Reading Reflection: The Girl Who Played With Fire

The Girl Who Played With Fire (Millennium #2)

by Stieg Larsson, Reg Keeland (Translator)
Published July 28th 2009

Mikael Blomkvist, crusading journalist and publisher of the magazine Millennium, has decided to run a story that will expose an extensive sex trafficking operation between Eastern Europe and Sweden, implicating well-known and highly placed members of Swedish society, business, and government.

But he has no idea just how explosive the story will be until, on the eve of publication, the two investigating reporters are murdered. And even more shocking for Blomkvist: the fingerprints found on the murder weapon belong to Lisbeth Salander—the troubled, wise-beyond-her-years genius hacker who came to his aid in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and who now becomes the focus and fierce heart of The Girl Who Played with Fire.

As Blomkvist, alone in his belief in Salander’s innocence, plunges into an investigation of the slayings, Salander herself is drawn into a murderous hunt in which she is the prey, and which compels her to revisit her dark past in an effort to settle with it once and for all.
 
 

I got sucked into this series... it became unexpectedly addictive.  The first novel almost became the second book in my life I didn't finish, thank goodness I'm stubborn and kept going.
 
In the first book you're introduced to Blomkvist and Salander as two distinct stories.  Blomkvist is a moral and cunning journalist -- promiscuous with the ladies too.  Salander is an eccentric introvert, who may or may not be mentally disturbed.  She kicks ass anyway so it's okay.  Their lives crossed in the previous book, but mostly focused on Blomkvist's  assignment.  This second book has another task at hand stemming from Salander's past. 
 
The only thing I didn't like about this book was the large amount of characters and everything it involved.  In both books the author switches points of view so you're getting the story from the people involved.  Every time a new character is introduced an entire back story is given and the author then used that character to tell the story.  There were so many people at one point I had to write them down to keep track.  It interrupted the flow of the story for me. 
 
Other than that I really liked this book.  The abuse of women is still a prevalent theme, but not as grotesque as the first book.  There's a great mystery involved that keeps you moving forward... you have to find out what happens.  The characters are great and each plays their role in an intricate puzzle, my mind was going crazy trying to figure what was going to happen

I found a hysterical review of the book, though funny and seemingly nonsensical it highlights some key concepts -- Funny Review.