Kavi Reads

Note: Being the third book in the series, the following contains spoilers from Larsson’s second book, The Girl Who Played With Fire

As I was getting close to finishing The Girl Who Played With Fire, I was starting to get a bit worried about how Larsson was going to end the story. Given the number of loose ends, questions unanswered and the general mess that the characters were in, the number of pages left to resolve the situation seemed smaller and smaller as I approached the end. However, instead of a quick twenty-page resolution of the massively complicated state of affairs, Larsson surprised be with an entire 650-page book to continue the gripping story as Lisbeth Salander fights enemies from her past and present to avoid being locked inside prison (for murders she did not commit) or worse, trapped in an institution as a mentally disturbed psychopath (which she is not-too-obviously not).

My reading progression of Larsson’s third, and last book from his famous Millennium series, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, was quite similar to that of its predecessor. I spent about two weeks reading one chapter at a time for the first half of the book before deciding to spend an entire Saturday on the second half and finishing it. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was an amazing introduction to the characters of Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist. It was both realistic and gripping, with just the right amount of excitement, suspense and humour. The sequel, The Girl Who Played With Fire, was slightly more over-the-top with a few too many coincidences and James Bond-style villains, but quite entertaining on its own and in some ways, better than the first book. However, Larsson brings it back to reality with a more down-to-Earth, yet pulse-racing third instalment.

No Spoilers

Salander and Zalachenko are both in the hospital, each fighting for their life. Last time they met, Zalachenko shot Salander in the head while Salander, somehow surviving the bullet, drove an axe into his skull. Outside, there are many different agents in action, each with their own motive. Mikael Blomkvist, who was certain of Salander’s innocence from the beginning, is now using his status as a celebrity journalist to uncover the truths of Salander’s past and bring those to justice who violated her civil rights. Helping him is Salander’s former boss, Dragan Armansky of Milton Security and his team of investigators. On one side, we see the reactivation of some retired Swedish warriors who were responsible for Zalachenko and covered his tracks, regardless of the crimes he committed. These old spies don’t want their cover blown, or that of the ultrasecret unit of the Security Police (Säpo) for which they worked, called “The Section”. They will go to any limits to make sure and threats from Salander, Blomkvist, Zalachenko or anyone else are nullified. Thus, Blomkvist’s team faces threats from within the government who should be protecting them. However, we also have more honest officers who want to make sure Salander’s constitutional rights are not being violated. And finally Salander’s own team of hackers helping one of their own out in her time of need. Thus, the book turns into a battle between the police and various intelligence agencies.

Inside, we see many of Larsson’s hallmarks and I have come to love over his trilogy. The strong female characters, like Blomkvist’s sister and Salander’s lawyer, Annika ­Giannini; Millennium’s editor in chief, Erika Berger; Inspector Monica Figuerola from the Constitutional Protection department; all add to a great set of characters. We have Larsson’s typical style of switching between characters are the perfect moments leaving everyone in small cliffhangers and building suspense masterfully. And of course, everyone is drowning in coffee. Hardly a scene goes by without someone “switching on the coffee machine,” ordering “a coffee and a sandwich” or responding affirmatively to the offer “Coffee?”

Some 50 pages before the end, Blomkvist sums up the nature of Salander’s experience: “When it comes down to it, this story is not primarily about spies and secret government agencies; it’s about violence against women, and the men who enable it.” The statement stands so true that I don’t think Larsson needed to have Blomkvist blurt it out so literally. This is something that sets Larsson’s Millennium trilogy apart from typical thrillers. There’s no unnecessary violence to spice up the chapters, no unrealistic fight scenes where the hero magically beats up all the villains, no magical technology which inexplicably acts as a Deus ex machina (even Salander and her posse’s hacking skills and results are realistic). Just a plausible narrative with complex, thrilling plots and fresh, likeable characters, brilliantly woven into a mesh of violence, crime and investigations. It has been an amazing reading experience and I hope that David Lagercrantz’s continuation of Larsson’s series can live up to the high standards set by Larsson.

Spoilers ahead

One of the most memorable and powerful scenes in the entire trilogy is Lisbeth Salander’s trial. On one side is Salander, who finally shows up in court after being pursued by the police for a triple-murder, being shot and battling death, and finally deciding to talk to people of authority. Representing her is her lawyer and Blomkvist’s sister, Annika ­Giannini. Against her is prosecutor Ekström, who was initially responsible for bringing Salander in for the triple murder in the last book. Along with him is Salander’s arch enemy: psychiatrist, Peter Teleborian, who was essentially responsible for Salander’s suffering when she was institutionalised on his recommendation and under his supervision. Teleborian is back once again to make sure she gets locked up, hopefully for good.

What follows is an amazing set of question and answers where initially Ekström and Teleborian put up all their evidence (some being falsified) and make a strong case against Salander. And then Giannini speaks and one by one destroys every piece of evidence and speculation provided by the prosecution. Outside the trial, Millennium‘s dual book-and-magazine exposé is published and the officers of the Section are arrested. Giannini manages to prove that Teleborian conspired against Salander when she was 12 and soon Teleborian is arrested for possession of child pornography (found on his computer by Salander’s hacker friends). Ekström has no choice but to withdraw all charges against her. I have never seen a more satisfying victory by the good guys in a thriller.