Chris McQuiston

Ugh! What a disappointment. Lisbeth Salander doesn’t show up until about a quarter way into the book, and then I all most wish she hadn’t. She has lost her vitality and softened. She no longer has an edge and with the exception of her fighting skills, seems just like an average woman. Mikael too seems to have lost his edge and is just floating through life. Of course there are many new characters, but who cares. The essence of the series is lost. For example, we find that Camilla is dead apparently from suicide as Lisbeth catches her niece up on family history. Like everything else in the book, it is anticlimactic, there is no development or punch. In addition, the writing style with the characters thoughts displayed in separate bolded paragraphs is disruptive and if it was well written, unnecessary. I’d say skip this one, but really hope that things turn around and we can go on to appreciate and recognize the main characters we love in the next two books of the trilogy.