Changes

Well, for once the hype is not entirely unwarranted. It may not be a masterpiece, but ''The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'' is a very good read. Despite the sometimes dodgy translation this is a really well-written, well-structured novel that was a real pleasure to read. As with many Scandinavian crime novels, there is an atmospheric sense of place, which Larsson achieves with ease. The characterisation, though, is strong and particularly well handled. I sometimes feel that the people who live in crime novels do things for no other reason than because the plot dictates it. That is not the case in this novel, where all the key players are drawn with skill and some deftness. One or two of the characters (not least Lisbeth Salander, the Tattooed Girl herself) could so easily have become caricatures or worse. But Larsson gives them a multi-layered depth that not only makes them real but also makes the reader ''care'' about them. Even though it is over 500 pages long, I was pretty much gripped throughout this novel. Recommended.

'''Editor's Note''': Sue listened to an audio download of the book, narrated by Saul Reichlin. She agreed with everything which Paul had to say about the story. Reichlin's narration is top class. He achieves all the varied voices with ease as well as mastering the Swedish vocabulary. Sue bought the book herself and thought that it was worth every penny.