Stieg Larsson - The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest

Review by Malcolm Martland on show Feb 25th.
This is a remarkable sequel to The Girl Who Played with Fire by a sadly deceased master of recent Swedish crime thriller fiction. It is the last book of The Millennium Trilogy. The Observer summed it up as “That rare thing – a sequel that is even better than the book that went before…..to be read in great hungry chunks.” But I feel it would not make a lot of sense to read this before you’ve read The Girl Who Played with Fire and preferably The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo before that.

The action commences exactly where the previous book left off. Computer hacker Lisbeth Salander with a bullet in her brain has been found by Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist, and friend of Lisbeth. Her father, Zalachenko has also been found seriously injured nearby. They are each responsible for the other's injuries and are airlifted to hospital while Mikael is arrested for police obstruction, and possession of a firearm, which he is trying to surrender to the police. Meanwhile Lisbeth's psychopathic brother Niedermann is on the loose having been allowed to escape by the incompetent police.

Then things get political, Lisbeth has been the subject of a plot to maintain that she is mentally incompetent since she was a child. There is an inner circle within the secret police that wants to keep it that way. But the inner circle is so secret that not even the Prime Minister knows about it, all dating from the time when Zalachenko, a Russian spy, was given refuge in Sweden. Vague links with the assassination of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme. Some of the political chunks do get a bit heavy duty.

Lisbeth undergoes successful surgery to remove the bullet in her brain and is convalescing in the hospital which also is treating her father. She is suspected of murder and attempted murder and accordingly there is a police guard at the hospital. Fortunately the doctor who is looking after her refuses to let them interrogate her. He also brushes aside any attempts of mental assessment by the psychiatrist who originally incarcerated her in a mental hospital, and who is linked with the secret police’s plan to keep her silent.

Mikael in the meantime is released. He is also a close friend of Lisbeth. He sets out to help Lisbeth to clear her name, to see that her enemies are eliminated, and to see that she is declared mentally competent. She has not spoken to him for two years so communications need to be re-established. He manages to get her pocket Palm computer smuggled in and even sets up internet access for her – something that is a challenge for some of us even without the high security. Lisbeth contacts her ring of hackers and they provide her with as much information as she needs for her defence. Mikael suggests that his sister, Gianinni, act as Lisbeth's lawyer and accordingly she is allowed access. Mikael also attempts to expose the section of the secret police handling the Zalachenko affair. Mikael is quite a multitalented chap.

Meanwhile the secret police assassinate Zalachenko in the hospital. Dead men can't talk. It’s all very complicated, linked with former prime ministers and national security. I should say at this point that there is quite a high body count throughout and a degree of violence (surpassed only by Stuart McBride in my recent reading).

Eventually Lisbeth faces the court and in a defence worthy of a John Grisham novel Mikael's sister, Gianinni, demolishes the prosecution and has the declaration of mental incompetence revoked. I have to say Lisbeth is not totally innocent of all the charges and her methods of obtaining evidence are very dubious, but the reader’s sense of justice prevails – in her favour! The book comes to a very exciting but satisfactory conclusion with all the loose ends tied up and a few more bodies added to the criminal heap.

I think the Millennium Trilogy would make a great TV series – I think Kenneth Branagh, following his part as Wallander, would have to play Mikael Blomkvist, but who would, who could, play Lisbeth?
the psychiatrist who originally incarcerated her in a mental hospital, and who is linked with the secret police’s plan to keep her silent.

Mikael in the meantime is released. He is also a close friend of Lisbeth. He sets out to help Lisbeth to clear her name, to see that her enemies are eliminated, and to see that she is declared mentally competent. She has not spoken to him for two years so communications need to be re-established. He manages to get her pocket Palm computer smuggled in and even sets up internet access for her – something that is a challenge for some of us even without the high security. Lisbeth contacts her ring of hackers and they provide her with as much information as she needs for her defence. Mikael suggests that his sister, Gianinni, act as Lisbeth's lawyer and accordingly she is allowed access. Mikael also attempts to expose the section of the secret police handling the Zalachenko affair. Mikael is quite a multitalented chap.

Meanwhile the secret police assassinate Zalachenko in the hospital. Dead men can't talk. It’s all very complicated, linked with former prime ministers and national security. I should say at this point that there is quite a high body count throughout and a degree of violence (surpassed only by Stuart McBride in my recent reading).

Eventually Lisbeth faces the court and in a defence worthy of a John Grisham novel Mikael's sister, Gianinni, demolishes the prosecution and has the declaration of mental incompetence revoked. I have to say Lisbeth is not totally innocent of all the charges and her methods of obtaining evidence are very dubious, but the reader’s sense of justice prevails – in her favour! The book comes to a very exciting but satisfactory conclusion with all the loose ends tied up and a few more bodies added to the criminal heap.

I think the Millennium Trilogy would make a great TV series – I think Kenneth Branagh, following his part as Wallander, would have to play Mikael Blomkvist, but who would, who could, play Lisbeth?
Review by Malcolm F. Martland 25 February 2010