I read this book as slowly as I could, often rereading passages, solely to avoid finishing it, for I knew this was the last book in the trilogy and that its author was dead, so there was no hope for another of Lisbeth Salander's 'adventures'.
This time Salander has to deal with murder charges, doctors determined to have her committed as mentally unstable, and members of the corrupt but powerful state security police, Sapo. And she must somehow prove her innocence while closely guarded in a hospital after being shot at the end of the last novel.
Never one to trust anybody, this time she must, and eventually does, and in this book she is finally vindicated. The whole of Sweden is to hear of her traumatic childhood, her vicious criminal father, and of the corrupt doctors and police who have colluded to keep her locked away.
I first read this trilogy in 2010 and have already reread the three novels; now I will be doing so again, for just discussing Lisbeth Salander here has made me want to meet her all over again.
The true tragedy of these novels is that their author, Stieg Larsson, died soon after delivering the manuscripts for all three to a publisher. It seems cruel that he never knew how many people would enjoy and praise his work.
