired the Armansky's security agency to do a background check on the journalist, is convinced that Blomkovist is the guy for the job. The books picks up pace in the second half when Salander too is thrown into the Harriet Vanger case.

Set in Sweden, Larsson has intricately woven the deceptions in financial journalism, the way business journalism affects stockmarkets, and has also touched upon ethics a journalist needs to follow. Larsson, who held strong opinions on racism, died of heart attack in November 2004. But just before his unexpected death, he had presented three manuscripts to his publisher. Written in Swedish, the book was translated to English by Reg Keeland and its popularity has only been increasing since then.

Larsson's eye for detail, gadgets and technology thrown in for everyday use, his extensive knowledge of journalism, and, of course, the very essence of the book -- solving the mysterious case of a missing scion, The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo -- all of 554 pages – is what makes it a bestseller. It's a drug, you only want more. Hopefully the other two in the series, The Girl Who Played With Fire and Castles In The Sky will be equally good.