The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

By: Stieg Larsson

Narrated by: Saul Reichlin

Length: 18 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared from a family gathering on the island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger clan. Her body was never found, yet her uncle is convinced it was murder - and that the killer is a member of his own tightly knit but dysfunctional family.

He employs disgraced financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist and the tattooed, truculent computer hacker Lisbeth Salander to investigate. When the pair link Harriet's disappearance to a number of grotesque murders from 40 years ago, they begin to unravel a dark and appalling family history.

But the Vangers are a secretive clan, and Blomkvist and Salander are about to find out just how far they are prepared to go to protect themselves.

©2005, 2008 Norstedts Agency, Reg Keeland (P)2009 WF Howes Ltd

Critic reviews

"I doubt you will read a better book this year." (Val McDermid)

"Intelligent, complex, with a gripping plot and deeply intriguing characters. The author's early death is a great loss." (Philip Pullman)

"What a cracking novel! I haven't read such a stunning thriller debut for years. Brilliantly written and totally gripping." (Minette Walters)

Enjoyable

I wouldn't normally read this style of book but it was recommended. The audio book was excellent and a joy to jump in the car and drive to and from work as the mystery unfolded. The story was a little far fetched but it's fiction.

Nice piece standing out in it's genre

This is a thriller/detective story which involves looking for a murderer, solving a mystery, some computer hacking and a financial journalism expose. The story and plot is rich and captivating. It is never boring. I would not say this book is somehow exceptional in ideas or the story itself. The story is actually pretty ordinary and involves ordinary things we read about everywhere. What I would say, is that this is a golden standard of how books in this genre should be written.

The narration is one of the best I have seen here on Audible. Very good pronunciation, no annoying intonations. Multi character voices well expressed. The narrator is top. In some cases I had doubts that he was pronouncing the Swedish names correctly, but in general it was apparent that he really made an effort and studied the native spelling.

What I didn't like is the English translation. The nice about reading foreign literature, in this case Swedish is that you get some local insights and nuances. Unfortunately this was hindered by converting all European physical units to Imperial units in the translation.

Not as good as read by Simon Vance

I prefer the other two books in the series which I have as read by Simon Vance. It is very apparent that Lisbeth is not as fully developed here as in the next two books.

A fast paced thriller and great narrator

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Didn't like the story and dark characters.

Any additional comments?

Takes a while to build the momentum, but then the suspece just grips you and it moves very fast. A worth read if you don't mind really sick characters.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Trilogy

I have almost completed the trilogy now and I find that I am delaying getting to the end. That is how I know how enjoyable it has been to listen to these books. The story is remarkable and the narration is excellent. One of the best audible books ever!

Many-layered story

I loved the complex characters, plot and relationships. Slow going for the first few chapters while the author was in 'set-up' mode; but after that, the story exploded into action. Just when I would think that everything was resolved, a further complication would turn up and, to my great delight, the book would continue. I can hardly wait to read the others in this trilogy.

Initially a bit hard going

Initially this book was a bit difficult to settle with. The characters seemed a bit over the top along with the sadistic elements. The narrator's voice was also a little off putting, somewhat clipped and providing a swedish uncle with a bluff englishman's vocal tones but by the end I was cheering the the main character and keen to hear the next installment. Worth persevering!

better than the movie

love it from beginning until end, its better than the movie... looking forward for the next book

enjoyed immensly

Although it was a little slow to get started was very enjoyable once it got into the plot. The narrator was very good but have to say had a problem with the attempt at the Aussie accent, sounded more South African but did not detract from the story. Plot was good and would reccomend to anyone who likes a good mystery thriller

Suspenseful

A great story. It seemed to take a while to gain momentum but then it was compelling listening. My only criticism is that it stopped abruptly.I wanted to hear what happened to Lisbeth.